SCOTT MCCLELLAN Gives Us a Look at the Underbelly of the Bush Administration

Cheney on Iraq Military



Saddam Hussein's offensive military capability, his capacity to threaten his neighbors, has been virtually eliminated.
Dick Cheney Secretary of Defense - April 29, 1991

"If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road."
Gov. George W. Bush - October 3, 2000

"The sanctions exist -- not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction ... And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq ... "
Secretary of State Colin Powell - 2001 February 24, 2001

"But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt."
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice - July 29, 2001

There's Something About W



Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10649.html

See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.
President George W. Bush - May 24, 2005

Many people are faulting McClellan for not speaking out when he was in service to the president. Better late than never. He knew they were going to rip him to pieces when this book was published but he went ahead and did it anyway. That does show courage. It also shows that he is not a loyal Neoconservative. The Neocons who walk in lock step would be incapable of writing a book critical of the president. This book will become a valuable part of the historical record.

I would also like to congradulate Keith Olbermann for doing a full hour interview rather than something that would be full of nothing but sound bites.

KEITH OLBERMANN (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/) INTERVIEWS SCOTT MCCLELLAN

(part 1)


(part 2)


(part 3)


(part 4)



See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.
President George W. Bush - May 24, 2005

Bill Moyers, from 25 Apr 07, with a program about how the press let the American people down on the build-up to war with Iraq.

Buying the War
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html

Nothing to be Happy About with Scooter's Conviction

Valerie Plame Wilson--Patriot

White House doesn't deny McClellan's Bush-to-Libby leak allegation
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/White_House_doesnt_deny_McClellans_BushtoLibby_0530.html

Everything these guys said was wrong at best but most commonly were lies mixed with distortions. The people against this war were right in their characterization of what the outcome would be. They were ignored and called traitors and cowards when they should have been listened to. Listen to them now when they speak against current and future military misadventures (Iran) because their voices carry more truth than the voices of the egocentric chicken hawks in the Bush administration.

I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq, from the standpoint of the Iraqi people, my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.
Vice President Dick Cheney, On March 16 2003

I picked up a newspaper today and I couldn't believe it. I read eight headlines that talked about chaos, violence, unrest. And it just was Henny Penny -- "The sky is falling." I've never seen anything like it! And here is a country that's being liberated, here are people who are going from being repressed and held under the thumb of a vicious dictator, and they're free. And all this newspaper could do, with eight or 10 headlines, they showed a man bleeding, a civilian, who they claimed we had shot -- one thing after another.
Donald Rumsfeld - Secretary of Defense - April 11, 2003"

Oh, indeed there is a tie between Iraq and what happened on 9/11. It’s not that Saddam Hussein was somehow himself and his regime involved in 9/11, but, if you think about what caused 9/11, it is the rise of ideologies of hatred that lead people to drive airplanes into buildings in New York."
Condoleezza Rice November 28, 2003

The 9-11 Commission Report
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/

See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.
President George W. Bush - May 24, 2005

The Propagandists

Orwellian double speak, lies, half-truths, and distortions are their tools of choice. Anyone or group who disagrees with or contradicts the administration or its allies and benefactors are trashed mercilessly.

The neoconservatives are gifted at what I call ‘misdirection’. Just like what magicians do to distract an audience’s attention. It’s used most often when there is news or some other event they would like to draw our attention away from. Most often the device they chose is terror alerts or some threat of terrorism. They bring out some old report and present it as new, give partial information presented in the most threatening manner or completely fabricate the threat. The lapdog corporate media dutifully covers the administration tale ignoring what it was meant to hide. Sometimes the misdirection is as simple as an attack on a political enemy or policy such as gay marriage or some other conservative hot button issue.

Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders."
President George W. Bush - March 17, 2003

Those who follow orders to commit such crimes will be found and they will be punished. War crimes will be prosecuted. And it will be no excuse to say, 'I was just following orders.' Any official involved in such crimes will forfeit hope of amnesty or leniency with respect to past action.
Donald Rumsfeld - Secretary of Defense - March 20, 2003

"The United States is committed to the worldwide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example."
George W. Bush - June 26, 2003

