... the country is a mess. The world is worse. I never thought Bush would turn out to be a complete idiot. He is grossly imcompetent. All he does is practice a 'party line for profit.' A montra that effects global stability, human rights and world peace.
...'til then.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Russian helicopter is 'shot down'
This is a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. They are used for search and rescue as well as lifting cargo. This is the 'type' of helicopter reported as shot down over Chechnya.
If Russian forensics links the USA/CIA to any of the deaths including the munitions to crash the helicopter, this might be some of the first deaths of note in the USA v. Russia war. The manner in which the deaths occurred very much reflects the type of incident commonly occurring with the USA military. Although sometimes it's jets. With the change in posture of Russia and President Putin in his last Presidential Address to Russia it is a good estimate possible terrorists are escalating the many fronts that Russia might face in their new direction of taking control away from them.
A British Lynx helicopter which crashed in Basra, southern Iraq, last May was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, an investigation has found.
Five service personnel died when the aircraft plunged into a two-storey house in the centre of the city.
The incident sparked violent clashes between local people and British forces.
Among the dead was Flight Lieutenant Sarah Mulvihill, the first British servicewoman to die in action in Iraq.
If Bush can be traced to this, he can easily be impeached. The American people need to remove him from office. He and Cheney are far too imflammatory a president and vice. The circumstances of increasing international instability are directly related to their outrageous rankor.
Morning Papers - continued...
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
April 26th, 2007 11:29 pm
Congress challenges Bush to veto pullout
By Richard Cowan / Reuters
WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented slap at President George W. Bush's war policy, the U.S. Congress on Thursday approved legislation that links withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq to paying for the war, ensuring a veto.
By a vote of 51-46, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in backing the bill that would provide about $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year while setting a deadline to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq over the next 11 months.
It was the first time that the entire Congress, controlled by Democrats since January, has defied the president. Bush has repeatedly said he will not accept "surrender" dates.
"The president will veto this legislation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "The president is determined to win in Iraq. The bill they sent us today is mission defeated."
Democrats might arrange to deliver their bill to the White House on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of Bush declaring aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9697
Bush holds ground on Iraq
By Deb Riechmann / Associated Press
CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
Speaking a day after the Democratic-controlled Congress approved legislation that requires that a troop drawdown begin by Oct. 1, Bush said — as expected — he will veto it because of that demand. He invited congressional leaders to come to the White House to discuss a new piece of legislation that does not include a timetable, and expressed hope a deal could be reached.
But he made clear that if Democrats insist on including timetables again, he will not hesitate to bring out his veto pen.
"If they want to try again that which I've said is unacceptable, of course I won't accept it," the president said during a news conference here with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "I hope it won't come to that."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9700
Young soldier takes on freedom of speech, National Guard
By Jessica Bruni / Carlisle Sentinel
CARLISLE, PA -- Growing up in a conservative military family with a father who is a decorated "full-bird" colonel, Zach Keasling said the importance of freedom of speech is ingrained.
"I was raised to speak my mind as long as it's justified," said Keasling, 20, of North Middleton Township.
The self-confessed Army brat's commitment to the First Amendment is about to be tested.
After writing on his personal MySpace page that " ... being in the national guard SUCKS... ya" and other comments about the military, Keasling — a private 1st class in the 1st Battalion 108th Field Artillery Unit in the Pennsylvania National Guard — said he was informed he could be in trouble. MySpace is a popular Web site that offers an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, photos, music and videos.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9703
14 arrested in Senate anti-war protest (14 arrested in Hart Senate Office Building)
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Fourteen anti-war protesters were arrested in a Senate office building Thursday after unfurling a banner calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said the 14 were arrested for unlawful assembly in the Hart Senate Office Building just north of the Capitol.
The Senate voted 51-46 on Thursday to approve a funding bill that calls for the U.S. to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. Bush has promised to veto the bill.
Gael Murphy, co-founder of the women-initiated peace group Codepink, said members of her group and other peace activists participated in the demonstration, which included unfurling two banners, one listing articles of impeachment and another saying that "your silence is your legacy." They also conducted a mock military funeral.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9698
DO SOMETHING Saturday in the U.S.A.:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
APRIL 28 NATIONWIDE IMPEACHMENT ACTIONS
http://www.a28.org/
Tales of the Freewayblogger
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/03/public-punditry-contest.html
Getting Ready for A28...
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/04/getting-ready-for-a28.html
One Man Revolution
http://www.amazon.com/One-Man-Revolution-Nightwatchman/dp/B000NVJRBO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0385660-4148723?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1176416274&sr=8-1
April 24th, 2007 9:13 pm
Michael Moore: The Camera Is Mightier Than a Gun
Rolling Stone
[Check out the following audio clips from a Rolling Stone feature profiling Mike.]
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9686
April 25th, 2007 2:29 am
As life fades away, Baghdad becomes a memory
By Ahmed Rasheed and Ibon Villelabeitia / Reuters
BAGHDAD - Baghdad tastes of pistachio ice-cream on a summer night for Ahmed Baqi.
Evoking happier times, Baqi reminisced about the days when families and lovers crowded Baghdad's famed al-Faqma ice-cream parlor before bombs and shootings emptied the place.
