US citizen Jeremy Hinzman who fled to Canada to avoid military service in Iraq will appeal a deportation warrant from Canada’s Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Thestar.com web site quotes defense team member Alyssa Manning who warned of the shattering results for the wife and two children for if court martialled Hinzmans he may get five years in jail.
The above is from Prensa Latina's "US Deserter to Appeal Canada Eviction." And that's pretty much it because Ruth Conniff can act like it's a crime that Bill Clinton wasn't a war resister but can't write one damn word about war resisters. She's far from alone in useless Panhandle Media.
Meanwwhile Reuters tries to make sense out of northern Iraq's claims that theyw ill pull their Peshmerga forces out of Diyala Province but then they won't. The US military announces that 3 people were killed (eight more wounded) in a Baghdad bombing today. And they announced:
An Article 32 pretrial investigation for Staff Sgt. Hal M. Warner, original scheduled for Aug.15 will begin Sept. 5 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit.
Warner has been charged with pre-meditated murder, accessory after the fact, assault, making a false official statement and obstruction of justice. He is assigned to D Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry at Forward Operating Base Summerall, near Bayji.
The charges followed a criminal investigation into the death of Ali Mansur Mohamed, a detainee initially believed to have been released by Coalition forces on or about May 16, 2008.
Bully Boy is on yet another vacation and back in Crawford. Dana Perino said in the Thursday White House breifing that he would be working on his speech for the GOP convention (told those wanting to know what was in it to "hold their horses") but he won't be rehearsing it, according to Perino. (Translation, he's not working on it all.) Condi Rice is supposed to arrive this morning in Crawford for an NSC meeting with Bully Boy, Robert Gates (Sec of Defense) and Stephen Hadley (NSA). (Some of whom will be 'present' via video-link.) Iraq fell off the radar last week and if you're surprised by that, you missed all the press conferences and briefings where things such as convention speeches could be the topics of question but Iraq wasn't judged (by the press itself) worth asking about.
Back to Jeremy Hinzman, this from Courage to Resist:
Jeremy Hinzman ordered deported from Canada
By Courage to Resist and War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada). August 13, 2008The first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada has been ordered deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children. This decision flies in the face of the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3, 2008 which calls on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada. Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca
And this is the War Resisters Support Campaign:
Jeremy Hinzman ordered deported
The first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada has been ordered deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children.
This decision flies in the face of the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3, 2008 which calls on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada. It also rejects the will of Canadians who have demonstrated in various polls that they want war resisters to stay.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on the federal government and the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene to prevent the Hinzman family from being sent to the U.S. to be punished.
And from Iraq Veterans Against the War:
US Iraq War resister ordered deported from Canada
US Iraq War resister Jeremy Hinzman was informed on August 13th that his application to stay in Canada has been rejected. Jeremy served a tour in Afghanistan in a non-combat role after applying for conscientious objector status. When his unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, was to be deployed to Iraq Jeremy and his family decided to come to Canada. Jeremy is the first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada. He has been ordered to be deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children.
The decision to deport Hinzman comes just two months after the Canadian Parliament passed a motion calling on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada.
To support Jeremy, call or email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca.Read more of this item-->
Click here for more IVAW Updates
Since yesterday morning, the following community websites have updated:
Rebecca's Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Cedric's Cedric's Big Mix;
Kat's Kat's Korner;
Betty's Thomas Friedman is a Great Man;
Mike's Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine's Like Maria Said Paz;
Wally's The Daily Jot;
Trina's Trina's Kitchen;
Ruth's Ruth's Report;
and Marcia's SICKOFITRADLZ
[Mike note: C.I. wrote these this morning and held them for after everyone posted in the community. I'm posting this for C.I. Cedric says he and Wally post in a few hours.]
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
jeremy hinzman
like maria said paz
kats korner
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
trinas kitchen
the daily jot
cedrics big mix
mikey likes it
thomas friedman is a great man
ruths report
sickofitradlz
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Silences, lies and refusals
A pickup truck exploded near the central bus station at Balad, a largely Shiite town in the overwhelmingly Sunni province of Salahuddin.
Witnesses speculated that the bomber had exploited a recent relaxation in security. “It is an attempt to blow up the atmosphere of reconciliation between the people of Balad and the other cities of Salahuddin and to make another wave of sectarian anger,” Col. Ali Saleh, a Salahuddin police spokesman, said.
The above is from Stephen Farrell and Suadad al-Salhy's "Truck Bomber Kills 9 as Shiite Pilgrims Travel Through Northern Iraq" in today's New York Times. And except for the wire services, that's pretty much it.
Community Member X (community members will know his name) asked that something be noted here. I'm calling him CMX because he usually sticks to the newsletter. As someone stationed in Korea who has only recently learned he deploys to Iraq next year, CMX wants it made very clear that he believes the press is doing "a s**t poor job and acting like the Iraq War ended." He notes that they are still on high alert (in Korea, over the perceived 'threat' of Iran) and that it's just started to sink in with others he's serving with that Barack's not just gotten a free pass, he's not going to do a damn thing to end the illegal war.
CMX is digsuted with the after-thought nature of the Iraq War and wants it noted "Katrina vanden Heuvel and all the beggars in indymedia and all the liars in corporate media are ensuring that a lot more people are going to die in that illegal war by their silences, their lies and their refusal to make ending this illegal war their top agenda. They have blood on their hands. They need to be called out and confronted. And the lies that Barack is planning to end the war need to be called out every damn day."
And that really says it all. Amanda notes this from Team Nader:
50 Dollars for 50 States
Posted by The Nader Team on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 10:04:00 AM
ShareThisShareThis
Ralph Nader is the only Presidential candidate who has promised to campaign in all 50 states this year.
In the age of the Internet, Ralph is a believer in taking it directly to the people.
State by state.
And whatever Ralph says goes.
So, we’ve put together a grueling fifty state schedule for him.
But the gas bill is starting to bite.
So, please, help us out.
Drop $50 now on Nader/Gonzalez, the only campaign that will take it to all fifty states.
Already, Ralph has campaigned in 27 states -- Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.
And coming up in the next couple of weeks, Ralph will be traveling to:
Colorado -- for our Open the Debates Super Rally August 27 at the University of Denver Magness Arena.
Minnesota -- for our Open the Debates Super Rally September 4 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
And before and after those rallies to New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. (That will put us at 34 states by September 8.)
Check the complete schedule here.
And come out and see and hear Ralph lay out the Nader/Gonzalez platform of shifting the power from the corporations back into the hands of the people.
Remember, if you donate $100 or more now, we will ship to you two DVDs -- a copy of the Patti Smith and Ralph Nader DVD -- Awake from Your Slumber -- autographed by Ralph -- and a copy of the best argument for a single payer health care plan -- Michael Moore’s Sicko. (Deadline for this offer: Wednesday August 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
So, give to your heart’s content -- up to the legal limit of $4,600.
Help power Ralph on his 50 state tour of the United States.
And help us reach our new fundraising goal of $50,000 by Wednesday August 20.
Nothing could be sweeter than investing in Nader/Gonzalez.
For a bright and just future.
Onward to November.
The Nader Team
ShareThisShareThis
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the new york times
stephen farrell
suadad al-salhy
Witnesses speculated that the bomber had exploited a recent relaxation in security. “It is an attempt to blow up the atmosphere of reconciliation between the people of Balad and the other cities of Salahuddin and to make another wave of sectarian anger,” Col. Ali Saleh, a Salahuddin police spokesman, said.
The above is from Stephen Farrell and Suadad al-Salhy's "Truck Bomber Kills 9 as Shiite Pilgrims Travel Through Northern Iraq" in today's New York Times. And except for the wire services, that's pretty much it.
Community Member X (community members will know his name) asked that something be noted here. I'm calling him CMX because he usually sticks to the newsletter. As someone stationed in Korea who has only recently learned he deploys to Iraq next year, CMX wants it made very clear that he believes the press is doing "a s**t poor job and acting like the Iraq War ended." He notes that they are still on high alert (in Korea, over the perceived 'threat' of Iran) and that it's just started to sink in with others he's serving with that Barack's not just gotten a free pass, he's not going to do a damn thing to end the illegal war.