Freedom from torture is an inalienable human right, and we are committed to building a world where human rights are respected and protected by the rule of law…Throughout the world, there are many who have been seeking to have their voices heard, to stand up for their right to freedom, and to break the chains of tyranny. Too many of those courageous women and men are paying a terrible price for their brave acts of dissent. Many have been detained, arrested, thrown in prison, and subjected to torture by regimes that fail to understand that their habits of control will not serve them well in the long-term.
President George W. Bush June 26, 2005

Bush speech on continuing surge with observations

contradicting administration propaganda on Iraq

Barack Obama on Iraq



Barack Obama on Iraq in Great Falls, MT



Issues - Iraq
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/
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GOP Wrong on Hunger at Home and Throughout the World

from the BBC...
Food (Rice) Shortages Across the World


We're struggling here with keeping food in the house. Three good meals a day are unusual now starting about the middle of the month. Milk, cheese, eggs, sugar and condiments are rapidly becoming luxury items as the month wears on.

I bet we're doing better than most people in our type of situation.

Malnutrition is going to become a major health concern among all age groups if this is allowed to continue for a very long time.

I do blame the Cheney/Bush Neoconservatives, their dirty little oil war in Iraq and their Saudi friends with their cartel for most of the problem we're all in right now. The country of origin for charitable food stuffs, trade and seed distribution laws all have their role to play globally as well.
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CHRONOLOGY - U.S.-Saudi relations since 9/11
Fri May 16, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL16864643
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US pulls out of Saudi Arabia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2984547.stm
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Monsanto and Government Handing Out Free GE Seeds in South Africa
"Farmers sign an agreement that they will not save seed for the next year's crop. They have to buy seed again the next year from these companies."
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/monsanto_ge_africa.cfm
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8 Ways to Fix the Global Food Crisis
Nearly all foreignbound food aid given out by the United States—some $2 billion annually—comes from the surpluses of American crops; that's what Congress requires.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/05/09/8-ways-to-fix-the-global-food-crisis.html?PageNr=2
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I'm going to repost a food bank entry I made awhile back. One local food bank closed leaving the system here, along with the inflationary economy, overcrowded and severely stressed. I will follow it up with links on the situation of world hunger.

GOP - Wrong on Poverty & Economy

1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees,
2 Depriving the needy of judgment and robbing my people's poor of their rights, Making widows their plunder, and orphans their prey!
3 What will you do on the day of punishment, when ruin comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth
Isaiah Chapter 10




My wife and I are both disabled with MS so were on a fixed income; we have three boys at home and sometimes the money just doesn’t stretch very far. The increases in food and fuel prices are taking a big toll on those with fixed incomes. We’re hanging in there struggling to hold our heads above water. We’ve both learned to keep on treading (always tired).

Spokane has a pretty good food bank system thanks to the generosity of the local population and it is helping to keep people alive. There are children and immigrants and poor of every stripe along with large numbers of elderly and many disabled people. There were four people with wheelchairs and several with walkers on one visit there. I see little excuse in our society for any of those groups to be here. None of these people would be able to make it without the food bank.

But it’s not like this everywhere. Just across the state line in Idaho the food bank system is failing as I suspect it does in areas where the overall poverty rate is very high. The more people who must seek emergency help from the program the more stressed it becomes and the less likely it will be able to meet the minimum needs of the populace. We've been hearing that the Spokane food banks are under a great deal of stress. We'll find out in the morning since we are in a position of needing the help again.

The safety net is full of holes and requires better stewardship from our nation’s leaders. I suppose the best net menders have always been Democrats. The country needs quite a few more in the Senate and executive branch (Barack Obama) to begin that mending job. Places like this little food bank of ours is a nice emergency net below the moth eaten safety net. But they in no way are able to meet the many needs of those on the bottom.

To be honest I wouldn’t mind if places that were run this well received some federal funding. Conservatives believe that families and churches should be the sole suppliers of aid to those in need and never the government. They just want to pretend to help people on the cheap and funnel tax dollars to their religious base.

Family ducked out long ago. We have a relatively well off parish but it would be an undo hardship on it just to take care of our disabled family. Our infusions for MS alone are about $4000 a month. It would be quite a bit once you begin to take into account the rest of our medical care along with food and housing for our family. We’re just one family brought low by illness. We had disability insurance with an HMO from a Florida based company, but they made a determination that MS was not debilitating and it gets better. I wonder which party made it easier for HMO’s to screw their policy holders. (Republican) The GOP response seems to indicate that if charity cannot fill the bill then these people should just go ahead and starve and decrease the surplus population.