"I had a girlfriend and we used to go to al-Faqma. It is a special place in my life. Now I drive by and look the other way. It is only a memory," the 30-year-old lawyer said.
One by one, the old places where Baghdad's residents loved life are disappearing under violence.
Parks, book markets, cafes -- where many played as children, browsed bookshelves as students or whiled away afternoons smoking water pipes -- have been erased, leaving a city many residents say they no longer recognize.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9688
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
'The Yellow Badge of Cowardice' ...by Cindy Sheehan
There was an unbelievable story in The Cove Herald last week that comes from near where George Bush and I own property: Copperas Cove, Texas. Apparently two residents: Bill and Georgia Thomas decided that the Resident in Chief deserved one of the three Purple Hearts that Bill earned in Vietnam for: "emotional wounds and scars" because people all over the world talk so badly about poor George.
This story stunned me on a day when nine US soldiers and 20 were wounded in a car bomb attack in the Iraqi province of Diyala. Over 500 Iraqis were killed or found decomposing in Baghdad last week and April '07 is shaping up to be one of the deadliest months for US troop fatalities. This is also a day when there is a hearing into the Army's exploitation of Pat Tillman's death to use him as a poster boy for patriotic fervor and unfounded hero worship. Why can't we talk about our soldier's heroic lives and not their tragic deaths as victims of the military industrial complex.
At the funeral of my son, Casey, a one-star General presented me with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for bravery awarded to Casey posthumously. The Thomas' can do whatever they want with Bill's medals, but I believe giving one to George Bush demeans Casey's brave and honorable sacrifice. Little Georgie used his Daddy's (the Congressman) connections to avoid serving in Vietnam and George even went so far as to go AWOL from the Alabama Air National Guard.
Casey didn't want to go and kill people and die in his commander in chief's war of aggression. Like the vice-commander in chief, Doomsday Dick, he had "other priorities" besides dying. Casey's Man-Scout Badges are sitting in my grandmother's cedar chest right next to his baby book and hand-print from pre-school.
For George, the Vietnam War Resister cum Iraqi occupation War Criminal, to say that he didn't "deserve" the medal is an under-statement. Bush doesn't feel emotional scars or pain, he deals them. There are many soldiers who are missing arms, legs, eyes, and souls who actually had to earn their medals under a corrupt regime that used their honor and bravery to pump up the bottom line of such companies as Doomsday Dick's Halliburton. There are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, sons and daughters who are emotionally scarred because their loved one won't be coming home alive from a war that never had to happen. Our arms will be aching forever because we can't hug our loved ones. Our hearts are scarred with the pain of burying someone too early and our lives are empty with the longing to see our dear one just one more time.
The Thomas' belong to the Fox News generation that still condones and supports a murderous regime. Mr. Thomas belongs to a generation that was scarred, maimed and killed with a genocidal fever by its corrupt regimes and he still thinks that George deserves a medal for his incompetence and callousness?
What do we do in a world where black is white? War is peace? Two and two equals five and cowardice is bravery?
We rise up and become more powerful than the special interests which use both parties to keep this nation on a constant war footing. We use our voices to be mouthpieces for peace and accountability. We march on the Capitol on May 14th to demand that there is no more business as usual and that Congress realizes that every single one of them (Democrat or Republican) who voted to fund George's war are complicit in the bottomless pain that accompanies each death, dismemberment, or disability; without sharing in one iota of the same pain.
If George likes to receive medals that he didn't earn, Gold Star Families for Peace is going to present him with one on April 25th, (or try to) that he does deserve and has earned abundantly: the Yellow Badge of Cowardice. It doesn't take any courage to march other people's children off to war. George didn't exhibit any courage when he was put to the top of the Texas Air National Guard line by his family's friends. George puts on his smiley photo-op face to take something from a good-hearted, yet deluded couple, that he stridently avoided earning. It doesn't take any courage to meet with a bereaved mother, but he also refuses to do that. He travels in America with more armor and fire power than a banana republic dictator, and if he is not stopped by impeachment or other peaceful means, then we will descend into that tyranny of empire...if we aren't already there.
Join Cindy, Gold Star Families for Peace, The Camp Casey Peace Institute, CODEPINK, Congress Reps John Conyers (D-Mi) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Ca) as we march on the Capitol on May 14th to demand our country back!
Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and The Camp Casey Peace Institute.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=867
The American Death Toll in Iraq is now 3337.
What's that coming to, about 3 to 4 soldiers per day.
http://icasualties.org/oif/
What bothers me more than anything about Pat Tillman is that the USA military set out to place him apart from all others. They wanted to glamorize a war that needed to be fought to capture or kill Osama bin Laden in order to seek out recruits that would find identity with a hero. I personally find the antics of the USA Government completely deplorable in this incident. I can understand from the beginning how someone might want to keep the truth from Pat Tillman's brother initially until they were off the battlefield. It was hard enough losing him, but, to learn he was killed by friendly fire would be a complete surprise and might disable him emotionally to handle his assignment. I would hold back as well, but, I wouldn't have covered it up. Breaking the news to family is a serious issue. But, to lie and extort the truth for the sake of advertising propaganda to deceive a nation is quite something else. Everyone involved should be criminally held for minimally fraud and possibly treason.