CMX is digsuted with the after-thought nature of the Iraq War and wants it noted "Katrina vanden Heuvel and all the beggars in indymedia and all the liars in corporate media are ensuring that a lot more people are going to die in that illegal war by their silences, their lies and their refusal to make ending this illegal war their top agenda. They have blood on their hands. They need to be called out and confronted. And the lies that Barack is planning to end the war need to be called out every damn day."
And that really says it all. Amanda notes this from Team Nader:
50 Dollars for 50 States
Posted by The Nader Team on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 10:04:00 AM
ShareThisShareThis
Ralph Nader is the only Presidential candidate who has promised to campaign in all 50 states this year.
In the age of the Internet, Ralph is a believer in taking it directly to the people.
State by state.
And whatever Ralph says goes.
So, we’ve put together a grueling fifty state schedule for him.
But the gas bill is starting to bite.
So, please, help us out.
Drop $50 now on Nader/Gonzalez, the only campaign that will take it to all fifty states.
Already, Ralph has campaigned in 27 states -- Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Texas, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.
And coming up in the next couple of weeks, Ralph will be traveling to:
Colorado -- for our Open the Debates Super Rally August 27 at the University of Denver Magness Arena.
Minnesota -- for our Open the Debates Super Rally September 4 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
And before and after those rallies to New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. (That will put us at 34 states by September 8.)
Check the complete schedule here.
And come out and see and hear Ralph lay out the Nader/Gonzalez platform of shifting the power from the corporations back into the hands of the people.
Remember, if you donate $100 or more now, we will ship to you two DVDs -- a copy of the Patti Smith and Ralph Nader DVD -- Awake from Your Slumber -- autographed by Ralph -- and a copy of the best argument for a single payer health care plan -- Michael Moore’s Sicko. (Deadline for this offer: Wednesday August 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
So, give to your heart’s content -- up to the legal limit of $4,600.
Help power Ralph on his 50 state tour of the United States.
And help us reach our new fundraising goal of $50,000 by Wednesday August 20.
Nothing could be sweeter than investing in Nader/Gonzalez.
For a bright and just future.
Onward to November.
The Nader Team
ShareThisShareThis
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the new york times
stephen farrell
suadad al-salhy
Friday, August 15, 2008
Iraq snapshot
Friday, August 15, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the US military announces more deaths, Ralph Nader keeps issues on the table and more. Starting with war resistance. Wednesday US war resister Jeremy Hinzman learned that the Canadian government has ordered him out of that country by September 23rd. Today he appeared on Democracy Now! where Juan Gonzalez and Amy Goodman interviewed him. JEREMY HINZMAN: Well, essentially, it turns our lives upside down. We, as you said, just had a baby [daughter Megahn]. Our son [Liam] knows nothing else aside from Canada. And if we do go back, which it's looking like, I will undoubtedly be court-martialed and serve some time in jail. JUAN GONZALEZ: Is there any appeal process left to you yet that might delay the September 23rd deadline? JEREMY HINZMAN: There is. It's not guaranteed that we'll be granted leave to appeal, but if my lawyer can find errors in the compassionate and humanitarian decision that the Canadian Border Services rendered, then we can--we can appeal. But there's no guarantee that the court will grant us leave. JUAN GONZALEZ: And what were the arguments the court used in rejecting your appeal? JEREMY HINZMAN: Well, in a compassionate and humanitarian case, you need to show that there would be undue hardship if you returned to your country of origin, and we--and you also need to show that you've been established in Canada and can live independently. And we did that. In the decision, the officer said we've established ourselves well in Canada. We haven't been a hindrance to the social assistance programs. But he said that wasn't enough for us to stay. He said the US has a fair justice system. My First Amendment right to free speech is protected. And they also mentioned that--for whatever reason, I don't know--they mentioned George Bush's No School Left Behind program to say that our son would be able to get a good education. I found that kind of humorous. [. . .] JUAN GONZALEZ: Have you maintained ties with other US war resisters who are in Canada, who have gone there in recent years? JEREMY HINZMAN: There are a number of us in Toronto, and I am acquainted with them. There's a movement called the War Resisters Support Campaign that's been active pretty much since we got here, and we have meetings, and there's been a lot of lobbying in support of us. And on June 3rd, the Canadian parliament passed a nonbinding motion by a vote of 137-to-110 saying that US war resisters should be able to remain in Canada. However, the conservative government is refusing to enact the legislation. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, Canada, of course, has a long history of giving refugee status to resisters from American wars. Obviously, during the Vietnam War, there were many who went there. How would you characterize the difference between this government's treatment of war resisters and what you know of past times? JEREMY HINZMAN: Well, during the Vietnam era, of course, Pierre Trudeau, who was a liberal, was in power, and he famously stated--at least up here--that Canada should be a haven from militarism, and that kind of opened the floodgates for American soldiers to come to Canada. I think 50,000 eventually settled here. Right now, there's a conservative minority government. Canada has a parliamentary system, and they hold the balance of power. And I wouldn't say they're lapdogs to the US, but they share many of the same values of the Bush administration and aren't really sympathetic to what we're doing. AP files another story where they quote Jeremy stating, "I went through all the training. I served honorably in my unit. I used army provisions to try become a noncombatant and remain in the army as a medic or something, but I still would be subject to going on combat missions as a medic. I can't bring myself to shoot another person. If people want to criticize me for that, then I'm honored to be criticized because I'm not a killer." Jeremy Hinzman and other war resisters in Canada need support and to pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca"). Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote. Now they've started a new letter you can use online here. The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here. Long expulsion does not change the need for action and the War Resisters Support Campaign explains: "The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on supporters across Canada to urgently continue to put pressure on the minority conservative government to immediately cease deportation proceedings against other US war resisters and to respect the will of Canadians and their elected representatives by implementing the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3rd. Please see the take action page for what you can do." The War Resisters Support Campaign has called an "Emergency Meeting to Stop the Deportation of Jeremy Hinzman and his family, Wednesday August 20 at 7 p.m. at the Steelworkers Hall, 25, Cecil Street" (Toronto) and encourages everyone to "Read the War Resisters Support Campaign press release and circulate it widely James Burmeister is a US war resister. He is the whistle blower who went to Canada and told the world (or those who would listen) about the kill teams. Last month, Dee Knight's "Army court-martials resister for blowing whistle on 'bait-and-kill'" (Workers World) offered an overview of Burmeister's court-martial providing the context and why the US military brass wanted to silence him. Today Evan Kornfeld (US Socialist Worker) also offers a look at James court-martial (James was not deported or extradited, he returned to the US from Canada of his own accord earlier this year and was court-martialed July 16th): The Eugene Weekly has pointed out that of the 4,698 soldiers who have been charged with desertion in 2007, only 108 have been convicted. [Erich] Burmeister, James' father, believes that his son was prosecuted as punishment for speaking out about the bait and kill teams. After the trial, at which he testified on his son's behalf, he said, "I obviously now believe that James has been made an example to the rest of the soldiers and to the rest of those who dare think about what James did, that the punishment can be quite severe." Courage to Resist has noted that "The PFC James Burmeister Support Campaign can be reached at letjamesbefree@gmail.com" and that he can receive mail at this address: James Burmeister Box A Fort Knox, KY 40121 There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei Hurancyk, Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma). Turning to Iraq. Tina Susman (Los Angeles Times) reports that the death toll for yesterday's bombing attack on pilgrims is 20 "and it raised the specter of more bloodshed as the pilgrimage route becomes crowded before the event Saturday." Sami al-Jumaili (Reuters) explains that "Despite the [security] precautions, Kerbala is bracing for the worst. Local health director Alaa Hammoudi said that 40 medical units were standing by, and that extra hospital beds were made ready. Near the mosque, makeshift clinics were set up in tents and trailers. Some pilgrims donated blood." Campbell Robertson and Riyadh Muhammed (New York Times) quote an eye witness to yesterday's bombing, Ali, who explains, "I saw smoke, and I smelled the very bad smell of burned flesh and blood. The reactions were a little less than at the last blast maybe because they already have been shocked." Sudarsan Raghavan and Saad Sarhan (Washington Post) cite Iskandariyah police chief Ali al-Zahawi insisting there is "a shortage of female police officers in the town". And why is that? Hey, remember when women were being purged? Remember when female police officers were informed they could not carry fire arms? And remember how the pig and thug and puppet Nouri al-Maliki was pleased as punch with all of that and shocked when a few (very few reports) objections were raised? The puppet needs the illegal war to stay in power. And the White House doesn't give a damn about the rights of Iraqi women. So it was the perfect blend for pigs everywhere. Anna Badkhen (Salon) reports that, even in the crack-downed Baghdad, "women here still feel threatened. One can't yet see a pervasive shift in the way women dress. They continue to wear the conservative clothing that the militias began compelling them to wear after the U.S. invasion. Most women remain cocooned in shapeless, black abaya dresses and hijab scarves that covered their hair. . . . Before the war, Tammy says, she could walk down the streets of her hometown, the southern and heavily Shia Iraqi port city of Basra, dressed like most teenagers in the United States -- in jeans and no head scarf. Saddam Hussein's regime was one of the world's most despotic, but it was secular and allowed Iraqi women personal rights and freedoms unparalleled in the Persian Gulf. Women, who make up more than half of the country's populartion, could drive, travel abroad alone, serve in Iraqi security forces and work side-by-side with men. They chose whom to marry and whether to marry at all, and were among the most educated in the region. . . . After the U.S. invasion in 2003, conservative Muslim clerics called for Iraq to become an Islamic state. In the name of Islamic values, they eroded the liberties women here enjoyed even under Saddam's oppressive regime. Schools, once coed, became segregated by gender; women were afraid to go outside without a head scarf. As sectarian violence engulfed Baghdad and other parts of the country in 2006, it brought in its wake even more constraints on women's freedoms." And the White House didn't just let it happen, they encouraged and, in fact, still encourage it. At a time when female bombers are said to be the biggest threat to stability in Iraq (foreign forces on the ground in Iraq are the biggest threat to the country's stability), the US military actively recruits women into their "Awakening" Councils and yet -- despite a supposed need which should be driving the market forces -- they pay these women 20% less than their male counterparts. No one objects. No one calls it out. And it reinforces the message to those installed into power in Iraq (by the US) that women are not equal and that their worth is less than that of a man's. Helen Benedict (In These Times) reports on the increased number of sexual assaults in the US military -- women serving assaulted and abused by their "comrades-in-arms" -- and notes that "the attention always focuses on the women: where they were when assaulted, their relations with the assailant, the effects on their mental health and careers, whether they are being adequately helped, and so on. That discussion, as valuable as it is, misses a fundamental point. To understand military sexual assault, let alone know how to stop it, we must focus on the perpetrators. We need to ask: Why do soldiers rape?" It's the culture of the institution (which includes looking the other way) and that institution has had a bigger impact than any other US institution in Iraq. Institutions, organizations. How does the peace movement ever plan to be effective in the US with such sorry-ass 'leaders.' Tom Hayden shows up to soil his own name at The Nation this week with "The Defunding of the Peace Movement." He pretends to be talking straight (no doubt inflicting howls of laughter from all who know Tom-Tom) and pretends like Barack has pledged to end the illegal war. Barack has pledged no such thing. He might reduce the number of US forces in Iraq (to send them to Afghanistan) but he has not called for all US troops out of Iraq -- and long ago refused to promise in a televised debate that, if elected president, all US troops would be out of Iraq by 2012. Tom-Tom's heart-heart races for Barack so he lies and lies. The problem, as Tom-Tom sees it, is that people aren't giving money to peace organizations. Or 527s. 527s? No, those are not peace organizations but Tom was never a peace leader. Not now, not back then. He was always someone lusting after a political career and that motivated him then and does so now. It's always been about setting Tom's end up. He talks to Leslie Cagan of UPFJ and she's wondering what her organization could do with $100,000? More of the same, Leslie, absolutely nothing. Say it again. When UPFJ (not one of the worst offenders in my opinion) had more money it didn't change the way they operated. At best, they were silent on John Kerry. Other orgs and 'leaders' made it their life's work to shill for his 2004 election. If UPFJ is facing fund shortages it goes to the lousy leadership they've shown since the start of the illegal war. Engaging in their sniping with A.N.S.W.E.R. which is fine if it's just an open debate but is not fine when it prevents actions from taking place. There has not been a huge peace rally since January 2007. No one's in the mood to give one damn dime to any of these useless organizations. (IVAW remains the only organization that is working at ending the illegal war.) They all go rushing off to "War With Iran Tomorrow!" or "Saint Bhutto Has Died!" or one hundred and one other causes while they abandon Iraq. (Again, my opinion, UPFJ has not been the worst offender there. CODESTINK has been the worst and the most hypocritical. UPFJ has tended to go for silence as opposed to hawking non-peace events/candidates.) Barack's greedy. How surprising that people are just now grasping that. How pathetic that Leslie's going to whine to Tom-Tom instead of taking to the UPFJ website to state, "We are an organization trying to end the illegal war. We are not endorsing any candidate. We are endorsing the end of the Iraq War. If you are with us on that, we could use some donations to continue this struggle." Tom-Tom lies as well and claims, "The Obama finance committee is under more pressure, literally, to pay Hillary Clinton's debt to Mark Penn than to fund any messages on war, recession and global warming." Tom Hayden, you sexist pig, drop the Bash The Bitch games. At your age, it only makes you look older, uglier and more pathetic. Barack hasn't done a damn thing to retire Clinton's debt (and Hillary has stated that she's paying off small vendors first). That joint-appearance where he gave the speech and 'forgot' to ask people to donate to Hillary and only returned to the stage when reporters questioned him on it? He's done nothing to help her with her debt and shame on you, a man who'd be living on the streets were it not for his divorce settlement, for pretending otherwise and yet again trying to make it all about Hillary. Your Lover Man has failed you Tom. Your limp and inactive and it has nothing to do with Hillary. You fell in love with Barack and he broke your heart. Those are the breaks, grow the hell up before senility sets in. Or has that already happened. Tom-Tom was one of the signers of that ridiculous ass-kiss to Barack from The Nation. As we observed at Third: Because The Nation is run by the brain dead and the socially stunted today, they decide to copy that with an open letter. (They only know how to do what was done before, no visionaries or dreamers they.) The open letter is called "Change *We* Can Believe In" and if the starring of "We" didn't indicate to you there was a lot of ego tripping going down, you only had to read the names of those who signed on to the garbage -- including non-Democrat Frances Fox Piven (billed as Francis Piven -- what happened, she looked in a mirror?), The Ego Of Us All's Red Buddy who pimped her hard to The New York Times and did more to lie for Friedan than even she herself did, Democratic Groupie (in the worst sense of "groupie" in the rock world) Norm Solomon, Tom-Tom Hayden (still fretting about the 1969 violence we pointed out recently), Red Billy Fletcher, Take Me To My Divorce Pay Day! Jodie Evans, Emma Goldman lookalike Barbara Ehrenreich, Does-Marlo-Know-You-Signed-That-Garbage Phil Donahue, School Girl Katrina vanden Heuvel (who reportedly came up with the embarrassing phrase "the long night of greed" -- to which C.I. responded, "Oh, she's turned her hand to autobigoraphy?") and, yes, Howard Zinn. The letter is also frankly dishonest when it says that Obama is simply moving to a more "centrist stance" In what sense "centrist"? The war is wildly unpopular and close to 70% of Americans want the U.S. out of Iraq asap. What is "centrist" about moving away from a landslide majoritarian position? And what is the "peace" candidate doing when he calls for 100,000 more active duty army and marines, when he calls for more military spending, when he calls for stepping up the war on Afghanistan, when he talks belligerently about Iran, and when he equivocates on how many tens of thousands of troops are to be left in Iraq? All these are positions that the "peace" candidate took during the primary. They are not new. [. . .] What is awfully irritating is that Katrina Vanden Heuval and the rest of the "liberal" elite criticize supporters of McKinney/Clemente and Nader/Gonzalez for "wishful thinking." Compared to the sentiments and views of the supplicants' letter, supporters of third party candidates are hard core realists. And it is very sad to see some of the signatories of this letter who in better times would have been men and women who put principle over "lesser evil" politics. Read the letter carefully. Look at the signatories. It may bring tears. Turning to some of today's reported violence . . . Bombings? Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports pilgrims continue to be targeted with a Baghdad roadside bombing claimed the life of 1 (nine more wounded), a Baghdad mortar attack left two people wounded, another Baghdad roadside bombing left six people wounded, and a Salahudding car bombing that claimed 5 lives (twenty more wounded). Shootings? Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports an armed clash in Kirkuk that resulted in 1 death and an Al Anbar Province assassination attempt on "Sheikh Kahmees Al-Dulaimi, the Imam of one of the mosques in Falluja" who was taken to the hospital for medical care Today the US military announced: "A Multi-National Force -- West Marine was killed Aug. 14 when his unit received small-arms fire during security operations approximately 1 km east of Fallujah." And they announced: "A Multi-National Corps-Iraq Soldier died of non-battle related causes Aug. 15 in Baghdad. An investigation into the cause of death is under way." That brings the total number of US service members killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war to 4143 and the death toll for the month thus far is 16 -- which is 3 more than the July total that all the news outlets thought was news. Neil Conan: We're talking with independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader here at the Newseum. I'm Neil Conan along with NPR Political Junkie Ken Rudin. If you'd like to join us, 800-989-8255 e-mail talk@npr.org. This is Talk of the Nation from NPR News. And let's get a question from here in the Newseum. Patty: Hi, good afternoon. I'm Patty from San Francisco, California and as a retired public school principal I'd like to know your views on No Child Left Behind. And I'd also like to know what your education platform is. Ralph Nader: Well the way No Child Left Behind has been implemented is not good. First of all, there are too many tests. It ruptures the relationship between teachers and students -- they've got to have a test Tuesday and a test Thursday. They're the wrong kind of tests in my opinion: A, B, C, D, "None of the above." That's not the assessment test that I think are better evaluators They make teachers teach to the test. It's this frantic test mania. It creates unnecessary anxiety among children. So I'm against it. Teachers are against it too. A lot of people think it was underfunded and I think the key thing in environmental agenda for a presidential candidate is more decent facilities -- I mean a lot of these inner-city schools are crumbling, we have gleaming stadiums funded by you the tax payer in the same cities the schools, and clinics and libraries are crumbling. The second thing is decent pay for competent teachers. They should be assessed too. And the third is citizen skills, civic skills. We should teach students connecting the classroom with their town with their community so they can learn about the history, the geography, economics, government of their town and in the process learn citizen skills. How to use the Freedom of Information Act in your state, how to build coalitions, how to get information from City Hall. How to do comparative price analysis of staples in supermarket. That's what makes student learn indirectly reading, writing and arithmetic. I hope a lot of teachers will . . . push to replace No Child Left Behind with this kind or practical and down to earth and very exciting educational process. Neil Conan: Thanks for the question. Let's go the phones, line six, and Mike is with us from Boca Raton in Florida. Mike: Good morning or good afternoon. Mister candidate, considering what's happened since the year 2000, don't you think that your candidacy creates too much of a risk of unintended consequences based on your past performance? Ralph Nader: Well the social scientists who studied that say that [Al] Gore won the election, he won the popular vote. The electoral college stood in his way and the press investigations and others in Florida indicate, and Gore believes this, that he won Florida but it was taken from him before, during and after election day in all kinds of tricky ways that have been subject to documentaries and investigations, to the five Republicans in the Supreme Court who selected George Bush. I keep saying to Democrats "Look in the mirror Go after the thieves because they might do it again and there was a lot of shenanigans in Ohio -- the swing state that left Kerry behind -- Mike: You obviously can't win. Which of the two candidates would you prefer to be president. The other two candidates. Ralph Nader: The ones that are closer to the agenda of Nader - Gonzalez and we don't have time to go through a checklist but if you want to look at VoteNader.org we have a sheet which says these are the issues on the table for Nader - Gonzalez -- like full health insurance -- and they're off the table for McCain and Obama. It's quite remarkable how similar they are on about 15 major re-directions for country and the reason is they've been dialing too much for corporate dollars and they're too close to these corporate interests. Mike: Well you know, I'm all for anyone being able to run but candidly we can't stand another eight years of George Bush, McCain and that crowd. Ralph Nader: Nor can we. In fact if Al Gore picked up my withering criticism in detail of Bush's record in Texas when he was governor, he'd have won even over the obstacles that these Republican illegally put in his way. Team Nader has set up Ralph's Daily Audio to leave audio commentaries and the one that went up today is entitled "Impeachment:" This is Ralph Nader. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are the most impeachable president and vice president in the history of the United States. The Constitution of the United States structures our democracy within the rule of law. Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Barack Obama and their Republican associates are seriously subverting the rule of law by blocking the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Bill Clinton must be shaking his head in wonderment. High Crimes and Misdemeanors are what get a president impeached. That's in Article II, Section IV of our Constitution. Let's consider the case of Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. High crimes and misdemeanor number one: The criminal war, invasion and occupation of Iraq in violation of our Constitution, federal statutes and international treaties that our country belongs to. The second is systemic torture condoned at the top of our government. That even violates the US Army Field Manual as well as FBI procedures. High crimes and misdemeanor number three: the arrests and imprisonment of thousands of Americans without charges, denying ha beaus corpus the fundamental requirement for a restraining power to show why the liberty of a person is being restrained. High crimes and misdemeanor number four: spying on millions of Americans without a judicial warrant. This one violates the FISA Act which provides for a five-year jail term. High crimes and misdemeanor number five are all those signing statements that George W. Bush declared when he signed one bill after another from Congress saying that it would be up to him to decide whether or not to obey the law. I guess one could call him King George IV. The American Bar Association, the largest barre association in the world, quite conservative, has sent three major reports to President George W. Bush outlining his serious violations of provisions in our Constitution. I stood in front of the White House for 45 minutes a few weeks ago and declared the reasons for the impeachment or resignation or subsequent prosecution of Bush and Cheney for the five categories of High Crimes and Misdemeanors. If we allow rampant, recidivist criminal activity in the White House -- as Speaker Pelosi, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain have done week after week, month after month -- that'll simply set the stage for future presidents to think that they too can break the law with impunity and run our civil liberties, our civil rights, our safety, our freedoms, our status before the world into the ground. I'm Ralph Nader. Friday (in most markets, check local listings), Bill Moyers sits down with Andrew Bacevich to discuss the imperial impresidency. PBS tonight (and throughout the weekend depending on when your local station airs it) will also feature Washington Week. Janine Zacharia (Bloomberg News) will be among the guests. She's been doing a ton of research on refugees so she should be able to pull that into her topic (the positions of Barack and McCain), Todd S. Purdum (Vanity Fair) will discuss the upcoming Democratic National Convention (will Gwen or anyone mention the Nadar Super Rally that will take place in Denver August 27th?), and Jeffrey Birnbaum (Washington Post) will be among the guests (Birnbuam will be addressing campaign monies and laws). And NOW on PBS explores the US and Mexican border. |
juan gonzalez
anna badkhen
talk of the nation
npr
Jeremy Hinzman and James Burmeister
An American who deserted the U.S. Army to protest the Iraq War and who has been ordered deported back home will file a new appeal in Federal Court. Jeremy Hinzman is the first U.S. deserter in recent years to apply for refugee status in Canada. Immigration authorities determined that he did not face persecution or hardship if he were returned to the United States and told him on Wednesday he had until Sept. 23 to leave the country. He faces a possible court martial and up to five years in prison.
The above is from "Canada in Brief" (24 Hours Vancouver) and AP files another story where they quote Jeremy:
"I went through all the training. I served honorably in my unit. I used army provisions to try become a noncombatant and remain in the army as a medic or something, but I still would be subject to going on combat missions as a medic," Hinzman said.
"I can't bring myself to shoot another person. If people want to criticize me for that, then I'm honored to be criticized because I'm not a killer."
We'll again note this from Courage to Resist:
And this is the War Resisters Support Campaign:
Jeremy Hinzman ordered deported
The first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada has been ordered deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children.
This decision flies in the face of the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3, 2008 which calls on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada. It also rejects the will of Canadians who have demonstrated in various polls that they want war resisters to stay.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on the federal government and the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene to prevent the Hinzman family from being sent to the U.S. to be punished.