Progressives from the time of Teddy Roosevelt have always known we work best when we pitch in as a nation to solve these problems together. That way the places in our nation of large areas of poverty are able to be helped. The radical conservative scheme would only mean a lot sicker under nourished people many of whom will end up on the street.

I suppose the conservatives would just end up passing laws to outlaw the poor homeless then put them in a jail-type setting so they are no longer visible. If they are not visible they will be able to claim success. Remember the truth doesn’t matter to this current bunch of conservatives. All that matters is creating a perception of success to placate their supporters and those under their thumb.

What FDR Did


People do have, however they vision it, a responsibility for themselves, family, community, country and God, as they see God, but for a variety of reasons both legitimate and illegitimate within ones control and outside of it, these responsibilities may become compromised. The conservative Republican mantra of ‘individual responsibility’ is designed to absolve oneself of any responsibility except for those so conveniently cherry-picked while effortlessly lowering the dignity and humanity of those in need.

Republican individual responsibility means everyone else’s responsibility but mine. It’s an ideological principal embraced by modern conservatives that is designed to protect the conscience of the individual or group from social or religious liability. It’s used to absolve one from long held Judeo-Christian principles such as ‘by the grace of God go I’ and ‘to those who have been given much, much is expected’. It implies that the gifts from God which we all possess in one form or another have been distributed in equal measure with similar qualities. It’s been used as an excuse from responsibility for everything from the homeless addict to the poor and those with mental and physical illnesses, to such extremes as victims of natural disaster.

It is your responsibility



We can do much better as a society in taking care of the most vulnerable among us. It’s a sinful crime the way the conservative Republican right would have the poor, sick and disabled of this nation treated. They are in dire straights and its getting worse. Katrina highlighted their hypocrisy for the entire world to see. It’s shameful.

Hurricane Katrina



The religious right seems to be blind to many parts of the Gospel such as this one...

31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
40 And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41 Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
44 Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
45 He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew: Chapter 25

Barack Obama speaks: New Orleans, Katrina, poverty

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Second Harvest Food Bank
http://www.2-harvest.org/default.aspx

Crisis talks on global food prices
Summit in Rome follows record spikes in cost of rice, wheat and dairy products Calls for urgent action to tackle serious threat to international stability
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/27/food.internationalaidanddevelopment

High food prices add to violence in war zones--ICRC
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L27901586.htm

CRS Food Experts Warn of Impending 'Cascade of Hunger'
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Soaring Food Prices Putting U.S. Emergency Aid in Peril
Supplies and Recipients Likely to Be Reduced
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904029.html
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Food and hunger
http://www.alertnet.org/db/topics/HUNGER.htm?v=at_a_glance

UN World Food Program
Interactive World Hunger Map
http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/hunger_map/map/hungermap_popup/map_popup.html
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UNICEF - GIVE THANKS FOR WHAT WE HAVE

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Taking the Vow of Nonviolence

I've never been strong enough to take this vow but here it is. Maybe someday I will be, maybe some day we all will be.

~VOW OF NONVIOLENCE~

RECOGNIZING THE VIOLENCE IN MY OWN HEART, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow for one year to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God...You have learned how it was said, "You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy"; but I say to you, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven." Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit, I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life; by accepting suffering rather than inflicting it; by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence; by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart; by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live; by actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth. God, I trust in Your sustaining love and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.

Well, I'm still not strong enough but on Pentecost Sunday I finally did take this vow. These are the two things I will have the most trouble with I'm sure; "by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence; by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart".

A daily prayer that helps...

For the Grace to Desire Peace

Great God, who has told us "Vengeance is mine,"save us from ourselves,
save us from the vengeance in our hearts
and the acid in our souls.
Save us from our desire to hurt as we have been hurt,
to punish as we have been punished,
to terrorize as we have been terrorized.
Give us the strength it takes
to listen rather than to judge,
to trust rather than to fear,
to try again and again
to make peace even when peace eludes us.
We ask, O God, for the grace to be our best selves.
We ask for the vision
to be builders of the human community
rather than its destroyers.
We ask for the humility as a people
to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples.
We ask for the love it takes
to bequeath to the children of the world to come
more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes
to care for all the peoples
of Afghanistan and Iraq, of Palestine and Israel (Lebanon, Darfur,Syria, Iran & those south of our border)
as well as for ourselves.
Give us the depth of soul, O God,
to constrain our might,
to resist the
temptations of power,
to refuse to attack the attackable,
to understand that vengeance begets violence,
and to bring peace – not war – wherever we go.
For You, O God, have been merciful to us.
For You, O God, have been patient with us.
For You, O God, have been gracious to us.
And so may we be mercifuland patient and gracious
and trusting
with these others who you also love.

