US Nears 4,000 Dead in Iraq - Anti-War Protestors Don't have their parades rained out or rained on, 200 arrests to let everyone know they mean it !

The countries of the Middle East are far different than those of "The West." Their leadership is usually a monarchy or dictatorship of some kind in the majority of cases. Where there is a 'voter' element it usually doesn't have any effect on the primary leader of the country. A prime example of that is Bush's Pakistan. How many times have there been attempts at elections only to have the infrastructure turn away any democratic process. The past elections are the only successful elections in the past decade in Pakistan and still today Musharraf remains in office.

Pakistan Elects First Female Parliament Speaker in History (click here)
By Diane Smith 15:13
March 19th 2008
The Pakistani government elected on Wednesday the country’s first female speaker.
She is Fahmida Mirza, a 52-year-old veteran politician whose loyalty belongs to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) which is currently led by Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Beanir Bhutto's husband who took over after his wife was assassinated.
Ms Mirza was elected speaker with 249 votes in the 342-seat lower house to become the first female speaker in Pakistan’s 60-year history. She is expected to play a major role in the country’s next phase of the political struggle as frictions between the coalition government led by PPP and President Pervez Musharraf....

The Jordanian Monarchy has always been a friend of the USA and has been able to make in roads with Arab nations when no others prevailed. The King of Jordan is a good leader and a benevolent leader to his people while seeking fiscal support from the USA as an ally.
The Palestinians found their first 'battle victory' when they were in Jordan. Jordan has always been a kingdom that supported the challenge of the Palestinians and that was before this King Abdullah. His father before him supported the Palestinian efforts as well. The current Queen of Jordan is Palestinian by heritage.
The point is this monarch seeks to remove his country from conflict. The King of Jordan seeks peace for his people and those of the region by being strongly mired in his religious beliefs. It is not unusual for the King to attend traditional ceremonies to reaffirm his faith in open and obvious demonstrations of loyality to the same god as those of his people.


His Majesty King Abdullah reviews soldiers carrying photos of Karameh Battle martyrs during a ceremony to mark its 40th anniversary in Karameh town in the Jordan Valley on Wednesday (Photo by Yousef Allan)

The Battle of Karameh: Symbolic Victory (click here)
Mid-March 1968, after a series of cross-border attacks, it became clear that the Israelis were preparing a massive reprisal on Jordanian territory. Despite their small numbers and the brute strength of the Israeli army, the fighters took the unexpected decision to stay and wait in Karameh refugee camp for the enemy. At dawn on 21 March, the Israelis stormed into the camp to be faced by Palestinian fighters with guns blazing. While the Palestinians lost several hundred fighters, 28 Israelis were killed, 90 Israelis were injured, and Israel was taken aback. The Battle of Karameh passed into Palestinian legend as a military success, the first time Palestinians had faced Israelis in open combat. Hundreds of other Arabs joined Palestinian mourners and the funeral parades of these martyrs who had died looking the enemy in the eye. Within two years of Karameh, around 30,000 new recruits of all nationalities had signed up to the Palestinian resistance....

In every Muslim country of the Middle East there are very strong ties within the government structure to religion. There is no separation of church and state and there never will be. When the USA attempts to 'impose its will' on countries with populous UNWILLING to 'comply' there is violent backlash.

US embassy in Yemen to be shut until Saturday
By Nasser Arrabyee, Correspondent
Published: March 20, 2008, 00:38
Sana'a: The US embassy will remain closed at least until Saturday after being targeted by terrorist attacks on Tuesday, a diplomat said on Wednesday.
The diplomat confirmed that the attacks targeted the embassy, not the adjacent girls' school, where a number of children and security agents were killed and injured by mortars fired by unknown attackers.
The government-run media described the attackers as terrorists.
"I can confirm that the attacks of yesterday targeted our embassy, not the school," Ryan Gliha, the press and public affairs officer at the embassy, told Gulf News.
The embassy may stay closed until next Saturday, the official added.
Immediately after Tuesday's attack, the embassy issued a short statement saying three mortars exploded in the vicinity of the embassy and that it will be closed for the remainder of the day. The statement did not mention the embassy was targeted.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/10198703.html



US offers free flights so embassy staff in Yemen can leave
Reuters
Published: March 20, 2008, 11:09
Washington: The US State Department is offering free flights out of Yemen to non-essential diplomats and family members, after three mortars hit a school near the US Embassy in Sanaa.
"The security threat level remains high due to terrorist activities in Yemen. The Department of State authorized the voluntary departure for embassy employees and eligible family members after several explosions targeted the embassy compound on March 18," the State Department said.
Thirteen girls and five Yemeni soldiers were wounded in Tuesday's attack near the US mission in the Yemeni capital. Yemen said "terrorists" were behind the attack.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/10198884.html


Clerics back death fatwa for writers
Reuters
Published: March 20, 2008, 00:38
Riyadh: A group of Saudi clerics has come out in support of a colleague who issued a fatwa saying two writers deserve to die if they did not retract views that he said made them apostates.
Shaikh Abdul Rahman Al Barrak, one of the kingdom's most revered clerics, said in a rare fatwa last week the columnists should be tried for apostasy for "heretical articles" published in Al Riyadh newspaper and put to death if they do not repent.
They questioned the Sunni view in Saudi Arabia that adherents of other faiths should be considered unbelievers, which Al Barrak said implied Muslims were free to follow other religions and their faith was on a par with other religions.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10198841.html



Shura Council rejects resolution calling for international pact to respect all religions
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
Published: March 20, 2008, 00:38
Riyadh: A resolution calling for the enactment of an international pact to forbid religions as well as their symbols, leaders and prophets from being defamed or insulted has been voted out by the Saudi Shura (Consultative Council).
A total of 77 members opposed the recommendation while 33 voted in favour. Those who opposed it argued that such a pact would force people to recognise religions, which advocate idol worship, and that "would be unacceptable."
The rejected resolution stated that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall work in coordination with Arab and Islamic groups and others at the United Nations to draft an international pact for respecting religions, their symbols and leaders, and prohibit insulting them in any way."
"This recommendation is creating 'much ado,' said Dr Khaleel Al Khaleel, a member of the Shura.
Opposing the move he said that the concept of religions and their symbols varied from country to country and culture to culture. According to Dr Khaleel, this recommendation would create a dangerous precedent that may produce a negative impact on Muslims rather than followers of other religions.
"Some consider Buddhism, Qadianism and Baha'ism as religions. Can we make it obligatory for Muslims to respect these faiths and avoid criticising them? he asked.
Blasphemous cartoons
Talal Bakri, one of the staunch critics of the move, said "if we approve the resolution it will be make it obligatory to recognise some religions and will facilitate establishing places of worship for them in Muslim countries."
Mohammad Al Quwaihes, who presented the resolution, told reporters that he had not expected that his move would be defeated in such a way as the overwhelming majority of members were in favour of introducing the resolution for deliberations.
"The provocation to move the resolution was the continuous onslaught on Islam in general and the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in particular, say for example, the blasphemous cartoons and films being published in Denmark, the Netherlands, America and the like," he said.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10198702.html

Here even in the social structure are high values of women's virtue to the point where hotels for women travelers are now available with ONLY women attending to the needs of the traveler, hence giving them freedom of travel without being accompanied by a male relative. That is not a reality in the USA, nor should it be. Much of the American culture is viewed in disfavor by Muslims.

First women-only hotel in Saudi Arabia opens
Agencies
Published: March 19, 2008, 16:20
Riyadh: For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels.
The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened on Wednesday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities.
"Inside this physical structure, we are all women. We even have bell-women. We are women-owned, women-managed and women-run, from our IT engineer to our electrical engineer," said Executive Director Lorraine Coutinho.

http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10198654.html


Guantanamo inmate says US interrogators threatened rape
Reuters
Published: March 20, 2008, 12:25
Miami: A young Canadian prisoner held at Guantanamo said in legal documents that US interrogators repeatedly threatened to rape him and Canadian government visitors told him they were powerless to do anything.
The claims were part of an affidavit sworn by Omar Khadr, 21, who is charged in the Guantanamo war court with murdering a US soldier with a grenade during a firefight in Afghanistan when Khadr was 15.
Khadr has long claimed he was abused by American interrogators in Bagram, Afghanistan, after his capture in July 2002 and at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval base in Cuba, where he was taken a few months later.
The previously undisclosed allegations of the rape threats were part of a nine-page affidavit released by the US military on Wednesday, with some of the names and details blacked out.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Cuba/10198894.html


Inmates riot at high-security Kabul jail, at least 9 hurt
Reuters
Published: March 19, 2008, 11:35
Kabul: Scores of prisoners rioted in a high-security Kabul jail and at least nine people were wounded in an exchange of gunfire as Afghan police tried to restore order, sources in two foreign aid agencies said on Wednesday.
A part of the Pul-i-Charkhi prison was taken over by the inmates who claimed they were illegally confined despite a decree by President Hamid Karzai acquitting them over a year ago, an aid agency worker said on condition of anonymity.
Around 150 inmates had been on a hunger strike for days, demanding release.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Afghanistan/10198622.html

Cheney was just to Afghanistan not long ago. He was the target of an attack at the military instillation where he was housed. The attack claimed lives but was unsuccesful in reaching Cheney. This 'frequent flyer' visit to Karzai is more than ominous. The war in Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban and therefore al Qaeda whom the Taliban supports isn't going well because Cheney and Bush abandoned the 'one true war' the USA needed to win.