And this from Iraq Veterans Against the War:
Hinzman appears today on Democracy Now! and, in reply to a question about where he goes next, states that "if my lawyer can find errors in the . . . decision that the Canadian Border Services rendered than we can appeal"; however, he is preparing for what may be the return to the US. Amy Goodman wrongly states Robin Long was deported last month (he was extradited) and then asserts that he "is now serving a jail term in Colorado". Really? I must have missed Robin's court-martial -- which everyone says will take part in September.
In other DUMB ASS news, don't miss Janine Jackson's fact-free 'commentary' in CounterSpin this week. Remember, you just have to laugh. FAIR went off the rails some time ago (probably when they decided a few years back that a gala was just the thing to throw in the midst of a war? Bette Davis would have slapped their slack-jawed faces), so just laugh as Jackson sports Extreme Stupidity (and cites Village Idiot Air of The Nation). (We covered the reality of Mrytle Beach Tuesday.)
Jeremy Hinzman and Robin Long are two US war resisters who went to Canada. They are not the only ones. Darrell Anderson went to Canada and was the first to publicly return to the US. James Burmeister made the decision to return this year.
Evan Kornfeldt "Sentenced for resisting war" (US Socialist Worker):
On July 17, a military court sentenced James Burmeister to six months in prison for going AWOL. Burmeister, who fled to Canada last year rather than return to Iraq, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Burmeister, originally from Eugene, Ore., went to Iraq in September of 2006 as a gunner in Unit 118 First Infantry Division. Burmeister took part in "small kill teams" that used "bait and kill" tactics.
[. . .]
The Eugene Weekly has pointed out that of the 4,698 soldiers who have been charged with desertion in 2007, only 108 have been convicted. Eric Burmeister, James' father, believes that his son was prosecuted as punishment for speaking out about the bait and kill teams.
After the trial, at which he testified on his son's behalf, he said, "I obviously now believe that James has been made an example to the rest of the soldiers and to the rest of those who dare think about what James did, that the punishment can be quite severe."
Eric Burmeister and his wife Helen have been speaking out about James' case and about the Iraq war. Eric told the Eugene Weekly, "I can never be quiet until they all come home. It seems like they are all my children now."
PBS notes. Tonight (in most markets, check local listings), Bill Moyers Journal addresses the imperial presidency with guest Andrew J. Bacevich. The Journal's Michael Winship notes:
Bacevich speaks truth to power, no matter who's in power, which may be why those of both the left and right are eager to hear his views. Perhaps it's also because when he challenges American myths and illusions, he does so from a genuine patriotism forged in the fire of his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam and the death a year ago of his son, an Army lieutenant in Iraq. The Limits of Power is dedicated to the young man but the senior Bacevich, a man of quiet, solid gravitas, holds his grief privately between himself and his family.
"Our foreign policy is something that is concocted in Washington, D.C., but it reflects the perceptions of our political elite about what we the people want," he told Moyers. "And what we want, by and large is... this continuing flow of very cheap consumer goods. We want to be able to pump gas into our cars regardless of how big they may happen to be... And we want to be able to do these things without having to think about whether or not the books are balanced at the end of the month, or the end of the fiscal year."
To that end, he says, "One of the ways we avoid confronting our refusal to balance the books is to rely increasingly on the projection of American military power around the world to try to maintain this dysfunctional system or set of arrangements that have evolved over the last 30 or 40 years."
"... I think historians a hundred years from now will puzzle over how it could be that the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the world, as far back as the early 1970’s came to recognize that dependence on foreign oil was a problem, posed a threat, compromised our freedom of action. How every president from Richard Nixon down... declared, 'We’re going to fix the problem.' [But] none of them did."
He continued, "The clearest statement of what I value is found in the Preamble to the Constitution. There is nothing in the Preamble to the Constitution which defines the purpose of the United States of America as remaking the world in our image, which I view as a fool's errand... I believe that the framers of the Constitution were primarily concerned with focusing on the way we live here, the way we order our affairs. To try to ensure that as individuals, we can have an opportunity to pursue our, perhaps, differing definitions of freedom, but also so that, as a community, we could live together in some kind of harmony. And that future generations would also be able to share in those same opportunities... With the current crisis in American foreign policy, unless we do change our ways, the likelihood that our children, our grandchildren, the next generation is going to enjoy the opportunities that we've had is very slight because we're squandering our power. We are squandering our wealth."
Bacevich believes, "The Congress, especially with regard to matters related to national security policy, has thrust power and authority to the executive branch. We have created an imperial presidency. The Congress no longer is able to articulate a vision of what is the common good. The Congress exists primarily to ensure the reelection of members of Congress."
PBS tonight (and throughout the weekend depending on when your local station airs it) will also feature Washington Week. Janine Zacharia (Bloomberg News) will be among the guests. She's been doing a ton of research on refugees so she should be able to pull that into her topic (the positions of Barack and McCain), Todd S. Purdum (Vanity Fair) will discuss the upcoming Democratic National Convention (will Gwen or anyone mention the Nadar Super Rally that will take place in Denver August 27th?), and Jeffrey Birnbaum (Washington Post) will be among the guests (Birnbuam will be addressing campaign monies and laws). And NOW on PBS explores the US and Mexican border.
Ralph's Daily Audio is the web page for the Nader-Gonzalez campaign featuring audio. Marci asked that we again note "Outsourcing:"
Along with the audio and the Nader Super Rally, the independent presidental campaign has a great deal of activity and movement. Sam notes this from Team Nader:
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
james burmeister
jeremy hinzman
robin long
evan kornfeldt
bill moyers journal
pbs
michael winship
janine zacharia
todd s. purdum
jeffrey birnbaum
washington week
now on pbs
asa gordon
kimberly wilder
The above is from "Canada in Brief" (24 Hours Vancouver) and AP files another story where they quote Jeremy:
"I went through all the training. I served honorably in my unit. I used army provisions to try become a noncombatant and remain in the army as a medic or something, but I still would be subject to going on combat missions as a medic," Hinzman said.
"I can't bring myself to shoot another person. If people want to criticize me for that, then I'm honored to be criticized because I'm not a killer."
We'll again note this from Courage to Resist:
| Jeremy Hinzman ordered deported from Canada |  |  |  |
By Courage to Resist and War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada). August 13, 2008
The first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada has been ordered deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children. This decision flies in the face of the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3, 2008 which calls on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada. Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.caAnd this is the War Resisters Support Campaign:
Jeremy Hinzman ordered deported
The first U.S. war resister to apply for refuge in Canada has been ordered deported by September 23rd. Jeremy is in Canada with his wife Nga Nuyen, and their two young children.
This decision flies in the face of the motion adopted by Parliament on June 3, 2008 which calls on the government to allow US war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada. It also rejects the will of Canadians who have demonstrated in various polls that they want war resisters to stay.
The War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on the federal government and the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene to prevent the Hinzman family from being sent to the U.S. to be punished.
And this from Iraq Veterans Against the War:
Hinzman appears today on Democracy Now! and, in reply to a question about where he goes next, states that "if my lawyer can find errors in the . . . decision that the Canadian Border Services rendered than we can appeal"; however, he is preparing for what may be the return to the US. Amy Goodman wrongly states Robin Long was deported last month (he was extradited) and then asserts that he "is now serving a jail term in Colorado". Really? I must have missed Robin's court-martial -- which everyone says will take part in September.
In other DUMB ASS news, don't miss Janine Jackson's fact-free 'commentary' in CounterSpin this week. Remember, you just have to laugh. FAIR went off the rails some time ago (probably when they decided a few years back that a gala was just the thing to throw in the midst of a war? Bette Davis would have slapped their slack-jawed faces), so just laugh as Jackson sports Extreme Stupidity (and cites Village Idiot Air of The Nation). (We covered the reality of Mrytle Beach Tuesday.)
Jeremy Hinzman and Robin Long are two US war resisters who went to Canada. They are not the only ones. Darrell Anderson went to Canada and was the first to publicly return to the US. James Burmeister made the decision to return this year.
Evan Kornfeldt "Sentenced for resisting war" (US Socialist Worker):
On July 17, a military court sentenced James Burmeister to six months in prison for going AWOL. Burmeister, who fled to Canada last year rather than return to Iraq, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Burmeister, originally from Eugene, Ore., went to Iraq in September of 2006 as a gunner in Unit 118 First Infantry Division. Burmeister took part in "small kill teams" that used "bait and kill" tactics.