April 25th, 2007 8:27 pm
McCain Jumps Into Presidential Race
By Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Republican John McCain officially entered the 2008 presidential race Wednesday, stressing his experience honed in war and Washington as he sought to revive his struggling campaign.
"We face formidable challenges, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them," said the four-term Arizona senator, ex-Navy pilot and former Vietnam captive.
In a speech in the first-in-the-nation primary state, McCain stressed the wisdom he's acquired over time rather than the decades as he sought to make the case that he's the most qualified to succeed President Bush amid challenges at home and abroad.
"I'm not the youngest candidate. But I am the most experienced," said the 70-year-old who could be the oldest first-term president. "I know how to fight and how to make peace. I know who I am and what I want to do."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9691
This without a doubt. You know the Republicans keep superimposing 9/11 over Iraq. They are separate issues. If Giuliani can't provide a comprehensive platform based in reality without seeking to 'ride the tide' of the old Bush strategy, what good is he? He was mayor of a city. He didn't lead any assault against al Qaeda or legislate any anti-terrorist initiative. The last thing this country needs is antoher opportunist with corrupt connections.
Tell Rudy Giuliani to Stop Politicizing 9/11
While campaigning in New Hampshire last night, Rudy Giuliani resorted to hurling desperate attacks about Democrats while trying to tout his national security credentials. Here's what he said:
"If a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001… Never ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for (terrorists) to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!"
Send a message to Rudy Giuliani's campaign headquarters and tell him to stop the fearmongering. Our country deserves better from a presidential candidate:
http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/TellGiuliani/
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
by Jeremy Scahill
March 2007 - ISBN: 15602597
Meet Blackwater USA, the powerful private army that the U.S. government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil. With its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and twenty-thousand troops at the ready, Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the "global war on terror"--yet most people have never heard of it.
Pre-Order copies of Blackwater here.
It was the moment the war turned: On March 31, 2004, four Americans were ambushed and burned near their jeeps by an angry mob in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja. Their charred corpses were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. The ensuing slaughter by U.S. troops would fuel the fierce Iraqi resistance that haunts occupation forces to this day. But these men were neither American military nor civilians. They were highly trained private soldiers sent to Iraq by a secretive mercenary company based in the wilderness of North Carolina.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is the unauthorized story of the epic rise of one of the most powerful and secretive forces to emerge from the U.S. military-industrial complex, hailed by the Bush administration as a revolution in military affairs, but considered by others as a dire threat to American democracy.
"Jeremy Scahill's exposé of the Blackwater mercenary firm forcefully demonstrates the grave dangers of outsourcing the government's monopoly on the use of force."
--Joseph Wilson, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq
http://www.nationbooks.org/book.mhtml?t=scahill
Blackwater: Shadow Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqM4tKPDlR8
Blackwater USA (Bush's Private Contractors) The Bush/Cheney War Machine would not care if there wasn't a USA military. It would make it easier to privatize an military making is stronger than any 'militia' in the USA. The 'trend' for the people of the USA is to create militias of neighborhood watch while he turns over the 'power over them' to a private military that can in turn destroy and kill within the USA when it is realized the country is riddled with "Home Grown Terrorists." Sound familiar? A term coined by the FBI's Mueller. Starting to get the picture? The USA could never turn into an armed camp whereby citizens are marched to death camps. No. Not in the USA.
The best place to begin a 'parallel' military is outside the country until it's power can exceed the strength of National Guard forces in any and all states of the USA.
Currently the Governor of North Carolina is disturbed about the new regulations governing the National Guard. It gives the President of the USA more power than any governor to access the National Guard. Governor Easley knows the prowess all too well of private militias/mercenaries such as Blackwater USA. I am sure he and the SBI has kept a close eye on their practices to measure their ability against the strength of the National Guard in North Carolina.
The articles about Governor Easley isn't from Mike's cite. I also hear Governor Corzine is recovering. He should be able to render interesting perspectives post run in with death.
Easley to Congress: Ditch Guard law
Raleigh A federal law adopted last year should be changed so that governors can better command their National Guard units in times of emergency, Gov. Mike Easley said Tuesday.
Easley testified at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on state control of the National Guard and whether lawmakers should repeal the new law that passed with little debate.
Governors share control of their state chapters of the National Guard with the president, but governors lose formal say when the president federalizes the troops for overseas duty. The president can also now federalize the troops during a serious natural or manmade disaster, accident or catastrophe.
"There is unanimous support, and you know how hard that is to find among the nation's governors, to repeal these dangerous provisions," Easley said.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/NEWS/704250469/-1/State
North Carolina is a study all by itself. It not only has National Guard and Private Mercenaries but large military instillations by every branch of the service. That is due to the long standing chairmanship of former Senator Jessie Helms. There is a lot of fire power in North Carolina including Cherry Point a munitions depot. So to keep all of them 'in check' while protecting citizens, from a Governor's perspective must be interesting.
Easley to testify before Senate on National Guard powers
by From staff reports
published April 24, 2007 7:24 am
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley will testify at 2:30 p.m. today before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on legislation to clarify the authority of governors over the National Guard.