Cheney in Afghanistan to back Karzai government
AP
Published: March 20, 2008, 12:59
Kabul: Vice President Dick Cheney met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday to discuss ways the country's fragile government can counter rising threats from Al-Qaida and Taliban militants.
Cheney flew to the Afghan capital from Oman. Reporters were not allowed to disclose Cheney's visit until he had arrived safely.
"The president asked the vice president to meet with President Karzai in advance of the NATO summit to discuss progress in a democratic Afghanistan as well as the work that lies ahead, especially in the south," said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Ann McBride.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Afghanistan/10198896.html

Here again, the USA is simply adding fuel to the fire when it comes to insurgency and reasons for recuritment of young Muslim men into al Qaeda.

US-led coalition troops kill six civilians in southern Afghanistan
Agencies
Published: March 19, 2008, 10:59
Kabul: Six civilians including two children and a woman were killed in a raid by US-led coalition troops in southeastern Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday.
Foreign troops raided two houses in the village of Muqibel in the Khost province and killed three men, two boys and one woman.
The boys, both younger than 10-years-old were shot in the head and chest.
The houses were occupied by two brothers and the victims all came from the two families.
Troops also detained two men in the raid, which a Nato spokeswoman confirmed was conducted by US forces.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Afghanistan/10198618.html

The President of Iraq is trying to maintain a reasonable 'peace' within Iraq. He has not pushed for any elections in hopes the people would not be stimulated into rebellion, yet again. The reason the Iraqi Government has succumbed to pressures by the Bush/Cheney White House is to 'complete benchmarks' as demanded by the USA Legislature.

The reality in Iraq is actually that they could not care less about benchmarks or maintaining the USA presence in that country, but, to proceed with a government that is decentralized allowing a greater 'peace' to be known between people that basically hate each other.

When these elections occur there is the possibility it will lead to greater conflict politically that will interpret into higher levels of violence, still again.

When the Iraqi government succumbs to the 'demands' of the USA Executive Branch it is NOT a willing initiative nor one can take seriously as an act of 'free will' within a country that is supposed to be exuding democratic principles above all other forms of government.

Patraeus and Crocker are due back before Congress in April. If it weren't for that testimony there would be no pressure on Baghdad to provide elections. Baghdad's incentive? You've got to be joking? Money. Nothing more, nothing less. When Congress again convenes on Iraq the questions have to be asked, 'How 'willing' is Iraq to make these changes without pressure from the USA?' I think we already know the answer to that question, the issue is, will Petraeus know the answer?

Under US pressure, Iraqi leaders clear a path for elections (click here)
Reversal seen as key to bridging ethnic divisions
By Alexandra Zavis
Los Angeles Times / March 20, 2008
BAGHDAD - Iraq's presidential council dropped its objections yesterday to a measure that helps clear the way for provincial elections, which are considered key to reconciling the country's ethnic and religious factions.
more stories like this
The unexpected announcement by the council, made up of the country's president and two vice presidents, follows intense lobbying by US officials to make the power-sharing compromises needed to solidify a recent drop in violence.
US patience with Iraq's fractious politicians is wearing thin as the war enters its sixth year. But yesterday's decision offers officials here a sign of progress, which they can use to make the case in Washington for time over the summer to assess the impact of US troop withdrawals under way.
General David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker will make their recommendations to Congress in April....

So, while the Middle East nations are pursuing peace and stabilization, what type of diplomacy is the Veep looking at?

You guessed it, an escalation in the 'Bush/Cheney War Chant.'

Let's see if I get this right. On one hand the Bush/Cheney administration is touting all kinds of reductions in violence in Iraq due to the fall in Iraqi population, impoverishment and deaths, but, on the other hand they are escalating a war against Iran in the face of facts that state otherwise.

Gee, what a coincidence. Five years after their first war spawned by Propaganda this administration lacks impeachment for doing the same all over again.

Hm?

I guess that is simply the Neocon culture and it gets easier and easier to point to the fact when Republicans are elected there is danger to any form of peace.

Cheney on Iran war fears: 'Because of my past' (click here)
Sultan Qaboos bin Sayed the Sultan of Oman received Vice President Dick Cheney, left, in Muscat, Oman today. AP Photo by Hamid Al-Qasmi
by Mark Silva
Vice President Dick Cheney acknowledges that it's understandable that people might read planning for a war in Iran into his Middle East trip.
Asking Cheney, in Oman, if he can foresee any point where military action might be taken, the interviewer explained that she was asking this "because when you come over here, people in the region start thinking you're over here to plan some sort of military action.''
"Well, I suppose that's because of my past history,'' Cheney replied.
"I've been pretty consistent over time about Iran,'' Cheney said in his interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz at the opulent Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa on the Gulf of Oman, across the water from Iran. "I don't think I've ratcheted up the rhetoric. I felt strongly for a long time, and a lot of us have, that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.''
Cheney declined to comment on Adm. William Fallon, the Centcomm commander who has announced his retirement after Esquire magazine reported that Fallon was concerned about the administration ratcheting up war talk about Iran. "The admiral had many years of distinguished service in the United States Navy,'' Cheney said. "I think he deserves our thanks for his service.''...

So there you have it. After one complete disaster without end, the Republicans want still another. It is time to stop this idiocy. And don't think for one minute Cheney and Bush are doing this alone. Heck no. Hank Paulson is throwing right in with them.

Ah, oh. Iran MAY be up to something, BUT, unfortunately Hank simply does not know what !

US Treasury says Iranian central bank may aid suspicious transactions (click here)
- WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - The US Treasury warned international financial institutions again today of the dangers it believes are inherent in doing business with banks in Iran, including even the Iranian central bank.
'The US Department of the Treasury is particularly concerned that the Central Bank of Iran may be facilitating transactions for sanctioned Iranian Banks,' it said in a statement....

Do you know what that 'something' might be? I mean seriously, why would good 'ole Hank put out such hideous notices? There has to be a reason? Well, remember that Bank that mimics the capacity of the World Bank that Chavez started? Remember?

Get this...with Iranian assets somewhat freed through affiliations with South America, all of a sudden Hank, Bush and Cheney are scrambling to stop any affiliation with the nations of South America and Iran. Make sense? See, the USA simply don't believe Iran has enough sanctions and they would like to tie up any and all monies Iran has without any chance of investment anywhere. Why? Because the 'war chant' states the Iranians are 'beginning their nuclear initiative again that ended in 2003.' Sound familiar? It sounds all too familiar to me.

Iranian Overtures to Latin America Spark US Concern (click here)
By Brian Wagner
Miami
19 March 2008
WIranian moves to solidify ties with Venezuela, Bolivia and other leftist governments in Latin America have sparked increasing concern in the United States. From Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports the growing Iranian ties reflect shared political and economic goals and anti-American sentiment.
At first glance, Iran seems to have little in common with Latin America. Trade and economic relations are rare, and the two regions have different cultural and religious traditions.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, center, shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iran, 19 Nov 19, 2007 (file photo)
But Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has found common ground with leftist leaders critical of the United States and its policy goals around the world.
To help build alliances, Iran has signed a series of economic deals with Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. This week, Bolivia and Iran agreed on joint projects worth $1 billion, including the installation of three Iranian-backed television channels in Bolivia....

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-19-voa35.cfm

Basically, boys and girls the same old rhetoric is at work all over again. The USA military and intelligence communities don't believe Iran has the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, the UN has placed sanctions but "The West" never thinks it is enough and before you know it, Iran will be trading oil and gas for food and we are off to the races all over again. To counter that reality and continue to be fiscally responsible for his country, the Iranian president has 'gone elsewhere' to find fiscal affiliations so the quality of life of Iranians don't go where Iraqis have gone.

So on the fifth anniversay of the illegal war in Iraq we can honestly say we need to rid the USA government of Neocons and return to sanity in government. What the Middle East countries do with their religion is NONE of our business.

Jeeze !

The Opposition to the Iraq War STILL has the only defendable position on the end of the Fifth Year of an Illegal War

Oddly enough or maybe not so odd, Michael Moore has the only 'self-righteous' position on the war (click here). The 'reasons' for the illegal invasion into Iraq that are now five years past were completely based in Republican greed and pledges made in backrooms and dining rooms to cronies that support that 'greed structure.'