Joan D. Chittister, OSB
"Reprinted with permission from Pax Christi USA,
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/"
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Memorial Day

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They take everything they do seriosly and always perform at their best. They should never be anyones political plaything or have their lives used callausly for corporate profit. Their lives; their love for; their duty to; and their sacrifices for God and country should be cherished as a miser would gold.

To the Red 25 - 30 percent

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Obama Statement Honoring Memorial Day
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGB7tW

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Much to remember and think about, again, this Memorial Day

Pap attack from around a year ago or so...

Cheney's Iran War



Is Bush and his Neoconservative string-pullers really planning to misuse the military of the United States for their own benefit once again by attacking Iran? Are they really going to do it? Is it time to do the next ‘protect America now or we’ll all die war’. I hope there is enough resistance among the upper brass that he won't be able to pull it off, but Bush has demonstrated a willingness and a knack for purging those who not only stand in his way but just merely disagree with him. That causes me to question whether there is anyone left with enough strength to halt such a foolish act as embroiling the nation in a third front in the Middle East before Inauguration Day.

Webb: ‘People In The Administration’ Would Like To Strike Iran Before Leaving Office»

It's important to remember that these guys have strong fascist leanings with a greater desire, despite their rhetoric to the contrary, for a strong authoritarian centralized government around themselves than a true love for our historic democratic roots. They are more concerned with the strength and profitability of the international corporations loyal to them and vice-versa than the health of America.

*MR BUSH YOU ARE A FASCIST!*

Our great military all the way down to, the National Guard, has been run-down, depleted and abused for the benefit of their dirty little oil war. Neocon loyalists, such as Representative Duncan Hunter, love to claim there are plenty of extra troops within the Navy and Air Force to bolster troop levels for any military adventurism in Iran. While I can't speak to the Navy I suspect it would be a similarly disastrous affect on them as it would be for the Air Force. I wonder just how many non-combat trained technicians can be removed before readiness is seriously hampered. How long before the planes won't fly, communications is disrupted and weapons systems become inoperable?

They have shown a great disregard for our professional all volunteer force through stop loss, extended Iraq stays, frequent deployments with little down time between, lack of respect for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, substandard care for the injured and permanently disabled, engaging in the immoral act of torture and illegal mistreatment during confinement of those labeled enemy combatants which endangers the well being of all in uniform, rejecting a GI Bill so they can get a good education and even denying a raise during these inflationary times to help their sacrificing families at home.
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from The Nation...
McCain Sells Out Vets
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080602/beutler
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VA Secretary: Vets’ Concerns About PTSD Are ‘Overblown’

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GOP - Bad for the Military

They have demonstrated over and over again through their lies and misplaced priorities that their oil war and profiteering is more important than the health of our nation or the constitutional laws of the United States. Fear of the legitimate threat of terrorism from extreme elements around the world is allowing us to be weak on protecting our most cherished gift we possess as Americans; our freedoms as set forth in our constitution and its amendments. We’re allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of by those who would desire to see our freedoms lessened for their own lustful purposes. For the first time in our history we are in a period of retreat from civil rights and the respect for the dignity of humanity. The Constitution and Bill of Rights is under assault from this administration.

path to dictatorship

All of us vets took this oath. We stood side by side with one another in a variety of times and circumstances and proudly raised our hands to this simple affirmation of duty and allegiance.

"I, { }, do solemnly swear, (or affirm), that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

How can we who have taken this oath so easily surrender to those who are using this nation for their own gain. We may have differing opinions about the poor use of troops in Iraq but when it comes to defending the constitution of this great land there can be no divisions. We are a democratic republic nation of laws; not men. There is no way any of you can be true to this oath and approve of the recent unconstitutional activities of this Neocon absorbed administration.

Because of our administration encouraged fear we have ignored the fact that we were attacked by a group of predominately Saudi Arabian men on 9-11. Bush and his cohorts decided to lead the nation away from those who attacked us. Instead we’ve been duped into raging war against a tactic. An unending war against a nameless and faceless foe called ‘terrorist’. This fear was used as a method against the American public as an excuse for an ill-advised war of choice and subsequent bloody occupation with troops stuck in the middle of a multi-faceted civil war in Iraq.