Easley will represent the state of North Carolina and the nation’s governors, as the National Governors Association’s co-lead on the National Guard.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770424002
SAY NO TO TO BLACKWATER USA'S PLAN TO BUILD A MERCENARY TRAINING FACILITY
Governor Easley needs to be backed by every Governor in the nation. For those that oppose his objections to the rollback of laws proving to be a burden to State National Guards should be considered under suspicion. It is the responsibility to safeguard the public. That's why they have a National Guard and are NOT a division of the DOD. The law enforcement in the USA and the National Guard have special privilege to be among citizens. The DOD is the Defense Department for all emergencies arising outside the USA. Bush and Cheney are crossing that line for a very real reason. They are crossing a lot of constitutional lines for a lot of reasons. All of them undermine the USA Constitution. I am more grateful everyday we have a majority Democratic Party in the House and Senate for Bush's two remaining years.
Gitmo.
Yeah.
I am sure Blackwater USA helped with rendition flights as well. All that was conducted out of North Carolina. There was an article about that in The New York Times a while ago.
ORANGE ALERT: Set the Captives Free!!!
No Mo' Gitmo
A coalition of attorneys representing those detained at Guantánamo Bay have selected May 1st as the launch date of a major lobbying push to restore habeas corpus and close the U.S. prison camp once and for all.
For more than five years, hundreds of men and boys have languished at Guantánamo. Only a small minority was captured by U.S. forces "on the battlefield," fewer still have been formally charged with a crime. Isolation and despair have fueled gruesome hunger strikes and attempted (and successful) suicides. It is time for the madness to end.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=869
Eyes Wide Open - the film (trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJBtXRVN768
Camp Casey Peace Institute
MOTHER OF A MARCH
The time for being polite to our war-mongering politicians and organizations which support them is over.
We mothers have to stand up and put our bodies on the line for peace and humanity. We must look into the best parts of ourselves that make us mothers willing to care for and protect all children of the world, not just our own. We need to access our hearts and souls to lead from a place of compassion and love not from war/fear mongering, hatred and disgraceful threats and use of bullying force.
http://www.gsfp.org/article.php?id=320
'Sacrifice' ...by Cindy Sheehan
Keynote Speech for the Omaha Peace and Justice Expo
If you have much, give of your wealth;
if you have little, give of your heart.
-- Arabian Proverb
I recently discovered an incredible woman: Jeannette Rankin. She was the first Congress woman, in 1916…she was from the state of Montana and besides beginning the debate on the 19th Amendment to finally give women our long overdue right to vote, she was an uncompromising and sassy peace activist (like me) for her entire life. In her Congressional roles, she voted “Nay” on World War I and II.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=861
Every peace movement is important. Every expression of contempt for corruption leading to war unending is correct. Every action of peace is the right action. Never stop. Never give up. Never. Through his love for the USA, Michael Moore has galvanized a Peace Movement that literally can live forever. It is correct and necessary. As more people of the USA learn the pitfalls of exploitive powerful men there will be more and more momentum to a Peace Movement. It needs to be maintained until the USA has contained it's power. I would go so far as to say as the movement grows globally to disarm nuclear capacities of every country, the people of the USA will find 'neutrality' a safer haven than the methodology of overwhelming force. It's a healthy debate and one worth pursuing forever. The peace that come to Earth will result from generations of commitment and not just one lifetime. Vigilance, now and forever. Containment of firearms on the streets of the USA and containment of it's exports. A global initiative to take small arms out of the hands of militias while governments seek more and more benevolent leadership with their strength in economic development and disarmament. Every peace movement is vital to it's purpose and the simple statement it exists is more important than a fatigued peace monger can imagine.
Public Punditry Contest!
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/03/public-punditry-contest.html
100th Day Walking
April 23: We enjoyed more of Wes and Deb's hospitality today and were able to relax a bit and soak up some sunshine. Deb took us around earlier in the day to introduce us to some people in the North Newton peace community, then we went to Bret's class at Bethel college where we rattled on for a bit over an hour and were well received by the students. I find that as the walk progresses I have less and less difficulty holding forth for a considerable period of time - and with Jonna there to take over on occasion we don't seem to readily run out of things to say. It is possible - and we certainly hope it comes to pass - that this will lead to more opportunities to speak at colleges and churches as we continue east.
http://www.wtetw.com/page9.html
The route shown below is not set in stone. I'm certain there will be changes along the way, but we will reflect any changes as soon as we possibly can. I doubt that there will be much in the way of major changes - that is to say that you can be fairly certain that I will be passing within a maximum of about 40-50 miles of any town currently shown on the route. As I reach each location I will update this page so that you may be able to find me anywhere along the route.
April 20
MILES WALKED TODAY: 20.3
TOTAL MILES WALKED TO DATE: 1,768.6
NEXT START: About 5 miles south of El Dorado
Coordinates - N 37 44.250 W 96 50.632
Actual Walking Days To Date - 104
Average miles per walking day: 17.00
http://www.wtetw.com/page3.html
continued...