I find the 'title' article to The Washington Post's position on this COMPLETED fifth year of an illegal war hideous and completely victimizing. The picture is of an American GI with an Iraqi child (It doesn't say whether its his own child or not.) and the caption states : "The Iraqi children "will always be my most fond memories of the war," Paul Rieckhoff says (click here). (Paul Reickhoff Photo)."

That is TRUE of any war any American GI participated. It was true of Korea, WWII, WWI, Vietnam, the Spanish-American War, etc. Children are 'easy' propaganda targets and if one ever watched "Fahrenheit 911" the realities of the Iraqi children were really NOT so bad in Iraq before the invasion and the bombs of Georgie Bush.

The Washington Post is giving coverage to the Anti-War Demonstrations (click here) today and there was a key place on their website regarding same yesterday. The Anti-War Movement has been not only correct, but, the ONLY AMERICAN institution with any HONOR regarding the illegal invasion into Iraq. No one in this country that is Pro-War has a moral arguement or moral authority to back them up. NONE !!

The current 'propaganda' in the USA that the media espouses in support of this war is with some underlying understanding that 'our presence' is necessary. It is not. There is gross evidence that the American presence in Iraq has completed disrupted a sovereign country and continues to do so without any end in sight. Literally, Iraq is a composite of anarchy and any form of hatred/anger that exists in Islam.

In the American experience there lies the understanding that "Iraq is the front line of the War on Terror." There is no war on terror. There WAS a war that was to destroy al Qaeda when it WAS CONTAINED in Afghanistan, but, there is no war on terror. The enemies to the USA in the attacks of 9/11 were al Qaeda ( IN AFGHANISTAN ).

To look at the reality that IS IRAQ on this fifth completed year of unjustified war we need to look at the huge deaths within Iraq that would have NEVER have occurred otherwise.

September 2007 – More than 1,000,000 Iraqis murdered
In the week in which General Patraeus reports back to US Congress on the impact the recent ‘surge’ is having in Iraq, a new poll reveals that more than 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have been murdered since the invasion took place in 2003.
Previous estimates, most noticeably the one published in the Lancet in October 2006, suggested almost half this number (654,965 deaths).
These findings come from a poll released today by ORB, the British polling agency that has been tracking public opinion in Iraq since 2005. In conjunction with their Iraqi fieldwork agency a representative sample of 1,499 adults aged 18+ answered the following question:-
Q How many members of your household, if any, have died as a result of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 (ie as a result of violence rather than a natural death such as old age)? Please note that I mean those who were actually living under your roof.
None 78%
One 16%
Two 5%
Three 1%
Four or more 0.002%
Given that from the 2005 census there are a total of 4,050,597 households this data suggests a total of 1,220,580 deaths since the invasion in 2003. Calculating the affect from the margin of error we believe that the range is a minimum of 733,158 to a maximum of 1,446,063

http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=78

Now, Rove the 'Mastermind' behind propaganda to the illegal invasion would look at those statistics and state, "There are 78% of Iraqi households that have been untouched by war." That would be a lie, but, the kind of spin the Republican Party would place on such statistics. They would completely abandon the reality of the dead over and above the normal attrition rate of any populous and would seek to EXPLOIT any reality that would 'seem' a reason to continue their unjustified war.

There is NO moral authority in those 'spin' positions by this administration and that is ALL the Bush/Cheney Executive Branch has; SPIN. The WMD never manifested and there is no movement to supply Iraq with an infrastructure of democracy 'ANY DIFFERENT' than the voting rights allowed people under their former dictator. Oh, yes, the Iraqi people used to vote and they even voted for their dictator, but, of course the oppression of their society dictated any voter outcomes, for the most part. So, today in Iraq, there is a similar infrastructure as before except there is a revolving door at the top of the government to reflect the majority choice of the people. Whether or not there is actually any difference in Iraq in its social structure is IMPOSSIBLE for ANYONE to say. There is war now. There was no war then !

March 07 – Despite violence only 26% preferred life under Saddam
One in four (26%) Iraqi adults have had a family relative murdered in the last three years, while 23% of those living in Baghdad have had a family/relative kidnapped in the last three years.
These are among the findings released today from the largest poll into Iraqi opinion ever to be published. Carried out by UK research firm ORB, which has been tracking public opinion in Iraq since 2005, the poll shows that despite the horrendous personal security problems only 26% of the country preferred life under the previous regime of Saddam Hussein, with almost half (49%) preferring life under the current political system. As one may expect, it is the Sunnis who are most likely to back the previous regime (51%) with the Shias (66%) preferring the current arrangements.
Carried out amongst a nationally representative sample of 5,019 Iraqi adults aged 18 years+ and coming just days before the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the poll reveals that despite the large number of civilian deaths each month, largely as a result of militia activity, only 27% believe that their country is actually in a state of civil war. Opinion here is clearly divided, as 22% feel “we are close to a state of civil war but not yet in one” while 18% argue that the country is “still some way from civil war”.
Regionally, 43% of those in the Shia dominated South believe “Iraq will never get as far as civil war”. The corresponding figure in the Sunni dominated North plummets to 5% where the strongest sentiment (voiced by 42%) is that the country is already in a state of civil war.

http://www.opinion.co.uk/Newsroom_details.aspx?NewsId=67

The primary difference in Iraq today as opposed to Iraq under Saddam is the fact the Shia are out from under a Sunni dictator and it is that reailty that stimulates the Iraqi Sunnis and the regional Sunnis to encourage continued violence. It is that 'fear' of the Sunnis that al Qaeda feeds on to continue to recruit young men into their networks and it is that 'fear' that drives the Iranian position into being the premier Shia nation.

Has the 'balance of power' of the region changed? You betcha. It is now a Middle East paranoid of each other rather than one stabilized and moving into peace negotitations to end all hatred while containing networks such as al Qaeda. Iraq is a grossly destabilizing country that ADDS opportunity to conflict. The primary example of that is the Turkish invasion into northern Iraq which used to be under a "No Fly Zone."

The war in Iraq has 'set back' progress in the region for decades. It is so destabilizing there are elements within Middle East nations that long for a different reality, but, find no service to war. While the Bush/Cheney Executive Branch and Republican Legislature have the right to EXPLOIT their positions in 'photo ops' to promote their position, there is actually little that the Middle East Leadership shares with them in the way of sentiment to the goals of their people.

Iraq war enters its sixth year
Hasan Abu Nimah
When the United States led its invasion of Iraq five years ago, few imagined it would last longer than World War II.
The best American estimates were that it would be short and glorious, with a manageable cost in “blood and treasure”. Even with growing doubts about the validity of the pretexts for the war, its supporters were convinced that it would be vindicated by its results.
When a war is not necessary, the loss of one life is too much. Few still proclaim this war was justified and yet the cost is beyond imagination.
Five years later, and with no end in sight, the war cannot be seen but as a disaster. Nothing can bring back the estimated million people who died as a direct or indirect consequence. Millions of people have become refugees or been internally displaced, and Iraqi communities are shattered by civil war, violence and sectarianism.
A state has been destroyed and replaced with anarchy, gangsterism and corruption no less awful than during the previous regime.
The Americans wanted the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein to be the lasting image of the war; instead it is Abu Ghraib that we remember.
Beyond Iraq, the wider region is more fragile and uncertain, and few are optimistic. The war in Iraq is framed as part of the larger “war on terror”, with its own awful history in Guantanamo, “rendition” to secret prisons, torture and loss of civil liberties and freedom in the very countries that preach democracy and claim to be protecting it.
The moral degeneration and blatant violation of democratic principles in the name of democracy has become the norm, which no longer even shocks us.
While the war has cost the Iraqis the most, its cost on the United States has not been insignificant. Four thousand Americans have died and tens of thousands were injured. The economic costs of the war are simply staggering: recent figures estimate that taxpayers will have spent $607 billion to pay for the war through next September.
Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and his colleagues estimate it will be a stunning $3 trillion when all the long-term costs of caring for the injured is taken into account. Compare this to the mere $50 billion that former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claimed it would cost.
With 154,000 American troops currently stationed in Iraq, a March Reuters report quoted an economist’s estimate that every month of combat adds more than $10 billion to the US national debt that now tops $9 trillion.
Referring to the deepening economic crisis in the United States, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: “You cannot separate the economy from the long bloody civil war in Iraq.”
Reid added that Democrats were hearing from voters back home that “we don’t have money for anything anymore. We are borrowing all the money for Iraq”.
Stiglitz blames the war for part of the rocketing oil prices. Before the war, a barrel of crude was about $30. Now it is $110.
As a rich country, the United States may be able to afford this war and absorb it, but why the waste? Why should America spend that much and indeed waste that much, in addition to the intolerable loss of life for nothing? It is obvious that violence is part of human nature no matter how civilised and rational we think we are.
War may continue to be part of human practice no matter how loathsome. Yet the accompanying reality is that nations and states go to war when all other options to resolve a conflict are exhausted and, most importantly, when there is a valid cause. Neither was the case with respect to Iraq. It was an uncalled for aggression for its own sake. The removal of a dictator, the last resort excuse, was none of the business of the invaders. The liberation and democratisation of Iraq was not accomplished. Iraqis were simply thrown from one nightmare into another.
With a small fraction of the war’s cost, a lot of prosperity could have been introduced to the lives of people who need it most. While spending on war compounds the damage and destruction, saving by avoiding war would duplicate the benefit, spread progress and solve enormous social and practical problems.
One billion people could get electricity for the first time in their lives for little more than the reported cost of one month’s war in Iraq, says Rajendra Pachauri, head of a Nobel Peace Prize winning UN panel of climate scientists. Just imagine how much more progress in every other human field and activity could have been achieved with the rest of the money already wasted on this disastrous war, and how many lives could have been saved.
How this war could finally end is anyone’s guess. The realistic guess, though, is that we may have many more of its anniversaries to “celebrate”.
19 March 2008