[. . .]
The Eugene Weekly has pointed out that of the 4,698 soldiers who have been charged with desertion in 2007, only 108 have been convicted. Eric Burmeister, James' father, believes that his son was prosecuted as punishment for speaking out about the bait and kill teams.
After the trial, at which he testified on his son's behalf, he said, "I obviously now believe that James has been made an example to the rest of the soldiers and to the rest of those who dare think about what James did, that the punishment can be quite severe."
Eric Burmeister and his wife Helen have been speaking out about James' case and about the Iraq war. Eric told the Eugene Weekly, "I can never be quiet until they all come home. It seems like they are all my children now."
PBS notes. Tonight (in most markets, check local listings), Bill Moyers Journal addresses the imperial presidency with guest Andrew J. Bacevich. The Journal's Michael Winship notes:
Bacevich speaks truth to power, no matter who's in power, which may be why those of both the left and right are eager to hear his views. Perhaps it's also because when he challenges American myths and illusions, he does so from a genuine patriotism forged in the fire of his experiences as a soldier in Vietnam and the death a year ago of his son, an Army lieutenant in Iraq. The Limits of Power is dedicated to the young man but the senior Bacevich, a man of quiet, solid gravitas, holds his grief privately between himself and his family.
"Our foreign policy is something that is concocted in Washington, D.C., but it reflects the perceptions of our political elite about what we the people want," he told Moyers. "And what we want, by and large is... this continuing flow of very cheap consumer goods. We want to be able to pump gas into our cars regardless of how big they may happen to be... And we want to be able to do these things without having to think about whether or not the books are balanced at the end of the month, or the end of the fiscal year."
To that end, he says, "One of the ways we avoid confronting our refusal to balance the books is to rely increasingly on the projection of American military power around the world to try to maintain this dysfunctional system or set of arrangements that have evolved over the last 30 or 40 years."
"... I think historians a hundred years from now will puzzle over how it could be that the United States of America, the most powerful nation in the world, as far back as the early 1970’s came to recognize that dependence on foreign oil was a problem, posed a threat, compromised our freedom of action. How every president from Richard Nixon down... declared, 'We’re going to fix the problem.' [But] none of them did."
He continued, "The clearest statement of what I value is found in the Preamble to the Constitution. There is nothing in the Preamble to the Constitution which defines the purpose of the United States of America as remaking the world in our image, which I view as a fool's errand... I believe that the framers of the Constitution were primarily concerned with focusing on the way we live here, the way we order our affairs. To try to ensure that as individuals, we can have an opportunity to pursue our, perhaps, differing definitions of freedom, but also so that, as a community, we could live together in some kind of harmony. And that future generations would also be able to share in those same opportunities... With the current crisis in American foreign policy, unless we do change our ways, the likelihood that our children, our grandchildren, the next generation is going to enjoy the opportunities that we've had is very slight because we're squandering our power. We are squandering our wealth."
Bacevich believes, "The Congress, especially with regard to matters related to national security policy, has thrust power and authority to the executive branch. We have created an imperial presidency. The Congress no longer is able to articulate a vision of what is the common good. The Congress exists primarily to ensure the reelection of members of Congress."
PBS tonight (and throughout the weekend depending on when your local station airs it) will also feature Washington Week. Janine Zacharia (Bloomberg News) will be among the guests. She's been doing a ton of research on refugees so she should be able to pull that into her topic (the positions of Barack and McCain), Todd S. Purdum (Vanity Fair) will discuss the upcoming Democratic National Convention (will Gwen or anyone mention the Nadar Super Rally that will take place in Denver August 27th?), and Jeffrey Birnbaum (Washington Post) will be among the guests (Birnbuam will be addressing campaign monies and laws). And NOW on PBS explores the US and Mexican border.
Ralph's Daily Audio is the web page for the Nader-Gonzalez campaign featuring audio. Marci asked that we again note "Outsourcing:"
This is Ralph Nader. You know how often these big corporate executives, when they're shipping jobs of American workers to fascist or communist dictators abroad who know how to keep their workers in their place . Do you know how often they say "Well we have to do this to keep up with the global competition"? But one thing they don't do to keep up with the global competition is to outsource themselves, outsource their own CEO jobs or their own faluting commentators and editors jobs.
Let's start with the New York Times editorial page. It would be hard to replace Maureen Dowd, no doubt. But Thomas Friedman? He of the rah-rah, pro-corporate, globalization, cheesy metaphors? Well he could easily be replaced by a hard working Indian or Chinese bi-lingual columnist at a much lower rate. And how about Wall Street? All those investment bank executives, the executives of Citigroup or Merrill Lynch. Imagine how many first rate Indian or Chinese executives could have done a much better job than Bob Rubin who helped drive the giant Citibank into the ground. I'm sure good executives from India or China could replace Rick Wagoner as CEO of General Motors at a much, much lower salary. That's the way to meet the global competition: Outsouce CEOS.
"What's good for the worker," says the CEO, "is not good for the CEO." The shareholders know better thye've got to demand outsourcing CEOS for a new fresh. energetic start for the management of their country. I'm Ralph Nader.
Along with the audio and the Nader Super Rally, the independent presidental campaign has a great deal of activity and movement. Sam notes this from Team Nader:
Health Care Politics
One of my favorite monthly publications is Registered Nurse – the journal of the fast growing, progressive California Nurses Association (CNA) – a union that stands up for patients rights and well-being.
The June 2008 issue contains stories that illustrate how this nurses group takes stands. On June 19, the CNA sponsored street rallies for its Medicare for all (single-payer with free choice of doctor and hospital) in San Francisco and a dozen other major cities around the nation. For over a decade these nurses have made full Medicare for all their major goal. They have run voter initiatives, lobbied legislatures and have opposed sweetheart labor-management deals like those embraced by the Service Employees International Union – SEIU. (SEIU also opposes single-payer health insurance which is supported by a majority of physicians and the American people.)
The June magazine describes the autocratic native of SEIU toward its members and how its leader, Andy Stern, cuts labor deals with large corporate employers that shockingly deprive workers of normal union rights.
Here is an example of what CNA says:
"In exchange for access to more dues units, SEIU gave California nursing home operators the 'exclusive right' to set all pay rates, working conditions, speed up and reassign work, eliminate jobs at will, and outsource union work."
"SEIU also agreed to support legislation limiting patient’s right to sue over care abuses, to oppose reforms to require better staffing for patients safety, and to never report health care code violations."
Stern rejected single-payer health insurance at his recent union convention. Senator Barack Obama has declined to propose single-payer as well. SEIU is pouring tens of millions of dollars to elect Senator Obama President. CNA works to eliminate "the insurance nightmare through establishing a high-quality, single payer healthcare system. (See: http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/blog)
The current health care industry is a wasteful, redundant, defrauding mess costing Americans over 2.2 trillion this year and hundreds of thousands of avoidable injuries, fatalities and serious infections a year. The honest, competent caregivers are on the edge of despair, unable to do their best work due to the domination and control of commercial-profit priorities which include denial of care by these corporations.
People die or get sicker sometimes when they are denied health care. People die when they cannot afford health insurance -- 18,000 Americans a year according to the Institute of Medicine
Corporate billing fraud and abuse costs over $200 billion a year. Ask Malcolm Sparrow of the Kennedy School at Harvard University or read his book License to Steal.
Do you ever hear John McCain or Barack Obama focus public attention on these tragedies and rip-offs of consumers and taxpayers?
The employers of health insurance companies, hospital chains and drug industry are pouring money into the coffers of these two men and their parties.
Strange as it many seem, on June 26, 2008 even the principled, independent California Nurses Association fell in line with the AFL-CIO. The CNA endorsed Senator Barack Obama.
Well, Senator Obama doesn't have to worry a minute about CNA's nurses putting up one of their famous critical demonstrations at his events. He can continue dialing for corporate dollars.Added: Kimberly Wilder encourages people to check out this video of Asa Gordon "explaining his electoral college lawsuits" which is about "proportional apportionment of presidential electors."
