Why do I believe it's far, far more than instinct?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
An incredible picture from The New York Times of a mother gorilla and her infant
Why do I believe it's far, far more than instinct?
Morning Papers - continued
Zoos
Oregon Zoo Hosts Howling Good Time
PORTLAND, Oregon - Families can trick-or-treat and learn more about wildlife during "Howloween" at the Oregon Zoo. Howloween, presented by Sterling Savings Bank, is scheduled for Oct. 28 and 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=332899&cp=10997
This is just for fun
Metallica tribute band return to the Zoo
Getting ready to rock the foundations of Kilkenny’s Zoo Club are Metallitia, Ireland’s ultimate Metallica tribute show. These guys are definitely a band not to miss.
This will be their third Kilkenny performance as the band packed out The Venue night club and The Zoo club last year. They now return to the Marble City by huge popular demand.
Those of you who have already heard of the band know exactly what they are all about. For those who don't and all who'd like to have a closer peek, here is an introduction to the ‘Masters of tribute’, Metallitia.
http://www.kilkennyadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=3182
ZOO STUDY: Kids have 'fascination' with animals
By Dean Wong
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A typical visit to the Woodland Park Zoo offers the public an opportunity to see bears, zebras and elephants in natural settings while learning about the value of conservation and protecting the environment.
According to a new study "Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Visitor Impact Study," going to an accredited zoo in North America has a measurable impact on the conservation attitudes and understanding of adults.
The findings were the result of a three-year research project by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
"Through our own research at Woodland Park Zoo, we are seeing a steady increase in the impact on knowledge and attitudes that our exhibits have on our visitors," says Deborah Jensen, Woodland Park president and CEO.
For instance, the zoo's Butterflies and Blooms exhibit, which closed for the winter last week, helps people understand the role of the colorful insects in their backyards.
"This study clearly shows that visitors believe that accredited zoos and aquariums are deeply committed to animal care and education and that we play an important role in species conservation. These findings enhanced our goal to build America's largest wildlife conservation movement," says Jim Maddy, president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2006/10/17/news/local_news/news02.txt
Sticking his neck out ... new giraffe calf
Baby is neck-st big thing at zoo
By ONLINE REPORTER
October 17, 2006
ZOOKEEPERS at Whipsnade say they are delighted with their newest addition - a baby that is nearly 6ft tall.
Savannah the giraffe gave birth to her first calf 11 days ago, after a 15-month pregnancy.
The youngster, who already measures 5ft 7ins, is still trying to find his feet around the paddock at the zoo in Bedfordshire.
The calf, which has not yet been named, is the eighth to be born at Whipsnade.
Zoological director David Field said: "The calf will be a great new member of the herd here."
Savannah was also born at Whipsnade, in August 2001.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006480266,00.html
Potter Park Zoo could face downsizing if millage doesn't pass
By TREY SCROGGIN
Zookeeper Jackie Broder scrubs the inside of the snow leopard exhibit Tuesday at Potter Park Zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Lansing. The Zoo Yes! program will be on the Nov. 7 election ballot for voters to decide if they want to approve a new tax that will help raise additional money for the zoo to meet the operational costs.
A proposal on the Ingham County ballot to increase funding for the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing might make the difference in the zoo's survival.
And that, supporters say, is important enough to impose a $46 annual tax increase, at most, on property owners in the county.
"Basically, Lansing has built a pretty nice zoo but then couldn't afford to keep it up," said Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner. "The zoo is almost a frill at this point."
The city of Lansing no longer has the funds to keep the zoo operating at current levels, Grebner said, because Lansing has a limited tax base and property values aren't rising.
But because a declining manufacturing sector and stagnated economy have hurt Ingham County residents, the proposed millage might face a tough passage.
If the millage doesn't pass, the zoo could experience downsizing, said Dr. Tara Harrison, a veterinarian and curator at the zoo.
"(We're) not completely in dire straits, but pretty close," Harrison said.
The zoo educates more than 40,000 students and children per year through a variety of structured programs, Harrison said.
http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=38224
Pandas Get New Home At National Zoo
New Exhibit Part Of $53 Million Asia Trail
WASHINGTON -- The panda bears at Washington's National Zoo have a new home.
The 1-acre playground includes shade trees and a water-cooled cave for the three bears.
Some people braved rainy conditions Tuesday to see the animals in their new habitat.
The new home for the zoo's star attractions is part of a $53 million Asia Trail exhibit that also includes red pandas.
The panda bears have drawn 10 million visitors to the zoo since December 2000. They are on a 10-year loan from China.
The pandas include the father, Tian Tian; the mother, Mei Xiang; and a male cub, Tai Shan. Tai Shan was born in July 2005.
http://www.wesh.com/news/10102392/detail.html
Utica Zoo deems telethon a success
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006
By Jessica Ryen Doyle
Observer-Dispatch
jryen@utica.gannett.com
UTICA – The Utica Zoo announced this morning they raised more than $40,000 through a telethon that aired Oct. 5 on television station WKTV.
“The community really pulled through, and it shows,” said Nicole White, public relations and special events coordinator for the zoo. “And the checks are still coming in.”
Over the past two years, the facility has publicly affirmed its financial troubles. Zoo officials asked the Oneida County Board of Legislators in August to increase annual funding or to take it on as a county-run facility.
The zoo also closed for one month in February 2005 and temporarily laid off six employees to save about $10,000. In June of that year, zoo officials asked county legislators for a $50,000 funding advance to pay general operating costs.
The Utica Zoo is located in Roscoe-Conkling Park, just off Memorial Parkway. It was established in 1914. Its present-day collection boasts more than 200 animals from around the world.
The zoo will host its 20th annual Halloween Spooktacular from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $3 per person, and no one under the age of 18 will be admitted without an adult.
The Spooktacular includes 13 treat stations, as well as the Haunted Hall and Forest of Fear Hayride. The latter attractions cost an additional $3.
Copyright ©2006 uticaOD.com All rights reserved.
http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS/61018006
Blind people 'see' animals at new exhibition
Pretoria, South Africa
18 October 2006 03:14
Blind people will for the first time be able to "see" animals at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, thanks to a new exhibition that opened on Wednesday.
The exhibition allows visually handicapped people to touch animal trophies while a guide explains the animals' features and habitat. The visitors are also able to hear the sound that the animal makes.
"When friends tell me how big an animal is or what colour it is, it does not mean much for me, but now I have felt the giraffe's eye lashes or the teeth of the baboon. It is just wonderful," explained Andre Manders of the South African National Council for the blind.
The exhibition, which was the brainchild of the Friends of the Zoo, has over 200 examples of 68 different kinds of animal.
Hennie Pauley, chairperson of the Friends of the Zoo, said private collectors from all over South Africa donated the trophies. It includes mounted trophies of animals, but also full-sized animals.
"I hope the visitors could form their own picture of the size and the look of the animal," said Pauley.
Visitors also received Braille pamphlets with further information on the animals.
Although the exhibition will run only for two weeks, zoo director Willie Labuschagne on Tuesday announced that a grant of R1-million has been received to build a permanent exhibition.
Over 600 000 people visit the zoo each year and Labuschagne said he hoped the new exhibition would make it a worthwhile visit for the blind. -- Sapa
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=287077
Zoo gets the tallest baby
Tim Walsh
AT 5FT 7in tall, Whipsnade Zoo's newest arrival is hardly a babe in arms.
The 11-day-old male giraffe is still trying to find its feet around its paddock at the zoo, in Bedfordshire, but keepers are said to be pleased with its progress.
The calf, which has not yet been named, is the eighth to be born at Whipsnade.
For the youngster's mother, Savannah, who was born at the zoo in 2001, the big bundle of joy was her first calf after a 15-month pregnancy.
A zoo spokesman said: "We are delighted with our new arrival.
"He will be a great new member of the herd here and a valuable addition to the European Endangered Species breeding programme."
Submit your comments
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/225/225907_zoo_gets_the_tallest_baby.html
The Gorillas in Our Midst
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: October 21, 2006
IF I ask my 16-year-old twin sons to do something with me, like go to a movie or take a bike ride, they think it’s hilarious.
Enl“Yeah, right, Dad,” says Sam.
“Come on, Dad,” says Adam.
Only Annie, my 12-year-old, is still willing to be seen with me in public, and I know it won’t last, so I seize the moment. One day not long ago, the two of us headed to the Bronx Zoo, and because I refuse to be ground down, I invited the boys along, too.
“The zoo, Dad?”
“Very funny, Dad!”
It was a grand day. Annie and I saw most everything, but nothing was as satisfying as the gorillas. Living behind glass, on a woodsy acre, they move in and out of sight, sometimes as close as a few feet away. There’s been a population boom — five babies in a year — and when we watched a 200-pound gorilla mom stick out her big gray hand, take her baby’s tiny fingers and lead him away from all us humans squeezed against the glass, well, parenting never looked sweeter.