http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=6522

The answer to the quandry of the Jordanian editor is easily answered. There is no justifiable reason for the USA to remain in Iraq. The 'idea' that a democratic Iraq is possible is simply a fools 'dreamscape' that will never carry brevity within that country. The people of Iraq have a 'long' history of violence and to have civility come to them in the way Western countries understand it is simply not a reality that will readily occur. Also in that reality of the Iraqi people, primarily the Shi'ites, is 'the ability to exploit' the country for further war. If the Iraqi people don't view the Iraq War as a war then any 'opinion poll' in regard to the 'ethics of killing' will serve to justify violence even further, keeping in mind, to the Islamist death is a reward and their physical presence felt more strongly and revered when accompanied by death.

The 'reward' of death to the Iraqi Islamist has to end and it will never end so long as war is viewed as 'everyday strife.'

Iraq is no more a threat to the national security of the USA than it was the day Bush/Cheney invaded it. The potential is not there. There has been no mass movement to affiliate with al Qaeda and in any 'research' to discover links between al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgency there is only one link. That link is the reality that "Al Qaeda does the heavy lifting around here." In other words, al Qaeda in Iraq is the mirror image to the USA occupation. It carries out most if not all the 'organized' violence against the people of Iraq to stimulate terror and negative feelings of their government. We know for a fact, the major attacks are linked to al Qaeda and NOT any form of Iraqi insurgency. So it is GROSSLY unrealistic to believe there will be some sort of mass infrastructure shift to allow al Qaeda their own country. That is not possible, the people of Iraq, whether Shia or Sunni are lead by their Holy Men and not their militia men even when that militia might be al Qaeda. Keep in mind, the 'first' leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was Jordanian and NOT Iraqi.

Through this entire entry there is one reality, there is no justification for the USA to remain in Iraq. All the 'so called' reasons are simply Republican propaganda as reported in the media reinforced in some undertone by the USA - FCC in whatever punitive measures exist to them.

The reality that the USA is its own problem in a country the size of Texas is all too clear. There is no role for the USA military in a country where they compound issues of violence and conflict where they even CAUSE social fear and unrest hence elevating violent backlashes while giving justification to insurgency and the presence of al Qaeda.

When innocent people are slaughtered by private contractors and USA military alike, when puppies are thrown over cliffs in entertainment by USA military personnel, where torture by the USA military is more remembered than the overthrow of a dictator, when in the presence of the USA military and diplomacy there is increased alliance between Iraq and Iran, then the evidence is plainly clear.

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

Morning Papers - continued...

COMMODITIES - Investors are hiding in commodities. Commodities are real, tangible and always have some kind of market value.

Gold has never been this valuable before. Over $1000? Wow ! One might want to understand the 'drastic' statement these commodity prices actually make. In other words, 'Like the Bush/Cheney Iraq War - There is no end in sight !' Everyone take cover.

Ask yourself this. How much 'sovereign wealth' does the USA actually have and how much debt is it currently carrying and how much is the USA economy actually growing?

Gold, oil hit records as crisis spreads (click here)
Spot gold tops US$1,000/oz
Gold and oil soared to record highs on Monday as a tumbling dollar and the escalating financial crisis prompted investors to abandon equities and head for cover in commodity markets.
Industrial metals prices slipped as traders priced in weaker global economic growth, wheat gained ground on bullish fundamentals and cocoa prices held firm.
Spot gold hit an all-time peak of US$1,030.80/oz and was up at US$1,022.95/1,023.65/oz at 1201 GMT from US$996.90/997.70 late on Friday.
The precious metal is up by more than 50% since last August when credit markets imploded as problems in the US subprime mortgage market hit confidence.
Crude oil rose to a record near US$112 a barrel as the dollar fell after the US Federal Reserve surprised markets by cutting the discount rate - the rate it charges on direct loans to banks - by 25 basis points to 3.25%. ...

Why is it that Greenspan's explanation of this mess makes far, far more sense than any of the rhetoric stated elsewhere?

In other words, 'the players' to the Bush/Cheney 'exploitation economy' turned loose a Pandor's Box of 'variables' that were not even part of the financial picture to what was once a 'prudent investor CLIMATE' in the USA, extending globally.

What would anyone expect from defunct CEO's of failed and bankrupt companies? For God Sake, Dick Cheney had to become Vice President, start a war and provide No Bid Contracts to Halliburton to save the company and his own 'ASSets.'

Who do you think is in the White House, Rhodes Scholars ?

The TRUTH is, they didn't know what they were doing and now they still don't, because, they haven't even IDENTIFIED the 'elements' of the equation that caused it all, nor are they interested. It's far easier to 'hand Hank Paulson' insider information and have Goldman Sachs profit from everyone else's losses; for as long as it can.

By the way, it's completely obvious today that when Paulson took the seat as Secretary to the US Treasury it wasn't to benefit the country, but, to 'bail out' his own company!! Still yet another loser at the top of the USA government in a chain of losers !!


Greenspan sees many casualties from crisis: report
2008-03-18 09:01:09.0
Greenspan sees many casualties from crisis: report (click at title to entry)
(Agencies)Updated: 2008-03-18 09:01
LONDON -- There will be many casualties from the unfolding financial market crisis, which will lead to a large-scale overhaul of international banking regulations, codes and risk management, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.
Writing in the Financial Times, the former Fed chief said much of the financial system's risk-valuation models failed, not because they were too complex but because they were "too simple to capture the full array of variables governing that drive global economic reality."
"The crisis will leave many casualties. Particularly hard hit will be much of today's financial risk-valuation system," he wrote....

Oh where, Oh where can the truth be found? Oh where, Oh where can it be?

Economist: US subprime crisis to linger for a long time (click here)
2008-03-18
16:04:28.0
Economist: US subprime crisis to linger for a long time
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-03-18 16:04
The US subprime credit crunch that is plaguing the US financial market and economy is far from over, and its global aftermath is expected to linger for quite a long time, predicts Andy Xie, a well-known economist.
Xie made the forecast after US-based JP Morgan Chase said Sunday it would acquire rival Bear Stearns in a deal valued at US$236.2 million - or $2 a share - a stunning collapse for one of the world's largest and most venerable investment banks.
Commenting on the recent Standard & Poor report that said the subprime crisis may bottom out at the end of this June, the independent economist based in Shanghai and Hong Kong said he believes the end of the subprime woes are still not in sight, the 21st Century Business Herald reported.
Xie, a former Morgan Stanley chief economist in Asia, said JP Morgan's bailout means Bear Stearns, one of the five major US investment banks, has actually gone bankrupt. Risky bets on securities tied to subprime mortgages - loans given to customers with poor credit history - crippled Bear Stearns.
He expects more large financial institutions may face the same fate as Bear Stearns in the future as a result of the current subprime debacle, which many economists consider the biggest crisis in the US financial market since World War II.
Other analysts also said the bid to rescue Bear Stearns was more than just saving one of the world's largest investments banks - it is propping up the US economy and the global financial system. An outright collapse could cause huge losses for banks, hedge funds and other investors connected to Bear Stearns.
Xie noted that after an initial estimation, the losses in the financial market resulting from the subprime crisis stand at $160 billion. He added the subprime woes have gone beyond subprime loans to involve many other areas such as leverage financing, construction and credit card loans.
The economist pointed out that many financial institutions are already embroiled in bad debt crises that have yet to be exposed.
He said chances are slim for the world to recover from the impact of the US housing woe and subprime crunch in the near term, adding that recovery is near impossible until the US housing market climbs out the steep hole.
A large number of houses are still in stocks in the US and if they enter the market, house prices would drastically drop further, Xie said.