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Exclusive: McClellan whacks Bush, White House
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10649.html
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The Taliban is regaining strength in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden is still free and in charge of Al Qaeda which is gaining strength and free reign in western Pakistan and throughout western Africa. We can’t do anything substantial to curtail their growth because we are bogged down in Iraq while seriously running down the morale and readiness of our military.

Our continuing occupation of Iraq is harming us while allowing Al Qaeda to grow in organization, strength and territory to be able to set up training camps along with a platform to attack us.

So now along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, where we should have had a strong presence for several years, the training camps are back in business. It was just such a training camp from the same region the 9-11 attacks were planned and launched from.

And now, they want us to believe and trust them, again.

Keith Olbermann & Rachel Maddow*Repub Spintel for Iran War*



The Bush administration is using the turmoil in occupied Iraq to manufacture reasons to ignore diplomacy, as they did before the Iraq war, in order to ‘shock and awe’ bomb Iran. I’m greatly concerned that given the Bush administration's abysmal track record on world diplomacy any war like action in Iran will blow up in their faces bringing great harm not only to the innocent men, women, and children in Iran but also to our nation.

Conyers Tells White House Iran Attack = Impeachment

Will they be igniting the spark, similar to the flash that lit WWI, which causes nations to divvy up sides for another world war?

Will the world view us as the aggressors and retaliate economically if not militarily against our interests?
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Bush/McCain Insane on Iran
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FOX ATTACKS: Iran


Someone once said that the next world war would be fought with modern weapons including nukes; the next war after that would be fought with sticks and stones.

End this illegal occupation.
Restore constitutional order.
No Iran war.
Impeach the president/vice-president.
And under no circumstance let McCain be president.

from the mouths of conservatives themselves....

McCain = War


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please watch this excellent essay from Thom Hartmann...

When Democracy Failed

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read along...
Published on Sunday, March 16, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
When Democracy Failed: The Warnings of History
by Thom Hartmann
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0316-08.htm
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Hillary brings shame to herself.

No one expresses political outrage better than Olbermann. Clinton hoping and I can't help but think praying for something bad to happen to Obama has plenty of room for appropriate outrage.



She takes the focus off McCain when she does this nonsense!
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Like this from Raw Story on the 'straight talk express'...

WSJ: McCain 'on the defense over ties to lobbyists'
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/WSJ_McCain_on_defense_over_ties_0523.html
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or this from Think Progress...
McCain Willing To Grant Telecoms Immunity After They Say They’re Sorry»
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McCain economic policy shaped by lobbyist
Swiss bank paid McCain co-chair to push agenda on U.S. mortgage crisis
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24844889/
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Barack Obama BLAST McCain on G.I. Bill (Senate Floor)


more on Clinton...

Analysis: Clinton's latest off-key remark
Analysis: Clinton's off-key remark a case of political tone deafness?
DEVLIN BARRETTAP News
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Analysis_Clinton_s_latest_off_key_r_05242008.html
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On the Road: Clinton’s Very Bad Day
By: Katharine Q. Seelye
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/on-the-road-clintons-very-bad-day/index.html?hp
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'You Get Careless': Obama Blames Clinton RFK Quip on Stress of Long Campaign
Obama Says He Accepts Clinton Explanation of Controversial Comment
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=4925145&page=1
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Clinton Camp Stokes RFK Flap by Blaming Obama
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-talk/2008/05/clinton_camp_stokes_rfk_flap_b.html
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Fox News contributor jokes about assassinating Obama.»
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Flying penis highlights Putin corruption.

Gary Kasparov pro-democracy speech interrupted



The Other Russia
News from the Coalition for Democracy in Russia
http://www.theotherrussia.org/

Russian Federation: human rights concerns
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGEUR460402007

Russia
Events of 2007
http://hrw.org/englishwr2k8/docs/2008/01/31/russia17710.htm

not the best recording but here is this most beatiful song...

Renaissance - Mother Russia

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McCain, Hagee and Hitler

(there is still family things going on that interferes with the Blog)

McCain Endorser Hagee: God Sent Hitler

McCain must put up with far right religious zealots.