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
April 26th, 2007 11:29 pm
Congress challenges Bush to veto pullout
By Richard Cowan / Reuters
WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented slap at President George W. Bush's war policy, the U.S. Congress on Thursday approved legislation that links withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq to paying for the war, ensuring a veto.
By a vote of 51-46, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in backing the bill that would provide about $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year while setting a deadline to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq over the next 11 months.
It was the first time that the entire Congress, controlled by Democrats since January, has defied the president. Bush has repeatedly said he will not accept "surrender" dates.
"The president will veto this legislation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "The president is determined to win in Iraq. The bill they sent us today is mission defeated."
Democrats might arrange to deliver their bill to the White House on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of Bush declaring aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9697
Bush holds ground on Iraq
By Deb Riechmann / Associated Press
CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
Speaking a day after the Democratic-controlled Congress approved legislation that requires that a troop drawdown begin by Oct. 1, Bush said — as expected — he will veto it because of that demand. He invited congressional leaders to come to the White House to discuss a new piece of legislation that does not include a timetable, and expressed hope a deal could be reached.
But he made clear that if Democrats insist on including timetables again, he will not hesitate to bring out his veto pen.
"If they want to try again that which I've said is unacceptable, of course I won't accept it," the president said during a news conference here with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "I hope it won't come to that."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9700
Young soldier takes on freedom of speech, National Guard
By Jessica Bruni / Carlisle Sentinel
CARLISLE, PA -- Growing up in a conservative military family with a father who is a decorated "full-bird" colonel, Zach Keasling said the importance of freedom of speech is ingrained.
"I was raised to speak my mind as long as it's justified," said Keasling, 20, of North Middleton Township.
The self-confessed Army brat's commitment to the First Amendment is about to be tested.
After writing on his personal MySpace page that " ... being in the national guard SUCKS... ya" and other comments about the military, Keasling — a private 1st class in the 1st Battalion 108th Field Artillery Unit in the Pennsylvania National Guard — said he was informed he could be in trouble. MySpace is a popular Web site that offers an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, photos, music and videos.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9703
14 arrested in Senate anti-war protest (14 arrested in Hart Senate Office Building)
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Fourteen anti-war protesters were arrested in a Senate office building Thursday after unfurling a banner calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said the 14 were arrested for unlawful assembly in the Hart Senate Office Building just north of the Capitol.
The Senate voted 51-46 on Thursday to approve a funding bill that calls for the U.S. to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. Bush has promised to veto the bill.
Gael Murphy, co-founder of the women-initiated peace group Codepink, said members of her group and other peace activists participated in the demonstration, which included unfurling two banners, one listing articles of impeachment and another saying that "your silence is your legacy." They also conducted a mock military funeral.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9698
DO SOMETHING Saturday in the U.S.A.:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
APRIL 28 NATIONWIDE IMPEACHMENT ACTIONS
http://www.a28.org/
Tales of the Freewayblogger
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/03/public-punditry-contest.html
Getting Ready for A28...
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/04/getting-ready-for-a28.html
One Man Revolution
http://www.amazon.com/One-Man-Revolution-Nightwatchman/dp/B000NVJRBO/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0385660-4148723?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1176416274&sr=8-1
April 24th, 2007 9:13 pm
Michael Moore: The Camera Is Mightier Than a Gun
Rolling Stone
[Check out the following audio clips from a Rolling Stone feature profiling Mike.]
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9686
April 25th, 2007 2:29 am
As life fades away, Baghdad becomes a memory
By Ahmed Rasheed and Ibon Villelabeitia / Reuters
BAGHDAD - Baghdad tastes of pistachio ice-cream on a summer night for Ahmed Baqi.
Evoking happier times, Baqi reminisced about the days when families and lovers crowded Baghdad's famed al-Faqma ice-cream parlor before bombs and shootings emptied the place.
"I had a girlfriend and we used to go to al-Faqma. It is a special place in my life. Now I drive by and look the other way. It is only a memory," the 30-year-old lawyer said.
One by one, the old places where Baghdad's residents loved life are disappearing under violence.
Parks, book markets, cafes -- where many played as children, browsed bookshelves as students or whiled away afternoons smoking water pipes -- have been erased, leaving a city many residents say they no longer recognize.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9688
Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
'The Yellow Badge of Cowardice' ...by Cindy Sheehan
There was an unbelievable story in The Cove Herald last week that comes from near where George Bush and I own property: Copperas Cove, Texas. Apparently two residents: Bill and Georgia Thomas decided that the Resident in Chief deserved one of the three Purple Hearts that Bill earned in Vietnam for: "emotional wounds and scars" because people all over the world talk so badly about poor George.
This story stunned me on a day when nine US soldiers and 20 were wounded in a car bomb attack in the Iraqi province of Diyala. Over 500 Iraqis were killed or found decomposing in Baghdad last week and April '07 is shaping up to be one of the deadliest months for US troop fatalities. This is also a day when there is a hearing into the Army's exploitation of Pat Tillman's death to use him as a poster boy for patriotic fervor and unfounded hero worship. Why can't we talk about our soldier's heroic lives and not their tragic deaths as victims of the military industrial complex.