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
james burmeisterjeremy hinzmanrobin longevan kornfeldtbill moyers journal
pbs
michael winship
janine zachariatodd s. purdumjeffrey birnbaumwashington weeknow on pbsasa gordonkimberly wilder
The bombing, Talabani's heart surgery
A woman pretending to be a Shiite Muslim pilgrim en route to a religious festival blew herself up Thursday at a rest house catering to pilgrims and killed at least 20 other people, most of them women.
It was the worst of several attacks on Shiites walking to Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, and it raised the specter of more bloodshed as the pilgrimage route becomes crowded before the event Saturday.
The above is from Tina Susman's "In Iraq, female suicide bomber kills 20 Shiite Muslims" (Los Angeles Times) and we'll stay on the bombing for a bit with some reported reactions. From Campbell Robertson and Riyadh Muhammed's "Bomber Kills 18 on Shiite Pilgrimage in Iraq" (New York Times):
"I saw smoke, and I smelled the very bad smell of burned flesh and blood," said Ali, an 18-year-old who lives at the apartment complex and gave only his first name.
"The reactions were a little less than at the last blast," Ali added, referring to the February attack, "maybe because they already have been shocked."
Local security officials had been concerned about attacks on pilgrims, particularly in the so-called triangle of death, a largely Sunni area south of Baghdad that has been the site of intense violence since 2003. Shiite pilgrims must march along a highway through Sunni towns in the area on the way to Karbala.
Sudarsan Raghavan and Saad Sarhan's "Suicide Bomber Kills 18 In Iraq" (Washington Post) contains a passage that should find many nodding along:
Col. Ali al-Zahawi, Iskandariyah's police chief, said a shortage of female police officers in the town helped the assailant go undetected. He said three policemen became suspicious when they noticed the bomber's thick clothes on a brutally hot evening. When they approached her, she detonated her explosives, killing the three policemen and several pilgrims. A female suicide bomber struck at nearly the same location during last year's pilgrimage, he said.
"The army will replace the police in Iskandariyah after this security violation," said Capt. Muthanna Ahmad, a spokesman for the Babil province police. "The police are not capable to deal with the suicide attacks. They don't have detectors and the necessary equipment for these kind of attacks."
Wow. Not enough female police officers. Hey, remember when women were being purged? Remember when female police officers were informed they could not carry fire arms? And remember how the pig and thug and puppet Nouri al-Maliki was pleased as punch with all of that and shocked when a few (very few reports) objections were raised? The puppet needs the illegal war to stay in power. And the White House doesn't give a damn about the rights of Iraqi women. So it was the perfect blend for pigs everywhere.
Yesterday Iraqi president Jalal Talabani had heart surgery in the US. The Times of New York and Los Angeles mention that detail in passing and buried at the end. Yesterday's snapshot included:
Moving on to Iraq and file it under "No surprise." October 21, 2007 we noted: "In today's New York Times, Andrew E. Kramer tells you that Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, is upset with Syria for publicly endorsing the Turkish parliament's vote to approve the Turkish military being sent into Iraq to fight the PKK. 'Usually I refrain from commening on Syrian positions to maintain our historical good relations,' Talabani (who stuffed his face with fatty foods` on his recent trip to the US to visit the Mayo Clinic, just FYI -- the heart trouble is not going to be cured by pigging out in hotel rooms)." Talabani's face stuffing (of fatty foods) never made the press but it's all anyone could talk about. It should have made the news. We returned to that topic over and over. (And he reportedly visited a book store on that trip and staggered, nearly passing out. It took the support of several men for him to make out of the bookstore.) June 16th we were 'harping again' (as one drive-by e-mailed) with: "Meanwhile AP notes that the president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, is in the US and will receive treatment at the Mayo Clinic. A brief mention is made of the fact that this is not his first visit or that moments after leaving last time, he was spotted gorging on fatty foods in public. (And 'gorging' is putting it mildly.) He's 73-years-old and really can eat whatever he wants -- if he steps down as president. But while he's president (or 'president') of an occupied country, there's really no point in treating him if he's going to completely ignore doctors' orders and it's not as if the average Iraqi is going to be flown to the Mayo Clinic." Deborah Haynes (Times of London) reports that the Iraqi president is "said to be in 'good health' today after undergoing heart surgery in the United States, an operation that left some Iraqis wondering whether he is still fit for the job." Peter Graff (Reuters) points out that, prior to today, the press was told he was in the US for "a knee operation." CBS and AP state: "A statement by the presidential press office said Talabani entered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on Aug. 2 for knee surgery but 'the medical team found out that he suffers from a problem in one of the heart valves'." That's a sweet way to put "We thought we could lie but Reuters found out the truth, broke the story and now we have to admit to the heart surgery." "I think he's too old to continue as President," Fadel Dawish tells Deborah Haynes in Baghdad while "Nassar al-Rubaie, a senior Shia politician, said the medical reports from the hospital would determine whether the heart operation would affect Mr Talabani's ability to work."
In terms of what I have written here, it was never a secret. The press has always known that Talabani had heart problems and that he refused to watch his diet. The man's 74-years-old and doesn't need to be eating cheese steaks to begin with but certainly not hours after leaving the hospital where he was strongly warned to improve his diet immediately. Within the US State Dept, Talabani's health has always been an issue on the horizon. (That may have been where I first heard of it.) In terms of the bookstore incident, that was raised in a group Ava and I spoke to about the illegal war. It was right after Talabani's check up. When it was raised, I called friends in the press and the State Dept and it was confirmed. (The student raising it witnessed it -- and worked in that bookstore.) None of this has ever been a secret from the press.
Here's what the State Dept's currently worrying about: succession.
If Talabani has to step down for health reasons or because he passes, who takes over as president? Article 69, Section C of the Iraqi Constition: "If the position of president of the republic is vacant, for whatever reason, a new president will be elected in order to fill the vacancy for the remaining period of that president's term."
The Iraqi people do not elect their president. If Talabani should step down before the end of his term or if he should pass away before his term expires, the Iraqi Constitution requires that the Council of Representatives hold an election as they did with Talabani. (The same rules would apply, 2/3 of the Representatives must vote and the winner is whomever gets the majority -- no majority means the two highest vote getters compete in a second election.)
What would it mean if Talabani left office? The White House wanted the provincial elections (to put on a show and pretend 'democracy' was in Iraq). The resolution made it through the Iraqi Parliament -- despite the walk-out of the Kurdish bloc. It then went to the Presidential Council -- composed of Talabani (Kurd), Adil Abd al-Mahdi (Shi'ite) and Tariq al-Hashimi (Sunni). Talabani killed it. Talabani out would not necessarily mean a change on that issue because the council is supposed to be composed of a Shia, a Sunni and a Kurd. Talabani's position was one held by Kurds. It is also questionable whether, when the Iraqi Parliament returns from it break, MPs would attempt to push through the same bill regarding elections. With no alterations, the fate of it would seem fairly clear ahead of time.
But there is talk about what would happen (talk in the State Dept) if Talabani left office and what effects that might have.
Turning to the US presidential race,Team Nader is releasing daily audio of Ralph Nader (with Matt Gonzalez expected to participate as well). Ralph's Daily Audio is the web page and below is the transcript to Ralph's "Corporate Tax Cheats:"
Marci asked if we could note that one again (and another that will be in the next entry) and Domingo notes this from Team Nader:
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
tina susman
the los angeles times
the new york times
campbell robertson
riyadh muhammed
the washington post
sudarsan raghavan
saad sarhan
deborah haynes
It was the worst of several attacks on Shiites walking to Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, and it raised the specter of more bloodshed as the pilgrimage route becomes crowded before the event Saturday.
The above is from Tina Susman's "In Iraq, female suicide bomber kills 20 Shiite Muslims" (Los Angeles Times) and we'll stay on the bombing for a bit with some reported reactions. From Campbell Robertson and Riyadh Muhammed's "Bomber Kills 18 on Shiite Pilgrimage in Iraq" (New York Times):
"I saw smoke, and I smelled the very bad smell of burned flesh and blood," said Ali, an 18-year-old who lives at the apartment complex and gave only his first name.
"The reactions were a little less than at the last blast," Ali added, referring to the February attack, "maybe because they already have been shocked."
Local security officials had been concerned about attacks on pilgrims, particularly in the so-called triangle of death, a largely Sunni area south of Baghdad that has been the site of intense violence since 2003. Shiite pilgrims must march along a highway through Sunni towns in the area on the way to Karbala.