The Gop and religious extremists

To right wing Christian hawks.

'W' is the commander in chief and as such in a time of war, since he is the president, whatever, he does is not illegal.

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We are at war as freedom loving Christians vs. hateful Islam much like during the crusades.

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Whatever the president decides is necessary to keep us and the homland safe is okay, after all I have nothing to hide.

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Liberals and others like them hate our leader and homeland and want to see it destroyed.

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To speak against the president or his administration is sedition.

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All Moslems aren't terrorists but all terrorists are Moslems.

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The Moslems hate our freedom, our religion and nation and want to come here and destroy it.
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It's time we remove the Moslems from our communities either by deportment or internment.
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The world and the UN are trying to hold us back, destroy our sovereignty and side with our enemies.

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War is freedom.

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We must do whatever we have to in the world, whatever it takes, to preserve our freedom, our liberty, our way of life while spreading the values of the homeland in the nations we must invade.

etc...etc...etc...

If you agree with all or most of what I just wrote then the Neocons have succeded in getting you to think in much the same way as the fascists of 1930's Germany were able to instill in their citizens. In doing so you have disgraced the deeds, memories and the very dust of the bones of those who have built this nation. As a result you have either embraced fascism yourself or you have become a sympathizer either out of benifit, ignorance or cowardice.

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Shame on you!!!

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Sadly so many good people who still tear up over 'God Bless America' have filled their lives with so many voluntary and involuntary distractions that they've allowed themselves to become easy prey for the propagandists. That's why so many of us keep begging and screamming.

Wake Up!!!

14 Characteristics of Fascism

Fox and Reactionary radio are fomenting war, hate, and distrust of all who don't walk lockstep with Neocon objectives. WHY?
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It has already been well established that the Neoconservative dominated Cheney/Bush administration are fascists. All totalitarian oriented societies or political parties whether they've achieved complete power or not need, no must have, a propaganda arm. Fox and reactionary radio are that arm. Their job is to take a spin on the truth, a distortion of it or an outright lie and paint it as the most pro-American or pro-Christian point of view for anyone who loves America. Their very good at playing on peoples prejudices and weaknesses. In other words they are very gifted at getting people to believe what isn't true with gusto. The sad thing is they have no idea it's all being used against them and that the propagandists have no love or respect for those who they fool.
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It's absolutely amazing for those of us who have been fortunately immune from this vileness to watch their effect on their mesmerized adherents. The word or phrase of the moment that encapsulates Neocon ideas or concepts are universally parroted by the blind sheep. There's no amount of facts, proof or evidence that can deter them from their hypnotic trance.This same group screams about the liberal press but that same press much of which is corporate controlled does little to expose the distortions and lies of the Conservative right. They do little to aid in exposing the truth which is much too often treated as opinion. To their credit they do the right thing now and then but they play ball far too often with administration and corporate goons.
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The propagandists have a back-up for when the corporate heads don't interfere with the press and they actually do their jobs, it's called 'distrust'. They have all made it very clear to their hypnotic audience that the truth comes only from them.

No one else is to be believed.
We hold the true truth.
It's dangerous to listen to them.
We are the truth.
LISTEN!

Dissenting voices are considered wrong, portrayed as un-American, traitorous, or evil. Anyone who is not like them is not to be respected or trusted and they are routinely attacked, ridiculed and dehumanized. They advance hate for Muslims, liberals, the United Nations, any country that criticizes the neoconservative agenda and all those who fall outside their twisted moral view of society. Orwellian double speak, lies, half-truths, and distortions are their tools of choice. Anyone or group who disagrees with or contradicts the administration or its allies and benefactors are trashed mercilessly.

For all those who excuse such things as illegal spying on American citizens with the overused line of, "Why worry I have nothing to hide", "I say Oh really?". You just never know what opinions or relationships or the opinions and relationships of other family members or friends will place you out of favor with government goons. You could be in a whole heap a trouble and never know why. But you would still lose your rights as a citizen and your freedom just the same.

Fascist America, in 10 easy steps

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html

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update

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John McCain Praising Rod Parsley in Cincinnati

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Rod Parsley VS America

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It's all about the 'End Times' and how they misinterpret the Book of Revelations while claiming to be literalists.
They all disagree on the finer points but this is pretty much it...

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The Rapture & The Many Signs That Will Preceed It!