At the funeral of my son, Casey, a one-star General presented me with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for bravery awarded to Casey posthumously. The Thomas' can do whatever they want with Bill's medals, but I believe giving one to George Bush demeans Casey's brave and honorable sacrifice. Little Georgie used his Daddy's (the Congressman) connections to avoid serving in Vietnam and George even went so far as to go AWOL from the Alabama Air National Guard.
Casey didn't want to go and kill people and die in his commander in chief's war of aggression. Like the vice-commander in chief, Doomsday Dick, he had "other priorities" besides dying. Casey's Man-Scout Badges are sitting in my grandmother's cedar chest right next to his baby book and hand-print from pre-school.
For George, the Vietnam War Resister cum Iraqi occupation War Criminal, to say that he didn't "deserve" the medal is an under-statement. Bush doesn't feel emotional scars or pain, he deals them. There are many soldiers who are missing arms, legs, eyes, and souls who actually had to earn their medals under a corrupt regime that used their honor and bravery to pump up the bottom line of such companies as Doomsday Dick's Halliburton. There are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, sons and daughters who are emotionally scarred because their loved one won't be coming home alive from a war that never had to happen. Our arms will be aching forever because we can't hug our loved ones. Our hearts are scarred with the pain of burying someone too early and our lives are empty with the longing to see our dear one just one more time.
The Thomas' belong to the Fox News generation that still condones and supports a murderous regime. Mr. Thomas belongs to a generation that was scarred, maimed and killed with a genocidal fever by its corrupt regimes and he still thinks that George deserves a medal for his incompetence and callousness?
What do we do in a world where black is white? War is peace? Two and two equals five and cowardice is bravery?
We rise up and become more powerful than the special interests which use both parties to keep this nation on a constant war footing. We use our voices to be mouthpieces for peace and accountability. We march on the Capitol on May 14th to demand that there is no more business as usual and that Congress realizes that every single one of them (Democrat or Republican) who voted to fund George's war are complicit in the bottomless pain that accompanies each death, dismemberment, or disability; without sharing in one iota of the same pain.
If George likes to receive medals that he didn't earn, Gold Star Families for Peace is going to present him with one on April 25th, (or try to) that he does deserve and has earned abundantly: the Yellow Badge of Cowardice. It doesn't take any courage to march other people's children off to war. George didn't exhibit any courage when he was put to the top of the Texas Air National Guard line by his family's friends. George puts on his smiley photo-op face to take something from a good-hearted, yet deluded couple, that he stridently avoided earning. It doesn't take any courage to meet with a bereaved mother, but he also refuses to do that. He travels in America with more armor and fire power than a banana republic dictator, and if he is not stopped by impeachment or other peaceful means, then we will descend into that tyranny of empire...if we aren't already there.
Join Cindy, Gold Star Families for Peace, The Camp Casey Peace Institute, CODEPINK, Congress Reps John Conyers (D-Mi) and Lynn Woolsey (D-Ca) as we march on the Capitol on May 14th to demand our country back!
Cindy Sheehan is the mother of Spc. Casey Sheehan who was killed in Bush's war of terror on 04/04/04.
She is the co-founder and president of Gold Star Families for Peace and The Camp Casey Peace Institute.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=867
The American Death Toll in Iraq is now 3337.
What's that coming to, about 3 to 4 soldiers per day.
http://icasualties.org/oif/
What bothers me more than anything about Pat Tillman is that the USA military set out to place him apart from all others. They wanted to glamorize a war that needed to be fought to capture or kill Osama bin Laden in order to seek out recruits that would find identity with a hero. I personally find the antics of the USA Government completely deplorable in this incident. I can understand from the beginning how someone might want to keep the truth from Pat Tillman's brother initially until they were off the battlefield. It was hard enough losing him, but, to learn he was killed by friendly fire would be a complete surprise and might disable him emotionally to handle his assignment. I would hold back as well, but, I wouldn't have covered it up. Breaking the news to family is a serious issue. But, to lie and extort the truth for the sake of advertising propaganda to deceive a nation is quite something else. Everyone involved should be criminally held for minimally fraud and possibly treason.
April 25th, 2007 8:27 pm
McCain Jumps Into Presidential Race
By Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Republican John McCain officially entered the 2008 presidential race Wednesday, stressing his experience honed in war and Washington as he sought to revive his struggling campaign.
"We face formidable challenges, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them," said the four-term Arizona senator, ex-Navy pilot and former Vietnam captive.
In a speech in the first-in-the-nation primary state, McCain stressed the wisdom he's acquired over time rather than the decades as he sought to make the case that he's the most qualified to succeed President Bush amid challenges at home and abroad.
"I'm not the youngest candidate. But I am the most experienced," said the 70-year-old who could be the oldest first-term president. "I know how to fight and how to make peace. I know who I am and what I want to do."
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9691
This without a doubt. You know the Republicans keep superimposing 9/11 over Iraq. They are separate issues. If Giuliani can't provide a comprehensive platform based in reality without seeking to 'ride the tide' of the old Bush strategy, what good is he? He was mayor of a city. He didn't lead any assault against al Qaeda or legislate any anti-terrorist initiative. The last thing this country needs is antoher opportunist with corrupt connections.