Japan's Economy Facing Turmoil

The current governor's term runs out Wednesday at a time of turmoil on global markets due to fears over the US economy (click here)
..."However, the real problem is whether we should take the risk of not benefitting the Japanese people by accepting a bad nomination."...

In reality, isn't the USA economy when measured against its sky-rocketing debt, truly irretrievable? I mean when has insoluble debt ever lead to a booming economy. The Bush/Bernanke/Paulson 'bail out' is simply putting more debt into the USA balance sheet that spells more disaster. The USA tax base needs to be expanding under a thriving economy before it can even begin to pay the bills. The Bush/Cheney War Economy is like an endless pit, it just keeps falling into deeper and deeper turbulence.

March 17, 2008, 8:52 am
Lehman’s Turn (click here)
BROKERS TUMBLE PRE-MARKETThere’s a euphamism that Norman Mailer employed in ”The Naked and The Dead” that we’ll - acting charitably - decline to specify here that could quite well apply to the other brokerage firms Monday. (Go to the bookshelf. You’ll find it pretty quickly.) Lehman Brothers (LEH), otherwise known as the next logical suspect, has surrendered about a quarter of its value in Monday’s pre-market trading, after having given up 15% on Friday. Moody’s is reviewing its outlook on the company’s credit. The ratings agency cut its take on the firm’s credit to ‘’stable” versus its prior ”positive,” saying that Lehman has ”navigated quite well to date,” but that, under the current conditions, a positive outlook is no longer warranted. At the end of the fourth quarter, Lehman had $34 billion in cash available, and another $63 billion in unencumbered assets (those are the best kind) available to its unregulated entitites. Moody’s touted Lehman’s liquidity management. Merrill Lynch (MER) has fallen 13% in premarket action, while Goldman Sachs (GS), which - if you like to listen to rumors - is about to unspool some $3 billion in write-downs when it reports results Tuesday, has declined 10% Monday.

Hello, America? An economy 'designed' by Bush and Paulson to deliver the goods to ONE investment firm left standing after this disaster's dust settles. Seems a little odd, doesn't it? Could it be corruption? Ah. Yeah. Same 'ole, Same 'ole Republican corruption, no different than Halliburton, to serve the cronies that will sustain the 'power brokers' in DC. All the Neocons need is 'enough' wealth' to keep the party alive, it doesn't need the country to do well.



The USA Housing Market Crisis - Also Known as "It's anyone's guess !"

First the nation has to get the Bush administration to ADMIT there is a recession, before we can point to the fact, Republican Fiscal Policy JUST DOESN'T WORK !!!!

US Economic collapse just doesn't make for strong allies !

US admits economy is in downturn
The US Treasury Secretary sees tough times ahead
US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has admitted that the US economy is facing a "sharp decline" at the moment but hoped for a recovery later in the year.
The news comes after the US central bank, the Federal Reserve intervened to rescue troubled bank Bear Stearns, providing $30bn in emergency support.
Mr Paulson said that he did not believe investors saw the move as a bail-out.
The Fed is expected to slash interest rates later on Tuesday to help boost confidence in financial markets.
Meanwhile, two other leading Wall Street banks reported sharply reduced profits for the first three months of the year.
Goldman Sachs posted earnings of $1.5bn, while Lehman Brothers, whose shares had fallen sharply on Monday, earned $489m, or 60% less than in the same period last year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7302068.stm


Wolseley misses targets as US housing bites
Catherine Boyle
Wolseley, the building materials group, added to the gloom surrounding the US housing market this morning as it reported a 23 per cent drop in trading profit and warned that business in the US would become more challenging.
The company reported first-half trading profits of £300 million, which failed to meet analysts’ expectations, as its US building materials operation, Stock, swung to a loss of £44 million, hit by the collapsing housing market.
Wolseley management said in a statement: “The board expects business conditions in a number of the group’s markets to become more challenging. In the US, the housing market is likely to deteriorate further and put additional pressure on the RMI (repair, maintenance and improvement) market.”
Wolseley, which slashed 6,000 jobs in its last financial year and recently cut a further 3,000 to combat a tough US housing market, said its focus will remain on further cost reductions and maximising cashflow.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/construction_and_property/article3566280.ece

Housing Market Tracker - State, City & Town Budgets Falter
Quote of the Day
"No one is debating the fact that this economy has slowed way down. We feel it, we know it, the American people know it." – Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. (Mathaba.net, Mar. 17th)

Macro Impact, And Will The Housing Slump Cause A Recession?
Sovereign Wealth Funds Shying Away From Wall Street. "One group conspicuously absent from a last minute deal to scoop up Bear Stearns on the cheap were the sovereign wealth funds that have spent billions of dollars on Wall Street lately... Widespread layoffs across Wall Street have been largely averted so far, as capital injections took the form of minor stakes from foreign fund investors... But if stricken financial institutions are forced to turn to fellow industry players for a bailout, job overlap is inevitable. As it stands, JPMorgan has a large and successful investment banking franchise, leaving in doubt the future of Bear Stearns's own unit." (Int'l Herald Tribune, Mar. 17th)

http://seekingalpha.com/article/69069-housing-market-tracker-state-city-town-budgets-falter



12:30 18/03/2008
Fresh concerns about the global financial system. Video
U.S. stocks fell early Monday but losses were nowhere as steep as those seen in Europe and Asia. (118 sec./4.28Mb, shows: 22)

http://en.rian.ru/video/20080318/101580875.html


US crisis puts pressure on UK banks
Mar 18 2008 by Our Correspondent, Western Mail
THE crisis at US investment bank Bear Stearns will add to the funding pressure on UK banks and a squeeze on borrowers despite falling interest rates, experts warned last night.
The rescue and cut-price sale of the 85-year-old Wall Street firm to rival JP Morgan Chase will make banks even more fearful of lending to each other in the credit crunch, said stockbroker Panmure Gordon.
Analyst Sandy Chen is also expecting a raft of further losses among the UK’s major banks on the mortgage-backed investments hit by the crunch, which have plummeted in value.
He said, “Banks themselves must be tightening their credit and risk models even further, leading to even greater pressure despite any further rate cuts.”
“Recent events lead us to expect higher impairment charges, lower margins and concerns about capital cushions.”
This could lead to even more expensive mortgages for hard-pressed homeowners as banks look to rebuild their balance sheets – despite two rate cuts in December and February from the Bank of England and more expected later this year.

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/2008/03/18/us-crisis-puts-pressure-on-uk-banks-91466-20637411/



Ahead of the Bell: Housing Starts
WASHINGTON
A government report on new-home construction and building permit applications for February is forecast to show further declines.
The Commerce Department report, due Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT, is expected to show construction of new homes and apartments fell to an annual rate of 990,000 units in February. That would mean a 2.2 percent drop from a rate of 1.01 million units a month earlier, according to the consensus estimate of Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR.
Applications for building permits, considered a reliable sign of future activity, are projected to fall to an annual rate of 1.03 million units in February, down 1.9 percent from a rate of 1.05 million units in January, according to Thomson/IFR.
Good news in the housing sector remains scarce. The National Association of Home Builders said Monday its housing market index for March was the third lowest reading on record.
The index, which gauges builders' perceptions of current conditions, interest from potential buyers and expectations for home sales over the next six months, came in at 20 in March for the second-consecutive month.
The index has been at 20 or below since September, a sign of persistent pessimism from builders. The report is derived from a survey of about 400 residential developers nationwide.
Tighter lending standards, rising defaults and fear about the housing market's future have sidelined buyers, an absence felt acutely by homebuilders such as D.R. Horton Inc., Pulte Homes Inc. and Centex Corp.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8VFPJV81.htm



Bad housing market breeds bad landlords
By Anne Trubek
March 18, 2008
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio - The housing slump is cranking out unfit landlords. Take me, for example.
The other day I found myself shooing curb pickers away. My previous tenants were supposed to have cleared out the day before. The new tenants were already busy moving in their stuff. My house now held one 8-month-old, two parents, three grandparents, two cleaners, two movers and one locksmith. And me, taking someone else's personal items to the curb.
People were starting to slow down on my rural state road. Some parked, picked up albums, inspected the couch and tested the sturdiness of the table. They were generally polite and asked if it was for the taking. I was unsure how I was supposed to respond. With no room left on the porch and eight voice-mail messages waiting for the previous tenants, all I could do was keep taking what remained inside straight to the curb.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.landlord18mar18,0,46306.story