At one point, our eyes were glued on a mother who would let her baby wander off a few feet, then as the infant crossed some line only the mom could see, pull him right back. Suddenly, two adolescent males raced by in the background. They circled and cuffed each other on the head, rolled around, streaked up to mother and baby, popped the mother and ran away. Without saying a word, Annie and I knew exactly what we were seeing: Sam and Adam!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/22Rparent.html
Catskill zoo's animals up for auction
Game farm's rhinos, monkeys, yaks and more go on the block during second day of bidding
CATSKILL -- About 1,000 animals, ranging from yaks and Vervet monkeys to the popular Rhinos ``Jack'' and ``Boom Boom'', went on the auction block today as the Catskill Game Farm moved into the final day before closing its doors.
About 300 buyers from all over the country attended the event to bid on animals that had long been the primary attraction of the farm. The auction is scheduled to wrap up sometime later this afternoon. Wednesday marked the second day of auction sales. Equipment from the game farm was sold on Tuesday.
The Catskill Game Farm closed its doors Oct. 8 after 73 years in business. The attraction's owners said changing tastes in family entertainment had eroded their clientele over the years, until it was just too expensive to keep going.
Game Farm owner Kathie Schultz called the selling off of the animals a bittersweet but necessary move, given the changing business climate in which the farm had tried to survive.
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=526676&category=SPORTS&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=10/18/2006
Happy Trails to Zoo
If you're a child of the District, it's a distinct possibility that dozens of trips to the National Zoo over the years formed very strong memories for you. There's the good old reptile house; the good old elephant house; and of course the good old pandas. Even a dozen or so years after my childhood, return trips offered up the same sort of feeling: not much is ever different at the zoo. Which is oddly comforting, but also kind of oddly sad when you keep seeing the animals in their same old enclosures that look like they haven't changed since the 1930s — which is because they probably haven't.
As you must have heard by now, the zoo is set to change that. As part of a 10-year expansion plan, they opened the new Asia Trail to the public on Tuesday, revealing a six-acre spread that does animal-lovers proud, as well as seamlessly incorporates some slick new interactive features for kids and a bit of gorgeous landscaping. And best of all: plenty of angles from which to view the animals and even get some close-up shots of their pretty, pretty faces. Except for the giant salamander. He wasn't pretty. Check out our take on the rest of the Asia Trail (and the zoo's plans to update the elephant house) after the jump.
Photo by Flickr user clarissa~, who has a whole set here. Used with permission.
http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/10/18/happy_trails_to.php
Akron Zoo seeking renewal levy
By Mike D’Agruma
SUMMIT COUNTY — On Nov. 7, Summit County voters will see Issue No. 20, a .8-mill renewal levy for the Akron Zoo that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $2 a month if approved.
The renewal is not a tax increase and would allow the zoo to continue along the same lines of expansion as it has in the past five years, said L. Patricia Simmons, zoo president and chief executive officer.
“Like all zoos and regional attractions, the Akron Zoo must refresh and add exhibits over time to provide up-to-date education and maintain visitorship,” she said. “Continued funding will allow the Akron Zoo to add between six and 10 new exhibits.”
In March 2000, voters passed a seven-year, .8-mill property tax levy. The renewal, if passed, would begin collecting in 2008 and run until 2014. According to officials, the zoo has provided or expanded the following areas since passage of the initial levy:
• Animals: In the past five years, the zoo has added 130 percent more animals, 37 percent of which are endangered and vulnerable species. It has more than 700 animals from around the world and is only one of 215 facilities accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
http://www.akron.com/20061019/wzl38.ASP
concluding …
Oregon Zoo Hosts Howling Good Time
PORTLAND, Oregon - Families can trick-or-treat and learn more about wildlife during "Howloween" at the Oregon Zoo. Howloween, presented by Sterling Savings Bank, is scheduled for Oct. 28 and 29, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=332899&cp=10997
This is just for fun
Metallica tribute band return to the Zoo
Getting ready to rock the foundations of Kilkenny’s Zoo Club are Metallitia, Ireland’s ultimate Metallica tribute show. These guys are definitely a band not to miss.
This will be their third Kilkenny performance as the band packed out The Venue night club and The Zoo club last year. They now return to the Marble City by huge popular demand.
Those of you who have already heard of the band know exactly what they are all about. For those who don't and all who'd like to have a closer peek, here is an introduction to the ‘Masters of tribute’, Metallitia.
http://www.kilkennyadvertiser.ie/index.php?aid=3182
ZOO STUDY: Kids have 'fascination' with animals
By Dean Wong
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A typical visit to the Woodland Park Zoo offers the public an opportunity to see bears, zebras and elephants in natural settings while learning about the value of conservation and protecting the environment.
According to a new study "Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Visitor Impact Study," going to an accredited zoo in North America has a measurable impact on the conservation attitudes and understanding of adults.
The findings were the result of a three-year research project by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
"Through our own research at Woodland Park Zoo, we are seeing a steady increase in the impact on knowledge and attitudes that our exhibits have on our visitors," says Deborah Jensen, Woodland Park president and CEO.
For instance, the zoo's Butterflies and Blooms exhibit, which closed for the winter last week, helps people understand the role of the colorful insects in their backyards.
"This study clearly shows that visitors believe that accredited zoos and aquariums are deeply committed to animal care and education and that we play an important role in species conservation. These findings enhanced our goal to build America's largest wildlife conservation movement," says Jim Maddy, president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2006/10/17/news/local_news/news02.txt
Sticking his neck out ... new giraffe calf
Baby is neck-st big thing at zoo
By ONLINE REPORTER
October 17, 2006
ZOOKEEPERS at Whipsnade say they are delighted with their newest addition - a baby that is nearly 6ft tall.
Savannah the giraffe gave birth to her first calf 11 days ago, after a 15-month pregnancy.
The youngster, who already measures 5ft 7ins, is still trying to find his feet around the paddock at the zoo in Bedfordshire.
The calf, which has not yet been named, is the eighth to be born at Whipsnade.
Zoological director David Field said: "The calf will be a great new member of the herd here."
Savannah was also born at Whipsnade, in August 2001.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006480266,00.html
Potter Park Zoo could face downsizing if millage doesn't pass
By TREY SCROGGIN
Zookeeper Jackie Broder scrubs the inside of the snow leopard exhibit Tuesday at Potter Park Zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in Lansing. The Zoo Yes! program will be on the Nov. 7 election ballot for voters to decide if they want to approve a new tax that will help raise additional money for the zoo to meet the operational costs.
A proposal on the Ingham County ballot to increase funding for the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing might make the difference in the zoo's survival.
And that, supporters say, is important enough to impose a $46 annual tax increase, at most, on property owners in the county.
"Basically, Lansing has built a pretty nice zoo but then couldn't afford to keep it up," said Ingham County Commissioner Mark Grebner. "The zoo is almost a frill at this point."
The city of Lansing no longer has the funds to keep the zoo operating at current levels, Grebner said, because Lansing has a limited tax base and property values aren't rising.
But because a declining manufacturing sector and stagnated economy have hurt Ingham County residents, the proposed millage might face a tough passage.
If the millage doesn't pass, the zoo could experience downsizing, said Dr. Tara Harrison, a veterinarian and curator at the zoo.
"(We're) not completely in dire straits, but pretty close," Harrison said.
The zoo educates more than 40,000 students and children per year through a variety of structured programs, Harrison said.
http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=38224
Pandas Get New Home At National Zoo
New Exhibit Part Of $53 Million Asia Trail
WASHINGTON -- The panda bears at Washington's National Zoo have a new home.
The 1-acre playground includes shade trees and a water-cooled cave for the three bears.
Some people braved rainy conditions Tuesday to see the animals in their new habitat.
The new home for the zoo's star attractions is part of a $53 million Asia Trail exhibit that also includes red pandas.
The panda bears have drawn 10 million visitors to the zoo since December 2000. They are on a 10-year loan from China.
The pandas include the father, Tian Tian; the mother, Mei Xiang; and a male cub, Tai Shan. Tai Shan was born in July 2005.
http://www.wesh.com/news/10102392/detail.html
Utica Zoo deems telethon a success
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006
By Jessica Ryen Doyle
Observer-Dispatch
jryen@utica.gannett.com
UTICA – The Utica Zoo announced this morning they raised more than $40,000 through a telethon that aired Oct. 5 on television station WKTV.
“The community really pulled through, and it shows,” said Nicole White, public relations and special events coordinator for the zoo. “And the checks are still coming in.”
Over the past two years, the facility has publicly affirmed its financial troubles. Zoo officials asked the Oneida County Board of Legislators in August to increase annual funding or to take it on as a county-run facility.