Tell Rudy Giuliani to Stop Politicizing 9/11
While campaigning in New Hampshire last night, Rudy Giuliani resorted to hurling desperate attacks about Democrats while trying to tout his national security credentials. Here's what he said:
"If a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001… Never ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for (terrorists) to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!"
Send a message to Rudy Giuliani's campaign headquarters and tell him to stop the fearmongering. Our country deserves better from a presidential candidate:
http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/TellGiuliani/
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
by Jeremy Scahill
March 2007 - ISBN: 15602597
Meet Blackwater USA, the powerful private army that the U.S. government has quietly hired to operate in international war zones and on American soil. With its own military base, a fleet of twenty aircraft, and twenty-thousand troops at the ready, Blackwater is the elite Praetorian Guard for the "global war on terror"--yet most people have never heard of it.
Pre-Order copies of Blackwater here.
It was the moment the war turned: On March 31, 2004, four Americans were ambushed and burned near their jeeps by an angry mob in the Sunni stronghold of Falluja. Their charred corpses were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. The ensuing slaughter by U.S. troops would fuel the fierce Iraqi resistance that haunts occupation forces to this day. But these men were neither American military nor civilians. They were highly trained private soldiers sent to Iraq by a secretive mercenary company based in the wilderness of North Carolina.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army is the unauthorized story of the epic rise of one of the most powerful and secretive forces to emerge from the U.S. military-industrial complex, hailed by the Bush administration as a revolution in military affairs, but considered by others as a dire threat to American democracy.
"Jeremy Scahill's exposé of the Blackwater mercenary firm forcefully demonstrates the grave dangers of outsourcing the government's monopoly on the use of force."
--Joseph Wilson, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq
http://www.nationbooks.org/book.mhtml?t=scahill
Blackwater: Shadow Army
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqM4tKPDlR8
Blackwater USA (Bush's Private Contractors) The Bush/Cheney War Machine would not care if there wasn't a USA military. It would make it easier to privatize an military making is stronger than any 'militia' in the USA. The 'trend' for the people of the USA is to create militias of neighborhood watch while he turns over the 'power over them' to a private military that can in turn destroy and kill within the USA when it is realized the country is riddled with "Home Grown Terrorists." Sound familiar? A term coined by the FBI's Mueller. Starting to get the picture? The USA could never turn into an armed camp whereby citizens are marched to death camps. No. Not in the USA.
The best place to begin a 'parallel' military is outside the country until it's power can exceed the strength of National Guard forces in any and all states of the USA.
Currently the Governor of North Carolina is disturbed about the new regulations governing the National Guard. It gives the President of the USA more power than any governor to access the National Guard. Governor Easley knows the prowess all too well of private militias/mercenaries such as Blackwater USA. I am sure he and the SBI has kept a close eye on their practices to measure their ability against the strength of the National Guard in North Carolina.
The articles about Governor Easley isn't from Mike's cite. I also hear Governor Corzine is recovering. He should be able to render interesting perspectives post run in with death.
Gov. Easley wants more state control over National Guard
RALEIGH – Today Gov. Mike Easley said a federal law adopted last year with no public hearings and little debate should be changed so governors can clearly command National Guard units in their states and effectively respond to emergencies to protect their citizens.
Tuesday Easley said current law weakens the authority of governors while increasing the power of the president over the National Guard. He testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on behalf of North Carolina and as the National Governors Association’s co-lead on the National Guard.
Easley to Congress: Ditch Guard law
Raleigh A federal law adopted last year should be changed so that governors can better command their National Guard units in times of emergency, Gov. Mike Easley said Tuesday.
Easley testified at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on state control of the National Guard and whether lawmakers should repeal the new law that passed with little debate.
Governors share control of their state chapters of the National Guard with the president, but governors lose formal say when the president federalizes the troops for overseas duty. The president can also now federalize the troops during a serious natural or manmade disaster, accident or catastrophe.
"There is unanimous support, and you know how hard that is to find among the nation's governors, to repeal these dangerous provisions," Easley said.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/NEWS/704250469/-1/State
North Carolina is a study all by itself. It not only has National Guard and Private Mercenaries but large military instillations by every branch of the service. That is due to the long standing chairmanship of former Senator Jessie Helms. There is a lot of fire power in North Carolina including Cherry Point a munitions depot. So to keep all of them 'in check' while protecting citizens, from a Governor's perspective must be interesting.
Easley to testify before Senate on National Guard powers
by From staff reports
published April 24, 2007 7:24 am
RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley will testify at 2:30 p.m. today before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington on legislation to clarify the authority of governors over the National Guard.
Easley will represent the state of North Carolina and the nation’s governors, as the National Governors Association’s co-lead on the National Guard.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770424002
SAY NO TO TO BLACKWATER USA'S PLAN TO BUILD A MERCENARY TRAINING FACILITY
"BLACKWATER WEST"
IN POTRERO!!