A credit downturn hits home in region
Bear Stearns: another piece of a housing market puzzle
By Michael Pollick
The downfall of Bear Stearns may seem like a distant muffled moan, part of a continuous whine about the gyrating stock market and sagging housing front.
WHAT'S THE FED DOING ABOUT IT?
In financial moves some experts said are reminis-
cent of those of the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve has engineered the sale of the ailing investment firm Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase & Co. for nearly $270 million. The Fed's moves include:
Extending a
$30 billion federally guaranteed line of credit to JPMorgan.
Opening its "discount window" for direct loans from major investment houses, making more money available to banks and brokerage firms, or making them more liquid.
The Fed's moves could continue today with another large interest rate cut.
But it is actually a part of a drawn-out credit implosion that continues to affect the value and marketability of average people's homes as well as their retirement savings.
"Bear Stearns was a huge buyer of the Option ARM subprime loans, and it has gotten them into trouble," said Mike Koebel, a senior mortgage executive at CNL Bank, referring to adjustable-rate mortgages.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080318/BUSINESS/803180501/-1/newssitemal


Fed Rate Cuts Are Helping Economy, Not Credit Crisis
It’s not the economy, stupid.
It’s the credit crunch.
The size of the Federal Reserve’s expected interest rate cut this afternoon may help stimulate a sluggish economy. But like the several cuts before, it is unlikely to unfreeze the credit markets, especially the mortgage one.
And as the Fed continues to use its conventional fire-fighting equipment,there’s a growing sense that extraordinary--and somewhat controversial--measures may be needed.
“The Fed by itself will not get us out of it," says John Irons, research director at the Economic Policy Institute. “We need to combine fiscal stimulus with monetary stimulus.”
Among the ideas now emerging are a new fiscal stimulus measures, specifically targeting the mortgage market, and the possibility that a bailout of both business and consumers may be inevitable.
“The bulls eye of this crisis is the mortgage market,” Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Economic Policy Subcommittee, told CNBC Tuesday. “Everyone knows we need to do more to stabilize housing.”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/23689759



Wen: China worried about US financial woes
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-03-18 16:14
Beijing is very much worried about the potential global economic fallout from the US subprime crisis and expanding financial woes, which could make China's job of balancing growth and fighting inflation more difficult, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Tuesday in Beijing.
"We need to blaze a trail in between (curbing inflation and nurturing economic growth)," Wen said after the conclusion of the first session of the 11th National People's Congress, the parliament. Wen was reappointed China's primer minister on Sunday, after his administration attained an eye-catching annual double-digit GDP growth for China in his first term.
However, the Chinese premier admitted that it would be challenging to control inflation this year to within the projected 4.8 percent target. China's inflation ran as high as 8.7 per cent in February, partially because the severe snow storms seen in five decades battered south China and handicapped food supplies.
Wen's administration has set "two prevents" when mapping out this year's economic policies: to prevent the fast-growing economy from being overheated, and keep structural price rises from turning into significant inflation.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008npc/2008-03/18/content_6546596.htm


China raises deposit reserve requirements by 0.5%
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-18 19:41
BEIJING -- China's central bank decided on Tuesday to raise the deposit reserve requirement ratio of commercial banks to a record high of 15.5 percent, the second such move this year.
The move was to further strengthen regulation of liquidity in the banking system and lead bank loans to increase in a reasonable way, said a statement on the website of the People's Bank of China (PBOC).
It echoed Premier Wen Jiabao's talks at a press conference Tuesday that the government would tackle soaring prices and mounting inflationary pressure.
In his government work report to the National People's Congress, Wen said the task of holding down inflation was "difficult".
"The current price hikes and increasing inflationary pressures are the biggest concern of the people," he said.
In its bid to contain rising inflation, the central bank has raised the reserve requirements 12 times and the interest rates six times since last year.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-03/18/content_6546940.htm



The Barron's 400SM index, calculated by Dow Jones Indexes, measures the performance of a diversified group of U.S. companies selected in part based on fundamentals-related rules-based criteria. The index includes companies that have scored highest according to fundamentals-related rankings calculated by MarketGrader.com. Additional rules-based screening provides for sector and market cap diversification. The index is licensed by Dow Jones Indexes.

http://www.marketgrader.com/MG.Services/Barrons400/landingpage.jsp?env=idev

continued...

ONLY Georgie Bush and Dickie Cheney could do this! Will the DOW reach 9/11 levels ? Possible. The 'innate' value of the market. Might be less now

You know the media treats these "Job Approval" ratings as if they are a popularity contest. They are a lot more than that. I imagine when the American electorate finds themselves 'toyed' with; they don't like it much. Darn shame really !

February 20, 2008 (click at title to entry)
Concerns over Economy Push
George W. Bush's Overall Job Approval to New Low
George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has dropped to a new low in American Research Group polling as 78% of Americans say that the national economy is getting worse according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.
Among all Americans, 19% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 77% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 14% approve and 79% disapprove.
Among Americans registered to vote, 18% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 78% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 15% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 79% disapprove....


Bear Stearns World Headquarters (History of Company. It was founded in 1923. click here)


Bear Stearns sold with Fed's help (click here)
Published: March 17, 2008 at 9:54 AM
NEW YORK, March 17 (UPI) -- J.P. Morgan's $2 a share purchase of troubled Bear Stearns over the weekend came with the aid of $30 billion in financing from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The unusual move by the Fed means that if the value of the $30 billion of assets the Fed is financing declines, the Fed, not J.P. Morgan, accepts the loss, The Wall Street Journal reported. Bear Stearns, the fifth largest investment bank on Wall Street, found itself unable to meet its obligations late last week and J.P. Morgan stepped in, borrowing money from the Fed and lending it to Bear Stearns.

Some of Bear Stearns' investors were stunned by the sale, which, at a total of $236 million, was $28 a share less than the $30 per share listing of Bear Stearns stock on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

"The building is worth $8 a share," one Bear Stearns executive told the paper, as many wondered why the board did not chose a liquidation sale instead of a fire sale.

Bear Stearns Chief Executive Alan Schwartz said the sale "represents the best outcome for all of our constituencies based upon the current circumstances."

Heavy rain, lightning pound Wichita; more expected

March 8, 2008
1430z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite

March 17, 2008
1430z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Satellite

March 17, 2008
1430z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Satellite

March 17, 2008
1431z
Midwest Enhanced Infrared Satellite

Valley temps drop; severe weather hits Flagstaff (click here)
Mike Branom, Tribune
The rain didn't fall on Sunday, but the mercury certainly did. A very cold yet dry storm rolling through Arizona brought near-record cold temperatures and scattered showers.
The Valley's official high was 63 degrees - 13 below average and five above the all-time lowest high of 58.
Other highs reported were 59 degrees in east Mesa and Chandler, 58 in Scottsdale and 57 at Mesa's Falcon Field.
The chilly weather represented a drop of 20-plus degrees from late last week.
Also, the cold was made worse by wind gusts reaching 25 mph.
Coincidentally, Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the warmest March 16 in Valley history. The high of 99 came within one degree of breaking the mark for Phoenix's earliest 100-degree day, set March 26, 1988....

Profile: David Paterson (click here)

'Gentle man'
Some people have remarked on the contrast between Mr Paterson and the fiery Mr Spitzer.
"He's got a wonderful sense of humour, a very gentle man - in that sense, he's the opposite of Eliot," Betsy Gotbaum, the New York City public ombudswoman told the New York Times.
With his state senate background, Mr Paterson is expected to have a less combative relationship with New York legislators than Mr Spitzer, who had difficulties getting the Republicans in the legislature to approve his policy programmes.
"[Mr Paterson] might be a fellow that when you have disagreements you sort them out," Jim Tedisco, the Republican minority leader in the state assembly, told Newsweek.
Now that Mr Spitzer has resigned, New York is about to find out whether Mr Paterson's less confrontational approach will allow him to succeed where Mr Spitzer could not.


Bracing for a Bear of a Week
By Jacqueline Doherty
Word Count: 2,006
Companies Featured in This Article: Bear Stearns, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup, Wachovia, Bank of America, Countrywide Financial, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, American International Group
SOME OF THE WORST FEARS ABOUT THE STABILITY of the U.S. financial system came to the fore last week: Credit concerns at Bear Stearns (ticker: BSC) were serious enough by weeks' end to require the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) to step in and provide the firm a line of credit. The news slashed Bear's stock by 47% Friday, to 30, and led to speculation of its imminent sale.
The events further unsettled a worried stock market, with financial shares tumbling by about 5% on the day, and the Dow industrials losing 1.6%.
Wall Street ...

http://online.barrons.com/article/SB120553465607937899.html?mod=b_hpp_9_0002_b_this_weeks_magazine_home_top

The Cheney Observer - Day Five (5)

Do you believe this joke? The PWG ? The President's Working Group. What does the President's Non-Working Group look like? And I have to wonder what the ones that are working are actually working on?

This is a real slap in the face to Bernanke. He doesn't know how to stop a slippery slope? Hello?