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Rapture Ready: The Christians United for Israel Tour



These are popularly held beliefs among many of the far right Conservative Christian groups. Fellow Catholics should know that they don't consider us Christians.

The Church's teaching on this apocryphal book...
http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=9983

executing the rapture

After the Fall: Why America Needs a Spiritual Left
By: Rabbi Michael Lerner
http://www.tikkun.org/rabbi_lerner/society_politics

just for fun in a sad sort of enlightening way...

Mike Malloy - Hope(?) in Los Angeles

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Get well, Ted

Dear Lord, please bless Senator Ted Kennedy and his family during their time of trial. He's fought for all of us now he's in the fight of his life. Please, ease the path he must now follow.

Eulogy of Bobby Kennedy



Ted Kennedy on Republicans and Minimum wage



Ted Kennedy : Urges Senate to Pass Kid's Health Care



Ted Kennedy list all the ways Dick Cheney has been wrong


Kennedy on Iraq War Spending



Sen. Edward Kennedy Iraq Speech at National Press Club



Sen. Edward Kennedy on Mukasey nomination for Attorney General



Ted Kennedy attacks retroactive immunity for Telecoms



Ted Kennedy Endorses Barack Obama

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Wow! Wow! Wow!!!

My eldest son, daughter and her husband and their adorable twin daughters all live in Portland and we have another son on the way this summer. It is one cool town. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we end up in that neck of the woods eventually.

75,000 greet Barack Obama in Portland

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Bush/McCain Insane on Iran

CHRONOLOGY - U.S.-Saudi relations since 9/11
Fri May 16, 2008
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL16864643

Bush appeasement slur angers Democrats
Obama outraged by president's claim that talking to US foes in Middle East is like negotiating with Hitler
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/16/georgebush.barackobama

Lawmakers Respond To Bush: ‘Bullsh*t’ And ‘Malarkey’ That Is ‘Beneath The Dignity’ Of The Oval Office»
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You, Mr. Bush, Committed Political Treason Today
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytoo...ason_today.html

John McCain Flip-Flopped on Hamas to Smear Obama



Conyers Tells Bush Iran Attack = Impeachment
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33389

Obama corrects Bush/McCain

Read statement and sign-on...

Words, Not War, With Iran
http://go.sojo.net/campaign/wordsnotwar

also read this...

God takes no sides in war
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/061002godtakesnosides.html
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Saint Francis of Assisi was able, during war, to walk between the Moslem side and the Christian side talking of love and peace and the architect of both. There are many people, I’m sad to say even some who have his statue in their gardens thinking of him only as a lover of birds and little furry animals, who would call him a vile traitor, liberal appeaser and dangerous threat worthy of torture and life detention if he were to carry out those same actions in today’s climate.

There’s been a lot of hatefulness from right wing conservatives, many who consider themselves chosen Christians, who feel the government has no business caring for the most vulnerable among us, while wasting money on corporation 'wellfare' and give-away schemes or military adventurism is just fine. Hate and prejudice directed at minorities, immigrants and anyone who voices dissent or interferes has not died. I fear there are a sizeable number of people on the right who really don't care that the invasion and susquent occupation in Iraq is wrong and that as long as we're killing Moslems its okay and the sooner we can do that in Iran the better.

GOP - Bad for the Military

Bush & the Neocons are the real threat of starting WWIII

All the President's Nazis (Real and Imagined): An Open Letter to Bush
by - Larisa Alexandrovna

THE BUSH / NAZI CONNECTION



Five Years of My Life
By Peter Meroth and Uli Rauss
http://www.amnestyusa.org/Spring_2008/Five_Years_of_My_Life/page.do?id=1551002&n1=2&n2=19&n3=1552

Journalist released from Gitmo calls it 'most heinous mankind has ever known'
By John Byrne
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Release_journalist_held_at_Guantanamo_calls_0506.html



60 Minutes: Immigrant Detention In America
By: Nicole Belle

Obama YES - Derision NO
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An Administrations Legacy

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Tell Them No Iran War!!!

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TrueMajority
http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/7002/iranadvo?campaign_KEY=1528
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Mother Nature sure seems angry these days.

Burma shows once again how a nation more concerned with military matters and public impression brings harm to their own populace.



The verdict is still out on the earthquake disaster in China but I would expect a similar story there, although they are sensitive to how they look before the Olympics.