The zoo also closed for one month in February 2005 and temporarily laid off six employees to save about $10,000. In June of that year, zoo officials asked county legislators for a $50,000 funding advance to pay general operating costs.
The Utica Zoo is located in Roscoe-Conkling Park, just off Memorial Parkway. It was established in 1914. Its present-day collection boasts more than 200 animals from around the world.
The zoo will host its 20th annual Halloween Spooktacular from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $3 per person, and no one under the age of 18 will be admitted without an adult.
The Spooktacular includes 13 treat stations, as well as the Haunted Hall and Forest of Fear Hayride. The latter attractions cost an additional $3.
Copyright ©2006 uticaOD.com All rights reserved.
http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS/61018006
Blind people 'see' animals at new exhibition
Pretoria, South Africa
18 October 2006 03:14
Blind people will for the first time be able to "see" animals at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, thanks to a new exhibition that opened on Wednesday.
The exhibition allows visually handicapped people to touch animal trophies while a guide explains the animals' features and habitat. The visitors are also able to hear the sound that the animal makes.
"When friends tell me how big an animal is or what colour it is, it does not mean much for me, but now I have felt the giraffe's eye lashes or the teeth of the baboon. It is just wonderful," explained Andre Manders of the South African National Council for the blind.
The exhibition, which was the brainchild of the Friends of the Zoo, has over 200 examples of 68 different kinds of animal.
Hennie Pauley, chairperson of the Friends of the Zoo, said private collectors from all over South Africa donated the trophies. It includes mounted trophies of animals, but also full-sized animals.
"I hope the visitors could form their own picture of the size and the look of the animal," said Pauley.
Visitors also received Braille pamphlets with further information on the animals.
Although the exhibition will run only for two weeks, zoo director Willie Labuschagne on Tuesday announced that a grant of R1-million has been received to build a permanent exhibition.
Over 600 000 people visit the zoo each year and Labuschagne said he hoped the new exhibition would make it a worthwhile visit for the blind. -- Sapa
http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=287077
Zoo gets the tallest baby
Tim Walsh
AT 5FT 7in tall, Whipsnade Zoo's newest arrival is hardly a babe in arms.
The 11-day-old male giraffe is still trying to find its feet around its paddock at the zoo, in Bedfordshire, but keepers are said to be pleased with its progress.
The calf, which has not yet been named, is the eighth to be born at Whipsnade.
For the youngster's mother, Savannah, who was born at the zoo in 2001, the big bundle of joy was her first calf after a 15-month pregnancy.
A zoo spokesman said: "We are delighted with our new arrival.
"He will be a great new member of the herd here and a valuable addition to the European Endangered Species breeding programme."
Submit your comments
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/225/225907_zoo_gets_the_tallest_baby.html
The Gorillas in Our Midst
By MICHAEL WINERIP
Published: October 21, 2006
IF I ask my 16-year-old twin sons to do something with me, like go to a movie or take a bike ride, they think it’s hilarious.
Enl“Yeah, right, Dad,” says Sam.
“Come on, Dad,” says Adam.
Only Annie, my 12-year-old, is still willing to be seen with me in public, and I know it won’t last, so I seize the moment. One day not long ago, the two of us headed to the Bronx Zoo, and because I refuse to be ground down, I invited the boys along, too.
“The zoo, Dad?”
“Very funny, Dad!”
It was a grand day. Annie and I saw most everything, but nothing was as satisfying as the gorillas. Living behind glass, on a woodsy acre, they move in and out of sight, sometimes as close as a few feet away. There’s been a population boom — five babies in a year — and when we watched a 200-pound gorilla mom stick out her big gray hand, take her baby’s tiny fingers and lead him away from all us humans squeezed against the glass, well, parenting never looked sweeter.
At one point, our eyes were glued on a mother who would let her baby wander off a few feet, then as the infant crossed some line only the mom could see, pull him right back. Suddenly, two adolescent males raced by in the background. They circled and cuffed each other on the head, rolled around, streaked up to mother and baby, popped the mother and ran away. Without saying a word, Annie and I knew exactly what we were seeing: Sam and Adam!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/22Rparent.html
Catskill zoo's animals up for auction
Game farm's rhinos, monkeys, yaks and more go on the block during second day of bidding
CATSKILL -- About 1,000 animals, ranging from yaks and Vervet monkeys to the popular Rhinos ``Jack'' and ``Boom Boom'', went on the auction block today as the Catskill Game Farm moved into the final day before closing its doors.
About 300 buyers from all over the country attended the event to bid on animals that had long been the primary attraction of the farm. The auction is scheduled to wrap up sometime later this afternoon. Wednesday marked the second day of auction sales. Equipment from the game farm was sold on Tuesday.
The Catskill Game Farm closed its doors Oct. 8 after 73 years in business. The attraction's owners said changing tastes in family entertainment had eroded their clientele over the years, until it was just too expensive to keep going.
Game Farm owner Kathie Schultz called the selling off of the animals a bittersweet but necessary move, given the changing business climate in which the farm had tried to survive.
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=526676&category=SPORTS&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=10/18/2006
Happy Trails to Zoo
If you're a child of the District, it's a distinct possibility that dozens of trips to the National Zoo over the years formed very strong memories for you. There's the good old reptile house; the good old elephant house; and of course the good old pandas. Even a dozen or so years after my childhood, return trips offered up the same sort of feeling: not much is ever different at the zoo. Which is oddly comforting, but also kind of oddly sad when you keep seeing the animals in their same old enclosures that look like they haven't changed since the 1930s — which is because they probably haven't.
As you must have heard by now, the zoo is set to change that. As part of a 10-year expansion plan, they opened the new Asia Trail to the public on Tuesday, revealing a six-acre spread that does animal-lovers proud, as well as seamlessly incorporates some slick new interactive features for kids and a bit of gorgeous landscaping. And best of all: plenty of angles from which to view the animals and even get some close-up shots of their pretty, pretty faces. Except for the giant salamander. He wasn't pretty. Check out our take on the rest of the Asia Trail (and the zoo's plans to update the elephant house) after the jump.
Photo by Flickr user clarissa~, who has a whole set here. Used with permission.
http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/10/18/happy_trails_to.php
Akron Zoo seeking renewal levy
By Mike D’Agruma
SUMMIT COUNTY — On Nov. 7, Summit County voters will see Issue No. 20, a .8-mill renewal levy for the Akron Zoo that would cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $2 a month if approved.
The renewal is not a tax increase and would allow the zoo to continue along the same lines of expansion as it has in the past five years, said L. Patricia Simmons, zoo president and chief executive officer.
“Like all zoos and regional attractions, the Akron Zoo must refresh and add exhibits over time to provide up-to-date education and maintain visitorship,” she said. “Continued funding will allow the Akron Zoo to add between six and 10 new exhibits.”
In March 2000, voters passed a seven-year, .8-mill property tax levy. The renewal, if passed, would begin collecting in 2008 and run until 2014. According to officials, the zoo has provided or expanded the following areas since passage of the initial levy:
• Animals: In the past five years, the zoo has added 130 percent more animals, 37 percent of which are endangered and vulnerable species. It has more than 700 animals from around the world and is only one of 215 facilities accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
http://www.akron.com/20061019/wzl38.ASP
concluding …
Monday, October 23, 2006
October 22, 2006 Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: Every cloud has a silver lining, or so they say. (They must all be mad) This split of land was created yesterday by the flood-water rushing down the gorge. It even managed to stick a couple of trees on it, although it doesn't seem to have grasped the need to put their roots underground. Later we will have a new piece of beach on which to walk. Maybe "they" aren't that mad after all. I just don't see them cleaning the mud out of my living room.
October 22, 2006. Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: My living room is on the first floor of my house as we have a garage at ground level. At the back we have an enclosed yard at first floor level and behind that a garden at second floor level. It come from living on the edge of a mountain. On Saturday morning, in the wee small hours, it rained. Boy did it rain! The back yard filled in about ten minutes and then poured mud and water through the living room. Don't even ask about the basement.
October 22, 2006. Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: When I uploaded the first picture taken in my living-room I said that this site would probably reject it because it was not an outside shot. I guess that I was wrong. The site accepts weather related pictures whether they are outside or inside, provided the weather predominates the image! Mea culpa. Not that I am very often correct anyway. This picture is very much an outside shot of the results of the same storm. It is as well that the replacement bridge was repaired only a couple of months ago or nobody would reach Acroyarli (the next village down the road).
October 22, 2006, Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: The next morning (today) it was back to normal Greek weather as though nothing had happened. Except for the cars washed away, collapsed walls, ruined roads, and people whose houses were now full of mud. On the bright side: it is at least clean mud.
Click for animation
October 23, 2006.