You know I really congratulate Americans for coming together like this to sink the lousy economy and end the war. It was pure genius !!!

I mean if you can't get the Congress to do "Stop-Loss" than hell you have to do it for them. I sincerely appreciate everyone that participated in this effort. It was a gas wasn't it. Now, all we have to do is sit back and watch it all happen. I mean don't stop now, we're almost there !!

Thanks !

Governor Paterson’s Tests (click here)
Published: March 17, 2008
David Paterson’s inauguration Monday as New York’s governor will bring a sigh of relief from many of the state Capitol’s regulars. This is not necessarily good news for him or for the citizens he will pledge to serve....

The New York Times since the Neocons arrived in the back hallways of the paper have become nothing but lousy, fucking bastards. I was waiting for this. If you are going to sink a Governor then you have to have plans for the Lieutenant Governor. They can all go straight to hell where they belong !!!!!!!!!!!!

The 'tone' of the paper has been more than condescending toward the new Governor of New York. First they make the point the man is legally blind and they go about explaining away the disability as if there was something to worry about in the first place. There is no decency left at The New York Times, only attempts to manipulate the opinions of the public. They should shut down the place, lock the front door and sell the real estate to Murdoch, because that is about what its worth anymore ! I get far better information from Barrons and the BBC, no one needs The New York Times anymore. They have GONE OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE !!!

The Dollar, Paulson, and Carlyle Capital
Written by Mike Whitney
Monday, 17 March 2008
Three Easy Pieces: The Dollar, Paulson, and Carlyle Capital
by Mike Whitney
So far, so bad. On Wednesday, crude-futures topped $110 for the first time, the dollar slipped to $1.55 per euro, and gold zoomed to a new high of $1,000 per ounce. Yikes!
The dollar has been shoved off a cliff and no one knows where it will land. Last week, the G-7 nations announced that if “irrational” prices movements persisted, they would “collectively take suitable measures to calm the financial markets.”

http://pacificfreepress.com/content/view/2402/1/


Paulson Defends Bear Stearns Bailout as 'The Right Decision'
Says That Drop In Home Prices Is 'Inevitable' And 'Necessary' Decline
By MARY BRUCE
March 16, 2008
Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson Sunday defended the Federal Reserve's recent bailout of investment bank Bear Stearns.
"The right decision here, I am convinced, was the decision that the Fed made, which was to do things, work with market participants to minimize the disruptions," Paulson said in a "This Week" interview with George Stephanopoulos.

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/story?id=4460517&page=1



Al Qaida give Austria three-day ultimatum
Agencies
Published: March 14, 2008, 10:37
Dubai: The North African Al Qaida wing on Thursday threatened to kill two Austrian hostages if it had abducted in Tunisia if Vienna failed to co-operate with requests to secure the release of some of the group's members jailed in Tunisia and Algeria.
The three-day ultimatum started at midnight on Thursday, Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb said in a statement posted on an Islamist Web site.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said efforts were being made to secure the release of the hostages but noted that the demands were outside Vienna's jurisdiction.
"As you care for the safety of your citizens, we care to free our brothers who face the ugliest forms of torture at the prisons of Tunisia ... and Algeria," it said.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Austria/10197370.html



Genesee County's air won't meet new EPA standards, but don't blame big industry
by Elizabeth Shaw The Flint Journal
Thursday March 13, 2008, 6:00 PM
GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN -- Genesee County's air is too dirty to breathe, according to new ozone standards set for 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency.
And the problem can't just be blamed on the traditional target of General Motors and big industrial polluters. It may be from cars, trucks, lawn mowers and other everyday things.
The EPA announced this week it was tightening the amount of ozone, commonly known as smog, allowed in the air.
Genesee County is among 14 Michigan counties whose most recent three-year average fails the new tighter standard, which could put it on the EPA's list of areas requiring air quality improvements over the next 20 years.

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/03/genesee_countys_air_wont_meet.html



CSX railroad plan upsets Polk leaders
By David DeCamp, Times Staff Writer
Published Saturday, March 15, 2008 8:42 PM
TALLAHASSEE — Big town politicians pushing their traffic on rural neighbors. A railroad with a lucrative government deal. An outraged small city.
It's the backstory of how Orlando may one day get commuter rail. And it's the reason for the heated debate dividing Central Florida and Tampa Bay lawmakers in Tallahassee.
The fight is over a complex plan struck under former Gov. Jeb Bush to run commuter trains on CSX's railroad through Orlando. In exchange, the state would subsidize the building of the biggest railyard in the Southeast in Winter Haven. It would help improve CSX's freight line through west-central Florida.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article418953.ece



Blackwater: Dubious claims
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Earlier this month, The Boston Globe reported that former Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root uses offshore shell companies to avoid paying hundreds of millions in Social Security taxes and Medicare. To circumvent tax laws, the firm registers its American contractors in Iraq as employees of one of its two Caribbean shell companies.
And now a House Democrat is seeking a federal investigation into Blackwater Worldwide, a major war contractor. Rep. Henry Waxman says he has concerns that Blackwater's claims of business status, which he wrote in a letter sent out last week, "appear dubious." Indeed. Blackwater lists its security guards as independent contractors in order to be eligible for certain benefits, including federal small-business contracts.
How can a company that earns $1.25 billion in business contracts be eligible for $144 million in small-business contracts as well? Doing so, according to The New York Times, afforded Blackwater more than $31 million in avoided taxes.
Waxman points out that when it comes to protecting Blackwater guards, the company maintains that they are employees, but when it financially benefits from it, the company claims them only as independent contractors. Given that U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for the contractors' insurance benefits and premiums, it seems only fair that the company pay its share in taxes.
Knowing what we know about Blackwater, we urge federal investigators -- especially the Internal Revenue Service -- to take a close look at the company's dealings. Enough is enough.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/355077_blackwatered.html


FBI asked to investigate whether White House destroyed Plame email...
Mar 12 2008 1:18PM
Associated Press
FBI asked to investigate whether White House destroyed Plame e-mail
Washington (AP) The FBI is being asked to investigate whether White House e-mails about the Valerie Plame affair may have been destroyed.
The request comes from an ethics advocacy group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is basing the request on a White House document that describes an effort to recover a week's worth of missing e-mail from 2003. The missing messages included some from Vice President Cheney's office.
White House technicians eventually retrieved e-mail from the missing week, but it's unclear whether all the e-mail from Cheney's office has been found.
Federal prosecutors sought the e-mail in the investigation of who leaked Plame's identity as a CIA agent. The investigation eventually led to the conviction of Cheney's former chief of staff on charges of perjury, obstruction and lying to federal agents.

http://www.kxmc.com/News/218316.asp

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Overwintering - Birds stop migration patterns due to Global Warming and Seasonal Confusion

Swallows fly huge distances to spend the winter soaking up the sun in Africa, returning to Britain in spring to nest and breed

But in a sign of the blurring of the seasons brought on by climate change, one of the birds has this year shunned migration to Africa and instead spent all winter in Britain....

Michael Moore Today

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Winter Soldier - Iraq & Afghanistan

http://ivaw.org/


Cpl. Jon M. Turner, 3/8 Kilo Company, 1st Platoon,
U.S. Marine Corps (Fallujah, Iraq)
"He was innocent, I called him the fat man. He was walking back to his house and I killed him in front of his father and friend. My first shot made him scream and look into my eyes, so I looked at my friend and said, 'Well, I can't let that happen', and shot him again."

March 15th, 2008 6:22 pm
Rules of Engagement "Thrown Out the Window"
By Dahr Jamail / IPS
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Mar 15 - Garret Reppenhagen received integral training about the Geneva Conventions and the Rules of Engagement during his deployment in Kosovo. But in Iraq, "Much of this was thrown out the window," he says.
"The men I served with are professionals," Reppenhagen told the audience at a panel of U.S. veterans speaking of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, "They went to Iraq to defend the U.S. But we found rapidly we were killing Iraqis in horrible ways. But we had to in order to remain safe ourselves. The war is the atrocity."
The event, which has drawn international media attention, was organised by Iraq Veterans Against the War. It aims to show that their stories of wrongdoing in both countries were not isolated incidents limited to a few "bad apples", as the Pentagon claims, but were everyday occurrences.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11101


Video and photographic evidence in link
Saturday, March 15th, 2008
Winter Soldier LiveBlogging: Rules of Engagement II; Jon Turner
By Justin Cliburn / Iraq Veterans Against the War
Jon Turner, a former Marine, begins his testimony by ripping off his combat medals and proclaiming "I don't work for you anymore!"
In the first video that Jon shows, his XO proclaims, "I think I just killed half the population of Ramadi; f**k the red tape!"
In the second, after the engagement was already over, the XO has called in a 500 pound bomb to destroy the area to send a message.
Jon once fired into a car he believed to be a suicide bomber . . . it was a man and his seven daughters.
Turner's unit also carried "drop weapons" in case they accidentally killed an innocent civilian.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=982


...until Sunday March 16th:

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan will feature testimony from U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, giving an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.
The four-day event will bring together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. In addition, there will be panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists to give context to the testimony. These panels will cover everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier


Find a viewing event near you on the map

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/viewinglocations


Submitting Winter Soldier Events
Thank you for holding an event to support Winter Soldier! Please choose the type of event from the list below.