Governor Easley needs to be backed by every Governor in the nation. For those that oppose his objections to the rollback of laws proving to be a burden to State National Guards should be considered under suspicion. It is the responsibility to safeguard the public. That's why they have a National Guard and are NOT a division of the DOD. The law enforcement in the USA and the National Guard have special privilege to be among citizens. The DOD is the Defense Department for all emergencies arising outside the USA. Bush and Cheney are crossing that line for a very real reason. They are crossing a lot of constitutional lines for a lot of reasons. All of them undermine the USA Constitution. I am more grateful everyday we have a majority Democratic Party in the House and Senate for Bush's two remaining years.
Gitmo.
Yeah.
I am sure Blackwater USA helped with rendition flights as well. All that was conducted out of North Carolina. There was an article about that in The New York Times a while ago.
ORANGE ALERT: Set the Captives Free!!!
No Mo' Gitmo
A coalition of attorneys representing those detained at Guantánamo Bay have selected May 1st as the launch date of a major lobbying push to restore habeas corpus and close the U.S. prison camp once and for all.
For more than five years, hundreds of men and boys have languished at Guantánamo. Only a small minority was captured by U.S. forces "on the battlefield," fewer still have been formally charged with a crime. Isolation and despair have fueled gruesome hunger strikes and attempted (and successful) suicides. It is time for the madness to end.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=869
Eyes Wide Open - the film (trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJBtXRVN768
Camp Casey Peace Institute
MOTHER OF A MARCH
The time for being polite to our war-mongering politicians and organizations which support them is over.
We mothers have to stand up and put our bodies on the line for peace and humanity. We must look into the best parts of ourselves that make us mothers willing to care for and protect all children of the world, not just our own. We need to access our hearts and souls to lead from a place of compassion and love not from war/fear mongering, hatred and disgraceful threats and use of bullying force.
http://www.gsfp.org/article.php?id=320
'Sacrifice' ...by Cindy Sheehan
Keynote Speech for the Omaha Peace and Justice Expo
If you have much, give of your wealth;
if you have little, give of your heart.
-- Arabian Proverb
I recently discovered an incredible woman: Jeannette Rankin. She was the first Congress woman, in 1916…she was from the state of Montana and besides beginning the debate on the 19th Amendment to finally give women our long overdue right to vote, she was an uncompromising and sassy peace activist (like me) for her entire life. In her Congressional roles, she voted “Nay” on World War I and II.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=861
Every peace movement is important. Every expression of contempt for corruption leading to war unending is correct. Every action of peace is the right action. Never stop. Never give up. Never. Through his love for the USA, Michael Moore has galvanized a Peace Movement that literally can live forever. It is correct and necessary. As more people of the USA learn the pitfalls of exploitive powerful men there will be more and more momentum to a Peace Movement. It needs to be maintained until the USA has contained it's power. I would go so far as to say as the movement grows globally to disarm nuclear capacities of every country, the people of the USA will find 'neutrality' a safer haven than the methodology of overwhelming force. It's a healthy debate and one worth pursuing forever. The peace that come to Earth will result from generations of commitment and not just one lifetime. Vigilance, now and forever. Containment of firearms on the streets of the USA and containment of it's exports. A global initiative to take small arms out of the hands of militias while governments seek more and more benevolent leadership with their strength in economic development and disarmament. Every peace movement is vital to it's purpose and the simple statement it exists is more important than a fatigued peace monger can imagine.
Public Punditry Contest!
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2007/03/public-punditry-contest.html
100th Day Walking
April 23: We enjoyed more of Wes and Deb's hospitality today and were able to relax a bit and soak up some sunshine. Deb took us around earlier in the day to introduce us to some people in the North Newton peace community, then we went to Bret's class at Bethel college where we rattled on for a bit over an hour and were well received by the students. I find that as the walk progresses I have less and less difficulty holding forth for a considerable period of time - and with Jonna there to take over on occasion we don't seem to readily run out of things to say. It is possible - and we certainly hope it comes to pass - that this will lead to more opportunities to speak at colleges and churches as we continue east.
http://www.wtetw.com/page9.html
The route shown below is not set in stone. I'm certain there will be changes along the way, but we will reflect any changes as soon as we possibly can. I doubt that there will be much in the way of major changes - that is to say that you can be fairly certain that I will be passing within a maximum of about 40-50 miles of any town currently shown on the route. As I reach each location I will update this page so that you may be able to find me anywhere along the route.
April 20
MILES WALKED TODAY: 20.3
TOTAL MILES WALKED TO DATE: 1,768.6
NEXT START: About 5 miles south of El Dorado
Coordinates - N 37 44.250 W 96 50.632
Actual Walking Days To Date - 104
Average miles per walking day: 17.00
http://www.wtetw.com/page3.html
Walk To End The Wars
My name is Bill McDannell. I am a father of five and grandfather of four. I am a Vietnam era veteran and a former pastor of the United Methodist Church. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, I still firmly believe that, as a citizen of the United States of America, I have a voice in the activities of our country, and that my voice can be heard and can have an impact.
On Saturday, November 4th, 2006 I began to put that belief to the test. Mindful of my constitutional right to petition my government, on that date I left my home in Lakeside, California to begin a walk that will end in Washington, D.C. I am carrying with me a petition I intend to present to both the executive and legislative branches of our government requesting that we, as a nation, declare an immediate end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.wtetw.com/
Activism the way you want it….
www.michaelmoore.com
… now and forever.
continued...
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