3:00 PM
Antarctica
The heat over this ice continent is picking up quickly (click on). It's rather surprising actually. There are many sites near zero or warmer than zero Celcius. In the animation it is hard to find a deeply frigid area between the hours of 6AM and 9AM. Even Vostok is moving to a warmer air temperature of 53 degrees C.
Heck. I am not optimistic. It looks as though the wonderfully cold temperatures of the Fall and Winter will be for not. But, better to have recovered at least that much in the face of this newly stark reality.
The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
Scott Base
Some cloud
-18.0°
Updated Tuesday 24 Oct 3:15AM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
41 °F / 5 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
36 °F / 2 °C
Wind:
10 mph / 17 km/h from the NNW
Pressure:
29.42 in / 996 hPa
Windchill:
35 °F / 2 °C
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 300 ft / 91 m
Overcast 2600 ft / 792 m
(Above Ground Level)
Scott Base
Some cloud
-18.0°
Updated Tuesday 24 Oct 3:15AM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
41 °F / 5 °C
Overcast
Humidity:
81%
Dew Point:
36 °F / 2 °C
Wind:
10 mph / 17 km/h from the NNW
Pressure:
29.42 in / 996 hPa
Windchill:
35 °F / 2 °C
Visibility:
10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 300 ft / 91 m
Overcast 2600 ft / 792 m
(Above Ground Level)
Click on for 12 hour loop
This is the Enhanced Infrared satelitte of UNISYS. The chronic vortex over the Gulf of Mexico last week has worked up enough moisture content to generate a the storm off the west coast of Mexico.
Hurricane Paul is a Cat 2 so far (click on and page down). It's the only storm noted in the north and west hemisphere today.
There is a cold air mass which has decended from the Arctic Circle over the North American continent with noted absence of moisture off shore of both coasts below 36 N Latitude. There are drought conditions over the continent.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Water revives Iraq's 'Garden of Eden'
Mike Shanahan
25 August 2005Source: SciDev.Net
Satellite images show that Iraq's Mesopotamian marshes, which almost vanished during Saddam Hussein's rule, are rapidly recovering.
The marshes — reputed to be the biblical Garden of Eden — are a major source of fish and freshwater for local people, as well as being an important habitat for wildlife.
"The near total destruction of the Iraqi marshlands was a major ecological and human disaster, robbing the Marsh Arabs of a centuries-old culture and way of life," says Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Hussein drained the marshes in a deliberate attempt to force out the Arabs, a people whose livelihoods have depended on the wetlands for thousands of years.
THESE are the hard learned lessons of the Iraqi Shi'ites. They won't give up complete control to a central authority and risk this type of assault against lives and land. I just don't see it happening. We need not repeat the mistake of past governments in that country. We need to leave them alone.
Leaving Iraq is justified in it's ability to diminish the deaths of the innocents of that country.
The history of the violence in Iraq goes back many decades. It includes all ethnicities. Saddam Hussein in order to maintain control would even carry out killings of his own allies in towns such as Fallujah if he felt is was prudent to maintaining the oppression of the people and hence control of his authority. Fear was the primary venue of control in Iraq and in parallel today, Bush's "Culture of Fear" is nurtured as a means of control of the people of the USA. Even today when the GOP is facing a tough election season, the RNC reaches into their bag of tricks using 'fear' as an underlying theme in commercials to influence voters.
But in regard to Saddam Hussein and the al Sadr family, there is a history of annihilation of those men of religious authority whom stood unlike the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani in defiance of Hussein. As a result 'the al Sadr family' was all but destroyed.
The Shi'ite Cleric Moktada al-Sadr's father, the Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, was the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq in the late 1990s. His uncle, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, was a leading Shiite activist who was executed by Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1980. Muqtada al-Sadr went underground in February 1999 after a spray of gunfire—from Saddam’s agents, according to most accounts—killed his father and two brothers. He inherited a network of schools and charities built by his father, along with the allegiance of many of the elder Sadr’s followers.
The Mahdi Army is no joke (click on) and in realizing that is taking on the central authority of Iraq as established under a constitution that is now in debate and under amendment. It is my view that the country of Iraq will someday dissolve into three autonomous nations of ethnic origins. This as a result of the inability of those ethnicities to find 'trust' among each other in maintaining a central/federal government. There is currently a movement within the central government to provide provincial authority that would find a way to divide the assets of that country among those provinces and dilute the threat of any one authority over that of any ethnicity resulting in a return to Saddam Hussein in just another form.
The Mahdi Army has sustained itself through three years of some of the most intense violence Iraq has ever seen. I doubt there has been this degree of violence in that country on a continuous basis in it's history. There have been wars, such as the Iran-Iraq War, but none sustained to the death toll of this war. If you add up all the atrocities of Saddam Hussein which are substantial including mass graves and death by deprivation, they would not total 600,000 people. The violence in Iraq has to stop. The USA has to realize it's potency of sustained attack on these people which results in a 'backlash' of fear of continued violence and annihilation from their experience. This sustained death toll at the hands of occupiers results in all kinds of issues, the least of which is boasted by Bush to be "The Central Front on Terror." If Iraq is a 'central front on terror' it is because the Bush military propagates it. There are no outside forces seeking control of Iraq or initiating attacks from inside Iraq on the USA Coalition. Quite the contrary. Iran is a Shi'ite nation. The region that Iraq is a part is the only place in the world where Shi'ites have large numbers over Sunnis. The Shi'ites are the fundamentalists. They live in this region of the world for a reason. They are among the holiest of lands of Islam and to that end stand diligently in protection of them.
The concept of "The Central War on Terror" serves only one purpose. That purpose is to keep political dogma in the USA viable, to sustain the lies that brought Cheney's war cronies profits along with relief of his liability to Halliburton stockholders. Bush on the other hand wanted to vindicate his father's so-called 'incomplete' war with Saddam in rescuing Kuwait from an Iraq invasion. There is no other reason for the continued occupation of Iraq. The Iraqi forces even under Saddam and during The Persian Gulf War of Colin Powell were incompetent at best. There was little reason for strong and invincible militaries in this region before the USA decided it was profitable to conduct wars of retribution and fantasy.
The strength of the Madhi Army is obvious. The strength of the people that support it is more obvious. The events of Amara is the second notable 'show of force' by these people under the guidance of their Holy Men. The first was when the the USA tried to assault the Imam Ali Mosque in 2004 and the people under the direction of the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani marched without arms or military from Kufah to Najaf. It stopped the USA military dead in it's tracks. A USA military that already had tanks in the narrow streets of Najaf headed for the mosque where the Shi'ite Cleric al Sadr was being protected by members of the Madhi Army and people of the community already inside the grounds of the mosque. It was a show of force then that caught the eye of the USA media and Amara is the second time.
The obvious venue for peace in Iraq is to stop the hideous pursuit of confrontation by the USA Coalition with the militias of Iraq. The United States admittedly had no post-invasion strategy for Iraq. Iraq was considered by minimally Rumsfeld, to have the largest accumulation of munitions in the Middle East. Although accused of seeking weapons of mass destruction which was indeed an issue with some of the genocide under Hussein, none were discovered with this invasion and over the years the United Nations Inspectors were able to secure all the stockpiled weapons into bunkers with UN Seals. Those seals were respected by Hussein and his military as a part of the Oil for Food Program.
One of the most huge post war debacles was due to the lack of insight to securing those bunkers. Somehow, Rumsfeld believed they would remain untouched with nothing more than UN Seals on them despite the reality that the UN Sanctions through the presence of UN Inspectors no longer meant anything with invasion and occupation. Those bunkers were raided including 300 tonnes of high grade explosives. Those munitions of which many were supplied by the USA to the Hussein government are distributed throughout minimally Iraq bolstering the sustainability of the rebellion that followed the USA Coalition invasion. This war can literally go on forever. Due to that fact the Bush administration has engaged in speeches about Iraq that are grossly inappropriate and meant to sustain the war for the sake of USA military crony contracts. While admittedly there is an al Qaeda presence in Iraq by the death of al Zarqawi, that is the case in all nations of the Middle East and most nations of Muslim majority. To say it is essential to remain in Iraq as a surrogate location of fighting al Qaeda is a travesty and sets up the American Forces as 'targets' to the designs of training elements of al Qaeda, 'Cause Celebre' (click on) if your will. In an interview with General Grange on Saturday morning on CNN these were his words which mirror the concept of "Iraq is the Central War on Terror."
NGUYEN: Yes, maintaining the security is key. And, you know, while we don't know exactly what is being discussed detail by detail in this meeting with the president and his top generals, you have access to a lot of people in the know. You served a lot of time in the military, and you stay in contact with many people still serving.
So what are they saying? What are the ideas being bounced around about a solution to the situation in Iraq?