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/viewinglocations/submit


How to watch and listen to Winter Soldier

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/howtowatch


How to support Winter Soldier

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/support


"Just what do you think the purchase price is for that damage?"

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan
please email wintersoldierally@ivaw.org.

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/video


March 15th, 2008 7:55 pm
War Stories Echo an Earlier Winter
By Steve Vogel / Washington Post
Grim-faced and sorrowful, former soldiers and Marines sat before an audience of several hundred yesterday in Silver Spring and shared their recollections of their service in Iraq.
The stories spilled out, sometimes haltingly, sometimes in a rush: soldiers firing indiscriminately on Iraqi vehicles, an apartment building filled with Iraqi families devastated by an American gunship. Some descriptions were agonized, some vague; others offered specific dates and locations. All were recorded and streamed live to the Web.
The four-day event, "Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan -- Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations," is sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War and is expected to draw more than 200 veterans of the two wars through tomorrow. Timed for the eve of the fifth anniversary of the war's start next week, organizers hope the soldiers' accounts will galvanize public opposition.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11102


Iraq War Veterans: Commanders Encourage War Crimes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwYvdyn3oRc


'I Love the Army But I Can't Be Quiet Anymore'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoWAkTOZGpQ



March 16th, 2008 3:54 am
Veterans recall horrors of war in live broadcast
By Anna Badkhen / Boston Globe
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Liz Jackson's eyes were fixed on a screen showing a live broadcast of anguished testimonies by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans describing what they had seen and done during their combat tours.
Jeffery Smith recalled how his Army unit beat and humiliated Iraqi prisoners. Former Marine Bryan Casler recounted how fellow Marines urinated and defecated into food and gave it to Iraqi children. Former Marine Matthew Childers talked about how he used to humiliate Iraqi civilians during predawn raids on their homes. When he described turning away an Iraqi father who was asking American troops to help the badly burned baby he carried in his arms, Jackson began to weep silently.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11103


Saturday, March 15th, 2008
IVAW vs. DOD
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Response to Department of Defense Statement on Veterans’ Accounts of Military Occupations
Washington Post 3/15/2008:
A Defense Department spokesman said he had not seen the allegations raised yesterday, but added that such incidents are not representative of U.S. conduct.
"When isolated allegations of misconduct have been reported, commanders have conducted comprehensive investigations to determine the facts and held individuals accountable when appropriate," Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said.
War stories echo an earlier winter. Former soldiers, Marines share their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan
Steve Vogel. Washington Post. 3/15/2008

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=983


March 14th, 2008 7:34 pm
Military combs Island for Spring Break recruits
By James Osborne / McAllen Monitor
Twenty-five push-ups will earn you a U.S. Army beach chair and a high-five from the recruiter in the tent across from a hotel bar.
Down the beach, U.S. Marine Corps recruiters cheer on young men in swim trunks trying to beat the day's chin-up record - 28 as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
As college students descended on South Padre Island for Spring Break this week, so too did military recruiters, who like any good marketers never pass up the chance to reach out to their desired audience.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11099


March 13th, 2008 7:19 pm
Bush says if younger, he would work in Afghanistan
By Tabassum Zakaria / Reuters
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush got an earful on Thursday about problems and progress in Afghanistan where a war has dragged on for more than six years but been largely eclipsed by Iraq.
In a videoconference, Bush heard from U.S. military and civilian personnel about the challenges ranging from fighting local government and police corruption to persuading farmers to abandon a lucrative poppy drug trade for other crops.
Bush heard tales of all-night tea drinking sessions to coax local residents into cooperating, and of tribesmen crossing mountains to attend government meetings seen as building blocks for the country's democracy-in-the-making.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11090


March 13th, 2008 8:00 pm
War Protesters Briefly Shut Down Senate
(The Politico) A handful of war protesters briefly shut down the Senate chamber this afternoon, yelling "stop the war" as they were forcibly removed from the Senate.
Ten protesters, who covered their faces in white gauze and chanted "I am the ghost of the Iraq war" managed to stand up one after another and disrupt the chamber's proceedings for about one minute. It took about 35 Capitol police officers to detain the protesters, who left the chamber with little resistance.
The protesters, who say they are from the National Campaign for Non-violent Resistance were processed and photographed in a hallway adjoining the Senate and shipped to the Capitol Police headquarters for booking. Reporters who tried to witness the scene were forced to leave the hallway where the protesters were arrested.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11091



College Students, Veterans, Old Folks Shut Down Capitol Hill (VIDEOS)
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2008-03-12 23:21.
Nonviolent Resistance
By David Swanson
Today was the day for Stop-Loss Congress. We notified every Congress Member and Senator over the past two days that they were being stop-lossed and denied permission to leave until they end the occupation of Iraq. Today we took action. A group of activists dressed as Ghosts of War stood and spoke in the Senate and closed the place down - 10 arrests, I'm told.
Then groups of dozens of people, primarily college students, split up and blocked intersections and garage exits around the Hill. I went with a group of 40 or so to the intersection of Independence Ave. and 1st Street, which we blocked for a long time, with people and coffins and banners and megaphones. Dozens were arrested, most of them college students, some Vets for Peace and other old folks too. I shot video of the whole thing.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/stoplossvideos



Taking it to CAPITOL HILL
Ghosts of the Iraq War
Antiwar activists will gather on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2008, while Congress is still in session. Participants will be wearing "We Will Not Be Silent" tee shirts and other clothing to simulate being a ghost. These Ghosts of War will eventually announce, on an individual basis, "I am a ghost from the Iraq War. While I died needlessly, I am here to demand an end to the funding of the war so that others do not have to die."

http://www.iraqpledge.org/


Stop-Loss Congress
http://www.youtube.com/stoplosscongress


DISSENT: Voices of Conscience
GOVERNMENT INSIDERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE WAR IN IRAQ

http://www.voicesofconscience.com/


McCain Begins His Golden State Charge
Arizona Senator John McCain is making good on his promise to play in big blue California. He's heading this month to the Bay Area for some high-end fundraising.
McCain will star at a high ticket fundraising lunch on Wednesday, March 26 at the famed Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach, where it's clear the deep-pocketed donors are being courted bigtime.
To get on his ''California Advisory Team,'' according to the invite, a supporter will agree to raise $46,000 for Big John. That price gets them seating at his head table, and four tickets to a ''private reception with photo opportunity.''
Honorary co-chairs of this event include former California Secretary of State Bill Jones and State Sen. Abel Maldonado.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=24858


Tucked between Del Monte Forest and the Pacific shore among groves of tall Monterey pines, The Inn at Spanish Bay offers a luxurious enclave of 269 guest rooms and suites for golf enthusiasts and relaxation seekers alike.

http://www.pebblebeach.com/page.asp?id=1383


The Ritz Carlton San Francisco

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/SanFrancisco/Default.htm


"Which congressional district am I in?"
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/boxscore/index.php?action=print


ACTION PAGE:
Tell Congress To Pass H.R. 676 Now
43,408 Submissions so far
Under H.R. 676 [Text of Bill], Medicare would be extended and improved so that all individuals residing in the United States would receive high quality and affordable health care services. They would receive all medically necessary services by the physicians of their choice, with no restrictions on what providers they could visit. If implemented, the United States National Health Insurance Act would cover primary care, dental, mental health, prescription drugs, and long term care.
The one click form below will send your personal message to all your government representatives selected below, with the subject "Pass H.R. 676." At the same time you can send your personal comments only as a letter to the editor of your nearest local daily newspaper if you like.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/petitions/pnum649.php


"Healthcare NOT Warfare"
http://pdamerica.org/articles/misc/2008-02-29-14-19-42-misc.php


GO SEE SiCKO by MC ARTIFICIAL -- ABBREVIATED VERSION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZSPSRcX3Qw


Be It Resolved: You Can Impeach the President
Official State Impeachment Text
Impeachment Text for Cities & Towns
Impeachment Text for County Democratic Committees
Impeachment Text for State Assemblies and/or Legislatures
Jefferson's Manual, Section LIII, 603
You Can Impeach the President

http://www.michaelmoore.com/mustread/index.php?id=622


Find Your Congressional District Impeachment Committee
http://www.democrats.com/cdic-find


Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88?ad=d1


The Impeachment Project
http://www.freewayblogger.com/impeachment_project2.htm

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