Once again this is another message from a seemingly very angry Mother Nature highlighting the misplaced priorities of the human race. We spend too much time and money in an attempt to protect ourselves from those who are different. Too many resources are wasted on selfish needs while those in dire straights are ignored or worse yet used for our own lustful purposes.

Sometimes we get together for short periods of time to make ourselves feel better and look better by giving what is in most cases inadequate aid to those in the worst situations. At the same time though we’re using the third world as a plaything for our own economic and political needs. I'm not just speaking of my own United States because powerful or developed nations have all played a role and are equally guilty if not more so.

It wasn’t long ago when Kashmir and the surrounding region were suffering greatly from a severe earthquake. I find it interesting that this place was worth risking nuclear war over. Millions were spent by two impoverished countries willing to wage war to the point of enveloping each other in a nuclear fireball over land coveted by both.

The greatest menace to the area ended up coming from an ‘act of God’. Nooooo, though it’s an often overused tempting avenue of explanation and exploitation I’m not blaming the Lord. This has always been a seismically active region. What I am blaming is a human weakness for power, fear, hate and violence.

I know if there were perfect love with lions and sheep cohabiting all over the place these disasters still would have happened. But what could have been different was the way the world would have been able to react. Far too much effort is expended on military preparations, adventurism and economic violence around the world. In the United States our glowing example of this was when our response to hurricane Katrina was greatly hampered by the war in Iraq and once again the verdict is still out on how we handle the current tornado outbreaks.

If we spent a lot more time trying to understand each other rather than feeding our fear, power lust and greed we would all be more prepared to react to these repeated scenes of desperation. For all its faults the international communications within the United Nations is still the best avenue for keeping this hope alive. The conservatives within the US in their foolish arrogance would love to not only withdraw from this institution but would love to see it die.

The gluttonous arms industry, which fuels so many conflicts in the third world, also needs to be decimated and what little piece of it that is left must be highly regulated by strict international oversight. It’s true we can all do a lot better with how we react to each other in the world. It all depends on what we allow to dwell in our hearts.

God’s anger with our own United States and the other developed nations of the world must be great since He hears the cry of the poor and oppressed. We waste billions flooding the world with immoral misadventures. The wealthiest nations in the world could do much to alleviate suffering but instead we choose to use our military might and money to make the world safe for big business.

The neoconservative dominated Republican Party has infected us with a little dream centered on our own selfish desires while having the gall to claim we are the greatest Christian nation doing the work of God. Our irrational fear and popular culture driven wanton ignorance has caused half our populace to shamefully follow blindly behind.

We can do better if we really embrace the love God, whoever you vision Him/Her to be, wants us to have for each other. These natural disasters have illustrated just how inadequate our love for each other really is while highlighting our international failings.
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The Heartless GOP Seven
http://gophypocrites.com/2008/05/hyp08020.html
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Bush Says the Damnedest Things

Keith Olbermann gives another fantastic Special Comment. Bush made a great sacrifice in support of the troops; he gave up golf.

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While on the subject of Bush and terror, Ed Shultz, has been playing this on his radio show for the last couple of days. This guy does an excellent job of showing that the Bushies either intentionally harmed our nation or they're very stupid and inept. Truer words were never spoke.

If I Were A Terrorist - A James Pence Video!



It's hard to believe some people are considering continuing this farcical legacy by actually entertaining a vote for Bush-hugging McCain.

End this illegal occupation.
Restore constitutional order.
No Iran war.
Impeach the president/vice-president.

And under no circumstances elect McCain.
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Ain't it the truth!!!

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Senator Clinton it is time to turn out the lights and close the door.
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McCain's Spiritual Guide

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article from Mother Jones...
McCain's Pastor Problem
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/05/john-mccain-rod-parsley-pastor-problem.html
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McCain's Catholic Committee Full Of Controversial Figures
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/05/mccains-catholic-committe_n_100277.html
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The Gop and religious extremists
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Scarry Choices With McCain
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Barack Obama in Eugene, OR

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Newest Member!!!

We rescued prisoner 1414 from the local pound. His name is Artemis and he's between 4 and 6 months old. He's an American Bulldog Sharpei hybrid. So I guess that makes him an American Bull Sharpei.

He looks like he stuck his head in a bucket of black paint then shook it all over.

He's very friendly and already is part way trained but we still need to work on come and lie down and to teach him to stay along side the electric wheel chairs when we go for a walk.