GRANGE: Sure. One -- one item that not many people want to hear anymore, especially some of the people in Congress, is that, well, you have to give them a little bit more time. Well, we do have to give the elected government some time, and then we just monitor their resolve, their willingness to solve this. And in fact, if that starts to diminish, now that they are a sovereign nation again, we have to kind of take their lead. And that may be a decision that we leave.
The other is, we have to keep the influence out of Iran, in particular, but also Syria from interfering, which they are doing considerably right now, especially with the Shia militias. We have to continue to take down terrorists that are in the country.
And a comment made early that it's a magnet for terrorists, well, that's not really a bad thing because they are all in one place right now. Not all, but a good majority of them. That -- tactically, that's not a bad -- bad thing.
The other is we support the security forces of Iraq where and when needed. And then we have to keep presence in the region, because the region is a powder keg. It's going to be -- would have been that way if we were in Iraq or not. And so we have to keep presence to either destroy, disrupt or deny those that want to do things to other nation states that the world, international community, does not desire to happen, or us, because of the strategic importance of this part of the world.
NGUYEN: Yes. A lot of ideas there, General. We'll see how it plays out.
We appreciate your time, though, this morning.
GRANGE: My pleasure.
That concept along with the rhetorical stand by Bush to "Stay the Course" is a guarantee for exploitive military occupation that serves only one purpose and that is the profits affiliated with military companies which support Bush's agenda. Many retired generals that act as consultants to news agencies also are advisors/members to Boards of Directors to these same companies.
The cost for such exploitation is the deaths of our troops and loss of confidence by them in their chosen career path. To undermine the integrity of military engagement as the Bush/Cheney administration has done is to undermine the National Security of the USA while causing unjustifable hardship on a country such as Iraq.
To cover his tracks with pending elections, Mr. Bush has decided to deny his rhetoric in hopes of reshaping the criticism of "Stay the Course in Iraq."
In the portion of his interview with President Bush broadcast on the October 22 edition of ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos let go without challenge several statements from Bush that contradict previous statements and actions. First, as the weblog Think Progress noted, Bush asserted that his administration has "never been stay the course" in Iraq, a statement to which Stephanopoulos could have responded -- but didn't -- by noting that Bush and other senior administration officials have repeatedly described the U.S. policy in Iraq as "stay the course." Bush began articulating his strategy for Iraq as "stay the course" shortly after the war began in March 2003 and has persisted until very recently, as Think Progress noted, and Media Matters for America has also documented (here and here).
http://mediamatters.org/items/200610220001
At a July 10, 2003, press conference in Botswana, Bush said:
BUSH: We haven't been there long. I mean, relatively speaking. We've been there for 90 to 100 days -- I don't have the exact number. But I will tell you, it's going to take more than 90 to 100 days for people to recognize the great joys of freedom and the responsibilities that come with freedom. We're making steady progress. A free Iraq will mean a peaceful world. And it's very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course.
"Stay the course" in Iraq was the oft-repeated mantra of Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. At an April 5, 2004, press conference, Bush said: "And we've got to stay the course, and we will stay the course. The message to the Iraqi citizens is, they don't have to fear that America will turn and run. And that's an important message for them to hear. If they think that we're not sincere about staying the course, many people will not continue to take a risk toward -- take the risk toward freedom and democracy." In an April 13, 2004, nationally televised address, he said: "It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200609260012
Media claim Bush administration has disavowed "stay the course" rhetoric, but White House is still using it
Summary: Several media figures have recently claimed, or let Republicans claim, that the White House "rejects" the policy that the United States should "stay the course" in Iraq, even though President Bush and White House spokesman Tony Snow have continued to use that term to describe the administration's Iraq policy.
In recent days, several media figures have claimed, or let Republicans claim, that the White House "rejects" the policy that the United States should "stay the course" in Iraq, even though President Bush and White House press secretary Tony Snow have continued to use that term to describe the Bush administration's Iraq policy.
For example, in an August 31 Washington Post article, staff writers Peter Baker and Jim VandeHei reported that "[m]any Democrats accuse the president of advocating 'stay the course' in Iraq, but the White House rejects the phrase and regularly emphasizes that it is adapting tactics to changing circumstances." Similarly, on the August 30 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, guest host and MSNBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell left unchallenged the claim by Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman that "I don't think our approach is stay the course. ... Our approach is to adapt and win." During a roundtable discussion on the August 27 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, responding to Al Hunt, Bloomberg News' Washington bureau chief, who stated that the conservative National Review had described Bush's "stay the course" policy as "absolutely not credible," National Review Washington editor Kate O'Beirne claimed that the Bush administration is "changing" its rhetoric to "adapt for victory."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200608310012
George Walker Bush is a perpetual liar with only one interest in mind and that is the political control of the powers of the USA. He cares nothing about the will of the American people or the Iraqi people either.
Today, the debate over Iraq and the change in strategy revolves around one city, Baghdad and the strategy for "The Battle for Baghdad." This is the only city in Iraq where the USA has control over territory, however, that control is somewhat tenuous (click on). On two separate occasions Baghdad has been placed under 'curfew' to regain control. There have been attacks into The Green Zone and to that end, it would be wise for the USA to realize attempting any widespread control effort by increasing troop strength is mostly futile and will only cause a temporary escalation in even more deaths, both civilian and military. The USA military needs to find an exit solution and not turn back from it. Iraq has it's security in the persistent militias. The resolve of the sovereignty of Iraq will find it's way to sustain or dissolve, but, that would happen anyway, with USA military occupation the timeline will be longer and the 'playground' for al Qaeda extended preparing more terrorists and not less.
But in regard to Saddam Hussein and the al Sadr family, there is a history of annihilation of those men of religious authority whom stood unlike the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani in defiance of Hussein. As a result 'the al Sadr family' was all but destroyed.
The Shi'ite Cleric Moktada al-Sadr's father, the Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, was the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq in the late 1990s. His uncle, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, was a leading Shiite activist who was executed by Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1980. Muqtada al-Sadr went underground in February 1999 after a spray of gunfire—from Saddam’s agents, according to most accounts—killed his father and two brothers. He inherited a network of schools and charities built by his father, along with the allegiance of many of the elder Sadr’s followers.
The Mahdi Army is no joke (click on) and in realizing that is taking on the central authority of Iraq as established under a constitution that is now in debate and under amendment. It is my view that the country of Iraq will someday dissolve into three autonomous nations of ethnic origins. This as a result of the inability of those ethnicities to find 'trust' among each other in maintaining a central/federal government. There is currently a movement within the central government to provide provincial authority that would find a way to divide the assets of that country among those provinces and dilute the threat of any one authority over that of any ethnicity resulting in a return to Saddam Hussein in just another form.
The Mahdi Army has sustained itself through three years of some of the most intense violence Iraq has ever seen. I doubt there has been this degree of violence in that country on a continuous basis in it's history. There have been wars, such as the Iran-Iraq War, but none sustained to the death toll of this war. If you add up all the atrocities of Saddam Hussein which are substantial including mass graves and death by deprivation, they would not total 600,000 people. The violence in Iraq has to stop. The USA has to realize it's potency of sustained attack on these people which results in a 'backlash' of fear of continued violence and annihilation from their experience. This sustained death toll at the hands of occupiers results in all kinds of issues, the least of which is boasted by Bush to be "The Central Front on Terror." If Iraq is a 'central front on terror' it is because the Bush military propagates it. There are no outside forces seeking control of Iraq or initiating attacks from inside Iraq on the USA Coalition. Quite the contrary. Iran is a Shi'ite nation. The region that Iraq is a part is the only place in the world where Shi'ites have large numbers over Sunnis. The Shi'ites are the fundamentalists. They live in this region of the world for a reason. They are among the holiest of lands of Islam and to that end stand diligently in protection of them.
The concept of "The Central War on Terror" serves only one purpose. That purpose is to keep political dogma in the USA viable, to sustain the lies that brought Cheney's war cronies profits along with relief of his liability to Halliburton stockholders. Bush on the other hand wanted to vindicate his father's so-called 'incomplete' war with Saddam in rescuing Kuwait from an Iraq invasion. There is no other reason for the continued occupation of Iraq. The Iraqi forces even under Saddam and during The Persian Gulf War of Colin Powell were incompetent at best. There was little reason for strong and invincible militaries in this region before the USA decided it was profitable to conduct wars of retribution and fantasy.
The strength of the Madhi Army is obvious. The strength of the people that support it is more obvious. The events of Amara is the second notable 'show of force' by these people under the guidance of their Holy Men. The first was when the the USA tried to assault the Imam Ali Mosque in 2004 and the people under the direction of the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani marched without arms or military from Kufah to Najaf. It stopped the USA military dead in it's tracks. A USA military that already had tanks in the narrow streets of Najaf headed for the mosque where the Shi'ite Cleric al Sadr was being protected by members of the Madhi Army and people of the community already inside the grounds of the mosque. It was a show of force then that caught the eye of the USA media and Amara is the second time.
The obvious venue for peace in Iraq is to stop the hideous pursuit of confrontation by the USA Coalition with the militias of Iraq. The United States admittedly had no post-invasion strategy for Iraq. Iraq was considered by minimally Rumsfeld, to have the largest accumulation of munitions in the Middle East. Although accused of seeking weapons of mass destruction which was indeed an issue with some of the genocide under Hussein, none were discovered with this invasion and over the years the United Nations Inspectors were able to secure all the stockpiled weapons into bunkers with UN Seals. Those seals were respected by Hussein and his military as a part of the Oil for Food Program.
One of the most huge post war debacles was due to the lack of insight to securing those bunkers. Somehow, Rumsfeld believed they would remain untouched with nothing more than UN Seals on them despite the reality that the UN Sanctions through the presence of UN Inspectors no longer meant anything with invasion and occupation. Those bunkers were raided including 300 tonnes of high grade explosives. Those munitions of which many were supplied by the USA to the Hussein government are distributed throughout minimally Iraq bolstering the sustainability of the rebellion that followed the USA Coalition invasion. This war can literally go on forever. Due to that fact the Bush administration has engaged in speeches about Iraq that are grossly inappropriate and meant to sustain the war for the sake of USA military crony contracts. While admittedly there is an al Qaeda presence in Iraq by the death of al Zarqawi, that is the case in all nations of the Middle East and most nations of Muslim majority. To say it is essential to remain in Iraq as a surrogate location of fighting al Qaeda is a travesty and sets up the American Forces as 'targets' to the designs of training elements of al Qaeda, 'Cause Celebre' (click on) if your will. In an interview with General Grange on Saturday morning on CNN these were his words which mirror the concept of "Iraq is the Central War on Terror."
NGUYEN: Yes, maintaining the security is key. And, you know, while we don't know exactly what is being discussed detail by detail in this meeting with the president and his top generals, you have access to a lot of people in the know. You served a lot of time in the military, and you stay in contact with many people still serving.
So what are they saying? What are the ideas being bounced around about a solution to the situation in Iraq?
GRANGE: Sure. One -- one item that not many people want to hear anymore, especially some of the people in Congress, is that, well, you have to give them a little bit more time. Well, we do have to give the elected government some time, and then we just monitor their resolve, their willingness to solve this. And in fact, if that starts to diminish, now that they are a sovereign nation again, we have to kind of take their lead. And that may be a decision that we leave.
The other is, we have to keep the influence out of Iran, in particular, but also Syria from interfering, which they are doing considerably right now, especially with the Shia militias. We have to continue to take down terrorists that are in the country.
And a comment made early that it's a magnet for terrorists, well, that's not really a bad thing because they are all in one place right now. Not all, but a good majority of them. That -- tactically, that's not a bad -- bad thing.
The other is we support the security forces of Iraq where and when needed. And then we have to keep presence in the region, because the region is a powder keg. It's going to be -- would have been that way if we were in Iraq or not. And so we have to keep presence to either destroy, disrupt or deny those that want to do things to other nation states that the world, international community, does not desire to happen, or us, because of the strategic importance of this part of the world.
NGUYEN: Yes. A lot of ideas there, General. We'll see how it plays out.
We appreciate your time, though, this morning.
GRANGE: My pleasure.
That concept along with the rhetorical stand by Bush to "Stay the Course" is a guarantee for exploitive military occupation that serves only one purpose and that is the profits affiliated with military companies which support Bush's agenda. Many retired generals that act as consultants to news agencies also are advisors/members to Boards of Directors to these same companies.
The cost for such exploitation is the deaths of our troops and loss of confidence by them in their chosen career path. To undermine the integrity of military engagement as the Bush/Cheney administration has done is to undermine the National Security of the USA while causing unjustifable hardship on a country such as Iraq.
To cover his tracks with pending elections, Mr. Bush has decided to deny his rhetoric in hopes of reshaping the criticism of "Stay the Course in Iraq."
In the portion of his interview with President Bush broadcast on the October 22 edition of ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos let go without challenge several statements from Bush that contradict previous statements and actions. First, as the weblog Think Progress noted, Bush asserted that his administration has "never been stay the course" in Iraq, a statement to which Stephanopoulos could have responded -- but didn't -- by noting that Bush and other senior administration officials have repeatedly described the U.S. policy in Iraq as "stay the course." Bush began articulating his strategy for Iraq as "stay the course" shortly after the war began in March 2003 and has persisted until very recently, as Think Progress noted, and Media Matters for America has also documented (here and here).
http://mediamatters.org/items/200610220001
At a July 10, 2003, press conference in Botswana, Bush said:
BUSH: We haven't been there long. I mean, relatively speaking. We've been there for 90 to 100 days -- I don't have the exact number. But I will tell you, it's going to take more than 90 to 100 days for people to recognize the great joys of freedom and the responsibilities that come with freedom. We're making steady progress. A free Iraq will mean a peaceful world. And it's very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course.
"Stay the course" in Iraq was the oft-repeated mantra of Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. At an April 5, 2004, press conference, Bush said: "And we've got to stay the course, and we will stay the course. The message to the Iraqi citizens is, they don't have to fear that America will turn and run. And that's an important message for them to hear. If they think that we're not sincere about staying the course, many people will not continue to take a risk toward -- take the risk toward freedom and democracy." In an April 13, 2004, nationally televised address, he said: "It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200609260012
Media claim Bush administration has disavowed "stay the course" rhetoric, but White House is still using it
Summary: Several media figures have recently claimed, or let Republicans claim, that the White House "rejects" the policy that the United States should "stay the course" in Iraq, even though President Bush and White House spokesman Tony Snow have continued to use that term to describe the administration's Iraq policy.
In recent days, several media figures have claimed, or let Republicans claim, that the White House "rejects" the policy that the United States should "stay the course" in Iraq, even though President Bush and White House press secretary Tony Snow have continued to use that term to describe the Bush administration's Iraq policy.
For example, in an August 31 Washington Post article, staff writers Peter Baker and Jim VandeHei reported that "[m]any Democrats accuse the president of advocating 'stay the course' in Iraq, but the White House rejects the phrase and regularly emphasizes that it is adapting tactics to changing circumstances." Similarly, on the August 30 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, guest host and MSNBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell left unchallenged the claim by Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman that "I don't think our approach is stay the course. ... Our approach is to adapt and win." During a roundtable discussion on the August 27 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, responding to Al Hunt, Bloomberg News' Washington bureau chief, who stated that the conservative National Review had described Bush's "stay the course" policy as "absolutely not credible," National Review Washington editor Kate O'Beirne claimed that the Bush administration is "changing" its rhetoric to "adapt for victory."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200608310012
George Walker Bush is a perpetual liar with only one interest in mind and that is the political control of the powers of the USA. He cares nothing about the will of the American people or the Iraqi people either.
Today, the debate over Iraq and the change in strategy revolves around one city, Baghdad and the strategy for "The Battle for Baghdad." This is the only city in Iraq where the USA has control over territory, however, that control is somewhat tenuous (click on). On two separate occasions Baghdad has been placed under 'curfew' to regain control. There have been attacks into The Green Zone and to that end, it would be wise for the USA to realize attempting any widespread control effort by increasing troop strength is mostly futile and will only cause a temporary escalation in even more deaths, both civilian and military. The USA military needs to find an exit solution and not turn back from it. Iraq has it's security in the persistent militias. The resolve of the sovereignty of Iraq will find it's way to sustain or dissolve, but, that would happen anyway, with USA military occupation the timeline will be longer and the 'playground' for al Qaeda extended preparing more terrorists and not less.
I debated to write a composition or simply state the obvious, but, the stakes are too high and I morally have to address this correctly.
So.
Composition to follow.
Basically, al Sadr is doing what his heritage dictates him to do. He is the surviving member of religious leadership in Iraq. This is his right. The Grand Ayatollah is aging. Eventually, Cleric al Sadr will take his place. In the picture below and the accountings of Amara it is eminently clear that the young Cleric is respectful of the elected government of his people while taking no chances with the lives of his people.
Try this on for now. If the USA were to leave Iraq the Mahdi Army is already trained to protect the Shi'ites with techniques learned while opposing the toughest military in the world. Do you honestly think Iraqis aren't prepared to take care of themselves? That is all they have been doing since the invasion. These Holy Men of all the ethnicities provided the stability and guidance the people of Iraq needed. It would be a gross mistake to now kill off the very people that helped stabilize their regions while providing security Bush's military could never provide.
Composition to follow
So.
Composition to follow.
Basically, al Sadr is doing what his heritage dictates him to do. He is the surviving member of religious leadership in Iraq. This is his right. The Grand Ayatollah is aging. Eventually, Cleric al Sadr will take his place. In the picture below and the accountings of Amara it is eminently clear that the young Cleric is respectful of the elected government of his people while taking no chances with the lives of his people.
Try this on for now. If the USA were to leave Iraq the Mahdi Army is already trained to protect the Shi'ites with techniques learned while opposing the toughest military in the world. Do you honestly think Iraqis aren't prepared to take care of themselves? That is all they have been doing since the invasion. These Holy Men of all the ethnicities provided the stability and guidance the people of Iraq needed. It would be a gross mistake to now kill off the very people that helped stabilize their regions while providing security Bush's military could never provide.
Composition to follow
The Iraqi Campaign Against The Marsh Arabs
Readers might recall seeing the movie “Three Kings” a few years back. It was one of the few films made about the Gulf War. Basically a remake of the equally improbable World War II movie “Kelly’s Gold,” it is about a group of American soldiers who attempt to steal a stock of gold supposedly belonging to Saddam Hussein, but find themselves caught up in rescuing a large number of hapless Iraqis who had foolishly responded to President Bush’s call for Iraqis to rise up and overthrow Saddam. Most viewers of the film probably did ask themselves who were these Iraqis, for the movie did not tell us much about them. They really were only props for the American heroes. Given the location in the south of Iraq and their flight into Iran at the end of the movie, they probably were Marsh Arabs - even though no marshes at all were in sight on the screen.
In 2002, Saddam Hussein killed 50,000 Shi'ites after he first drained the wetlands and put them into a 'waterless' set of circumstances. The wetlands drained stopped their food supply and water availability.
In 2002, Saddam Hussein killed 50,000 Shi'ites after he first drained the wetlands and put them into a 'waterless' set of circumstances. The wetlands drained stopped their food supply and water availability.
I do not believe Cleric Moktaka al Sadr is anti-American. He is anti-Shi'ite deaths. Huge difference.
10/18/06 Iraq - Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric, with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki today.
The Perfect Pumpkin - Happy Halloween, Georgie - 2006
By Howard Fineman
Newsweek
Oct. 30, 2006 issue - Backed into a corner, George W. Bush gets louder and more deeply West Texas: a high-school football coach, down by 20 points at halftime, banging on the metal lockers for inspiration. He thinks that even a trace of presidential doubt will embolden Democrats at home and evildoers in Iraq. So here he was, at a not-oversubscribed Washington fund-raiser, launching the last drive of his last campaign with grim determination and warnings of apocalypse if Democrats take Congress. "They are the party of cut and run," he said. "Victory in Iraq is vital for the security of a generation of Americans who are coming up. And so we will stay in Iraq! We will fight in Iraq! And we will win in Iraq!"
American soldier deaths to date:
2793
United Kingdom deaths to date:
119
Other members of the coalition deaths to date:
119
US Non Mortal Casualties of any nature (In my opinion, a wound/illness requiring intervention beyond a simple clinic visit is serious and with the stress of battlefield circumstances is due to the conflict.)
44,779 as of September 30, 2006.
Many of these soldiers are alive because of body armor. That was not available in Vietnam. If the body armor was not available we would be seeing body counts far higher and escalating faster than anything we had seen in Vietnam.
The point here is, the rebels in Iraq don't have body armor. The death rates of Iraqis as reported in the journals are more than likely accurate. It brings to focus the issue of 'weighted' results in favor of the occupiers in the face of near genocide levels by some of the reporting journals of Iraqis. These are citizens of that country. The USA Coalition is not. The Iraqi death rate according to some estimates is at an extreme of 198 Iraqi death : 1 USA Coalition death due to the 'overwhelming power' of the occupiers miliary's precense. If only American loses are viewed the ratio changes to 215 : 1. Not a pretty picture. Nothing to be proud of. I do believe the research put forward by these statisticans. To deny the possiblity of this accuracy is to consent to genocide. This is the second time "The Lancet" has reported this high ratio of lose of civilian Iraqis. The first time was in 2004, I believe. For a journal with the prestige of "The Lancet" to repeat a mistake is highly unlikely. I refuse to be a part of a genocide of any kind.
Death casualties in Vietnam
U.S. MILITARY CASUALTIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
58,184
COMPARISON TO OTHER U.S. WARS
Revolution
4,435
War of 1812
2,260
Mexican War
13,283
Civil War (Union only)
364,511
Spanish - American War
2,446
World War I
116,516
World War II
405,399
Korea
36,913
Vietnam
58,184
Lancet study puts a number on Iraqi deaths (click on)
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post Writers Group
Monday, October 16, 2006
(10-16) 04:00 PDT Washington -- "NOT CREDIBLE" was President Bush's quick verdict on the new study, published this week in the British medical journal The Lancet, calculating that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion and its ensuing chaos. It is understandable that the president would be quick to dismiss such an explosive claim, but the rest of us should take the time to look a bit more closely.
The number of estimated deaths claimed by the study is inconceivably huge, and wildly out of scale with any previous figures we've heard. But it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the human suffering in Iraq has been far beyond our imagining.
The peer-reviewed study's named authors include three researchers from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University -- one of them Gilbert Burnham, co-director of the school's Center for Refugee and Disaster Response -- and a professor from Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya University. Funding for the project was provided by MIT. These are not shabby credentials.
2793
United Kingdom deaths to date:
119
Other members of the coalition deaths to date:
119
US Non Mortal Casualties of any nature (In my opinion, a wound/illness requiring intervention beyond a simple clinic visit is serious and with the stress of battlefield circumstances is due to the conflict.)
44,779 as of September 30, 2006.
Many of these soldiers are alive because of body armor. That was not available in Vietnam. If the body armor was not available we would be seeing body counts far higher and escalating faster than anything we had seen in Vietnam.
The point here is, the rebels in Iraq don't have body armor. The death rates of Iraqis as reported in the journals are more than likely accurate. It brings to focus the issue of 'weighted' results in favor of the occupiers in the face of near genocide levels by some of the reporting journals of Iraqis. These are citizens of that country. The USA Coalition is not. The Iraqi death rate according to some estimates is at an extreme of 198 Iraqi death : 1 USA Coalition death due to the 'overwhelming power' of the occupiers miliary's precense. If only American loses are viewed the ratio changes to 215 : 1. Not a pretty picture. Nothing to be proud of. I do believe the research put forward by these statisticans. To deny the possiblity of this accuracy is to consent to genocide. This is the second time "The Lancet" has reported this high ratio of lose of civilian Iraqis. The first time was in 2004, I believe. For a journal with the prestige of "The Lancet" to repeat a mistake is highly unlikely. I refuse to be a part of a genocide of any kind.
Death casualties in Vietnam
U.S. MILITARY CASUALTIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
58,184
COMPARISON TO OTHER U.S. WARS
Revolution
4,435
War of 1812
2,260
Mexican War
13,283
Civil War (Union only)
364,511
Spanish - American War
2,446
World War I
116,516
World War II
405,399
Korea
36,913
Vietnam
58,184
Lancet study puts a number on Iraqi deaths (click on)
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post Writers Group
Monday, October 16, 2006
(10-16) 04:00 PDT Washington -- "NOT CREDIBLE" was President Bush's quick verdict on the new study, published this week in the British medical journal The Lancet, calculating that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion and its ensuing chaos. It is understandable that the president would be quick to dismiss such an explosive claim, but the rest of us should take the time to look a bit more closely.
The number of estimated deaths claimed by the study is inconceivably huge, and wildly out of scale with any previous figures we've heard. But it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the human suffering in Iraq has been far beyond our imagining.
The peer-reviewed study's named authors include three researchers from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University -- one of them Gilbert Burnham, co-director of the school's Center for Refugee and Disaster Response -- and a professor from Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya University. Funding for the project was provided by MIT. These are not shabby credentials.
"Lamb" from album Thick Skin by Skid Row
I have been here for so long I've carried all the wait'
til something pulls me underneath the tide.
Climb to where the air is thin so I can breath again.
still it makes me wonder deep inside.
Nothin's free, no-one bleeds, We're all machines.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in it's swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
Space between the world and me, defying gravity'
til something pulls me closer to the ground.
Drink the chemicals we spill. our eye is on the kill
while hell is freezing over, over.
Nothin's free, no-one bleeds, We're all machines
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
lamb
til something pulls me underneath the tide.
Climb to where the air is thin so I can breath again.
still it makes me wonder deep inside.
Nothin's free, no-one bleeds, We're all machines.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in it's swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
Space between the world and me, defying gravity'
til something pulls me closer to the ground.
Drink the chemicals we spill. our eye is on the kill
while hell is freezing over, over.
Nothin's free, no-one bleeds, We're all machines
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial.
Shadows of your sins are following you.
When it sucks you in its swallowing you,
King of the mountain thats what I am.
Everybodys someone elses sacrificial lamb.
lamb
Friday, October 20, 2006
Over the next several weeks Americans will vote.
The Unsealed Ballot Box of the Maldives (click above)
Let all Americans take the process of voting as seriously as these people who valued the election of a government that was benevolent to them.
Elections Then:
Maldives: elections are held (click on)
05:39 2005-01-23
Police arrested 20 opposition party supporters during the Maldives' parliamentary election Saturday, a vote critics denounced as rigged, accusing the government of linking aid for tsunami survivors to favorable votes.
The archipelago nation held the elections three weeks late, a postponement caused by the Dec. 26 tsunami, which killed at least 82 people in the Maldives and crushed homes and businesses nationwide.
In the absence of a multiparty system, nearly 150 individual candidates contested the vote for parliament's 42 seats in the island chain, where the president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has ruled with an iron first since 1978.
Government spokesman Mohamed Shareef said the detainees were supporters of the exiled opposition Maldives Democratic Party who tried to take a videocamera into a polling booth in violation of election rules.
Voters in the Maldives have cast their ballots in a general election postponed as a result of last month's tsunami.
No political parties are allowed and nearly 150 candidates stood as independents for the 42-seat assembly.
Reformist candidates have complained of irregularities, including allegations that the government threatened voters with withholding reconstruction aid, tells BBC News.
Elections to Come:
Maldives - News Archive (click on)
2008 Presidential Election in Maldives to be Multi-Party says President
Posted: 03/12/2006The Maldivian government has promised a multi-party election in 2008 when the country goes to polls to choose its next president. As part of the roadmap proposed by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on March 12, target dates will be drawn up for the next three years. This move is part of the democratic political reforms promised by President Gayoom and comes after a decision was made last year to allow political parties to register.
Source: ElectionGuide
Take your voting seriously. Make decisions that will bring back to the USA a government that inspires the world through democratic principles. Realize that actions speak louder than words and when other peoples are inspired toward democracy the greater international community insures it happens.
Democracy happens in a country as it's populous matures and comes to terms with the concept of people being responsible for the outcomes of government that affects their lives and the lives of their children. When people find a lack of truncation to the future through elections they have a far greater sense of hope about life. Joy and happiness take on different characteristics from the 'here and now' to benevolence of a heritage granted to future generations. Elections are huge and should never be toyed with by men or women seeking power for the sake of power over a reality that a populous has entrusted 'the promise' their 'hope' is to bring them in benevolence toward themselves and their children.
In reality what is a single vote except an effort to bring leverage over power. A country is a powerful entity with fiscal resources and a will. That will is expressed in the leadership and it's resultant policies. When all the votes are counted a single vote can make a decision that impacts not only the electorate but the community in which they live that have no power to influence the decisions of that leadership.
Never vote in fear. Vote in confidence. The truth will bring that confidence to decision making and wise choices in elections. Demand honest answers from candidates, research your choices and make that decision count with effective, uncorrupt balloting.
Elections, voting is not an illusion; it is the essence of democracy. Let's bring leadership back to the USA that will bring back the admiration of the world and not it's fear.
I am counting on you.
Earth is counting on you.
Peace is counting on you.
Vote. Make a decision and know that decision will translate in one way or another over the next few weeks. I trust all of you. Do the right thing. Take citizenship seriously.
I'll return to the 'usual' review of the news next week. I appreciate your interest in this expression of hope. Thank you.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
U.S. October death toll in Iraq hits 70
October 18, 2006.
From the New York Times.
An escalation in the deaths of American soldiers once again brings concentrated attention to the Iraq War. While I apprecate all the efforts such as made by The New York Times to; at the very least; 'remind' us of our losses, some of the exacerbations of deaths then accompanied by declines are irrespective of the fact no matter the number of deaths they are still people we value caught up in an illegal war that is out of control at the hand of an administration mired in affiliations of corruption.
The mean per month in Iraq is about 70 deaths per month. That isn't reflecting the deaths of civilians and members of the coalition in Iraq. Doesn't even speak to the concerns about escalations of violence in Afghanistan or the mimicking of truck/car bombs globally by militant groups.
In many ways, the escalations followed by declines were not 'reaction' followed by success so much as a 'slow down' of violence while the rebel forces in Iraq simply learned more about the tactics to defeat the US Coalition and then conducted those techniques against them. I don't believe the declines in American deaths are reflective at all of an Iraq resistance ready to capitulate authority.
The news this week is grim from the stand point that nothing much is new. There is some reporting on the reality some of us knew has existed all along or at least strongly suspected:
New groups appear more ruthless in use of violence
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15322218/
BAGHDAD - The young Shiite men, some wearing black masks, glided from house to house in search of Sunni Muslim men. They arrived at the two-story dwelling of Mohammed Hussein clutching a bomb, neighbors said. As his mother stood at the front gate, they detonated it. Shrapnel and glass flew, sending her to the hospital. A wall fell on a neighbor, sending him to his grave.
Additionally and more disturbing in some ways is the 'death of democracy' in the USA. Last night Keith Olberman gave a rather compelling "Special Comment: Beginning of the end" on Countdown, his hour news program.
Olbermann addresses the Military Commissions Act in a special comment
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15321167/
This type of legislation is the kind of thing that causes escalation in violence globally. The USA has become a threat to most nations on Earth. They witness the loss of civil rights in the USA and see their own governments affiliated with the USA and well, the rest is obvious. It is one of the reason that Iraq won't be turning away from violence in the near future, if ever.
The Shi'ite Majority in Iraq has been under seige for decades if not longer. That majority of Shia extends from Iraq into Iran. It is what Saddam Hussein battled against chronically. It is why Don Rumsfeld took Saddam Hussein as an ally initially and for so long. Hussein was a 'wedge' against a population of people with little regard for America and it's military.
The Shi'ites of Iran over threw the government there. What ensued was hostage taking of people in the US Embassy for over a year. Using the Iranian Hostage Crisis as a political platform the Reagan Administration never had to deal with Iran directly as it ended just about election time. Instead Mr. Reagan engaged in other scandalous issues with Iran called "The Iran - Contra Affair."
The Iran-Contra Affair
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande08.html
... In 1985, while Iran and Iraq were at war, Iran made a secret request to buy weapons from the United States. McFarlane sought Reagan's approval, in spite of the embargo against selling arms to Iran. McFarlane explained that the sale of arms would not only improve U.S. relations with Iran, but might in turn lead to improved relations with Lebanon, increasing U.S. influence in the troubled Middle East. Reagan was driven by a different obsession. He had become frustrated at his inability to secure the release of the seven American hostages being held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. As president, Reagan felt that "he had the duty to bring those Americans home," and he convinced himself that he was not negotiating with terrorists. While shipping arms to Iran violated the embargo, dealing with terrorists violated Reagan's campaign promise never to do so. Reagan had always been admired for his honesty....
... While probing the question of the arms-for-hostages deal, Attorney General Edwin Meese discovered that only $12 million of the $30 million the Iranians reportedly paid had reached government coffers. Then-unknown Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North of the National Security Council explained the discrepancy: he had been diverting funds from the arms sales to the Contras, with the full knowledge of National Security Adviser Admiral John Poindexter and with the unspoken blessing, he assumed, of President Reagan....
... Speculation about the involvement of Reagan, Vice President George Bush and the administration at large ran rampant. Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh investigated the affair for the next eight years. Fourteen people were charged with either operational or "cover-up" crimes. In the end, North's conviction was overturned on a technicality, and President Bush issued six pardons, including one to McFarlane, who had already been convicted, and one to Weinberger before he stood trial....
THE POINT IS that while Bush sends troops into Iraq to continue the conflict that is decades old and doesn't really affect the National Security of the USA; he is also acting in legislation against the US Constitution and opening up dangers to Americans Civil Rights by their government with the understanding that all legislation starts out with the understanding of 'necessary and urgent' but becomes an instrument of paranoya and political scare tactics.
I don't feel much like conducting an audit of zoo articles or pursuing news information to enhance the understanding of a global dynamics of violence that has escalated beyond just Iraq due to the policies of the Bush Administration and it's rubber stamping House and Senate. It seems ludicrous to me that this week, when the American Democracy is dying at the hand of an openly confrontational and aggressive government that I conduct myself as if nothing happened yesterday.
Something did happen yesterday. It was profound. It was "W"rong. Every American should be concerned.... about the legislation .... about the escalation of dead American soldiers in Iraq ... and about the denial by this country of it's grossly unsuccesful meddling in the Middle East while nuclear proliferation globally is taking on a characteristic of 'irreversible' more and more everyday.
We have been here before. It's time to take by our country once again from greedy men and incompetent leadership.
We don't belong in Iraq.
We never did.
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