Sudarsan Raghavan and Saad Sarhan's "Suicide Bomber Kills 18 In Iraq" (Washington Post) contains a passage that should find many nodding along:
Col. Ali al-Zahawi, Iskandariyah's police chief, said a shortage of female police officers in the town helped the assailant go undetected. He said three policemen became suspicious when they noticed the bomber's thick clothes on a brutally hot evening. When they approached her, she detonated her explosives, killing the three policemen and several pilgrims. A female suicide bomber struck at nearly the same location during last year's pilgrimage, he said.
"The army will replace the police in Iskandariyah after this security violation," said Capt. Muthanna Ahmad, a spokesman for the Babil province police. "The police are not capable to deal with the suicide attacks. They don't have detectors and the necessary equipment for these kind of attacks."
Wow. Not enough female police officers. Hey, remember when women were being purged? Remember when female police officers were informed they could not carry fire arms? And remember how the pig and thug and puppet Nouri al-Maliki was pleased as punch with all of that and shocked when a few (very few reports) objections were raised? The puppet needs the illegal war to stay in power. And the White House doesn't give a damn about the rights of Iraqi women. So it was the perfect blend for pigs everywhere.
Yesterday Iraqi president Jalal Talabani had heart surgery in the US. The Times of New York and Los Angeles mention that detail in passing and buried at the end. Yesterday's snapshot included:
Moving on to Iraq and file it under "No surprise." October 21, 2007 we noted: "In today's New York Times, Andrew E. Kramer tells you that Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, is upset with Syria for publicly endorsing the Turkish parliament's vote to approve the Turkish military being sent into Iraq to fight the PKK. 'Usually I refrain from commening on Syrian positions to maintain our historical good relations,' Talabani (who stuffed his face with fatty foods` on his recent trip to the US to visit the Mayo Clinic, just FYI -- the heart trouble is not going to be cured by pigging out in hotel rooms)." Talabani's face stuffing (of fatty foods) never made the press but it's all anyone could talk about. It should have made the news. We returned to that topic over and over. (And he reportedly visited a book store on that trip and staggered, nearly passing out. It took the support of several men for him to make out of the bookstore.) June 16th we were 'harping again' (as one drive-by e-mailed) with: "Meanwhile AP notes that the president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, is in the US and will receive treatment at the Mayo Clinic. A brief mention is made of the fact that this is not his first visit or that moments after leaving last time, he was spotted gorging on fatty foods in public. (And 'gorging' is putting it mildly.) He's 73-years-old and really can eat whatever he wants -- if he steps down as president. But while he's president (or 'president') of an occupied country, there's really no point in treating him if he's going to completely ignore doctors' orders and it's not as if the average Iraqi is going to be flown to the Mayo Clinic." Deborah Haynes (Times of London) reports that the Iraqi president is "said to be in 'good health' today after undergoing heart surgery in the United States, an operation that left some Iraqis wondering whether he is still fit for the job." Peter Graff (Reuters) points out that, prior to today, the press was told he was in the US for "a knee operation." CBS and AP state: "A statement by the presidential press office said Talabani entered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on Aug. 2 for knee surgery but 'the medical team found out that he suffers from a problem in one of the heart valves'." That's a sweet way to put "We thought we could lie but Reuters found out the truth, broke the story and now we have to admit to the heart surgery." "I think he's too old to continue as President," Fadel Dawish tells Deborah Haynes in Baghdad while "Nassar al-Rubaie, a senior Shia politician, said the medical reports from the hospital would determine whether the heart operation would affect Mr Talabani's ability to work."
In terms of what I have written here, it was never a secret. The press has always known that Talabani had heart problems and that he refused to watch his diet. The man's 74-years-old and doesn't need to be eating cheese steaks to begin with but certainly not hours after leaving the hospital where he was strongly warned to improve his diet immediately. Within the US State Dept, Talabani's health has always been an issue on the horizon. (That may have been where I first heard of it.) In terms of the bookstore incident, that was raised in a group Ava and I spoke to about the illegal war. It was right after Talabani's check up. When it was raised, I called friends in the press and the State Dept and it was confirmed. (The student raising it witnessed it -- and worked in that bookstore.) None of this has ever been a secret from the press.
Here's what the State Dept's currently worrying about: succession.
If Talabani has to step down for health reasons or because he passes, who takes over as president? Article 69, Section C of the Iraqi Constition: "If the position of president of the republic is vacant, for whatever reason, a new president will be elected in order to fill the vacancy for the remaining period of that president's term."
The Iraqi people do not elect their president. If Talabani should step down before the end of his term or if he should pass away before his term expires, the Iraqi Constitution requires that the Council of Representatives hold an election as they did with Talabani. (The same rules would apply, 2/3 of the Representatives must vote and the winner is whomever gets the majority -- no majority means the two highest vote getters compete in a second election.)
What would it mean if Talabani left office? The White House wanted the provincial elections (to put on a show and pretend 'democracy' was in Iraq). The resolution made it through the Iraqi Parliament -- despite the walk-out of the Kurdish bloc. It then went to the Presidential Council -- composed of Talabani (Kurd), Adil Abd al-Mahdi (Shi'ite) and Tariq al-Hashimi (Sunni). Talabani killed it. Talabani out would not necessarily mean a change on that issue because the council is supposed to be composed of a Shia, a Sunni and a Kurd. Talabani's position was one held by Kurds. It is also questionable whether, when the Iraqi Parliament returns from it break, MPs would attempt to push through the same bill regarding elections. With no alterations, the fate of it would seem fairly clear ahead of time.
But there is talk about what would happen (talk in the State Dept) if Talabani left office and what effects that might have.
Turning to the US presidential race,Team Nader is releasing daily audio of Ralph Nader (with Matt Gonzalez expected to participate as well). Ralph's Daily Audio is the web page and below is the transcript to Ralph's "Corporate Tax Cheats:"
A report just out by the well regarded US Government Accountability Office concludes that about two-thirds of corporations operating in the United States did not pay taxes annually from 1998 to 2005. Imagine that. Senator Byron Dorgan, the Democrat of North Dakota, called the findings "A shocking indictment of the current tax system."
He continues, "It's shameful that so many corporations make big profits and pay nothing to support our country. The tax system that allows this whole sale tax avoidance is an embarrassment and unfair to hard working Americans who pay their fair share of taxes. We need to plug these tax loopholes and put these corporations back on the tax rolls."
Senator Carl Levin says, "This report makes clear that too many corporations are using tax trickery to send their profits overseas and to avoid paying their fare share in the United States."
The GAO report said that 28% of large corporations paid no taxes during that period between 1998 to 2005. It's suspected that a lot of these global corporations were using transfer pricing to reduce their tax bills. This allows these multi-national corporations to transfer their goods and assets between their internal subsidiaries so they can record in the jurisdiction with low tax rates like the Bahamas.
The GAO report said that 28% of large corporations paid no taxes during that period between 1998 to 2005. It's suspected that a lot of these global corporations were using transfer pricing to reduce their tax bills. This allows these multi-national corporations to transfer their goods and assets between their internal subsidiaries so they can record in the jurisdiction with low tax rates like the Bahamas.
David Cay Johnston, in his great book Perfectly Legal concluded, and I paraphrase him, he said, "These global companies have now reached a point of power and manipulation where they can decide how much taxes they're going to pay, where they're going to pay these taxes, and when they're going to pay these taxes."
That's the leading tax reporter for the New York Times, a Pulitzer Prize winner, David Cay Johnston. It's something to think about when we ponder the double standard between working people on the one hand under our tax system and those tax escapees the global corporations on the other. This is Ralph Nader.
Marci asked if we could note that one again (and another that will be in the next entry) and Domingo notes this from Team Nader:
Two DVDs from Ralph Nader to You
Are you a crazy Nader voter?
If yes, prove it.
Michael Moore yesterday called you "crazy" for supporting and voting for Ralph Nader for President.
Michael Moore says we're all crazy.
For supporting a life long crusader for justice who stands with us against corporate control of our society?
Last year, in his movie Sicko, Michael Moore made a passionate argument for a single-payer, Medicare for all health care system.
As he points out, the majority of doctors, nurses and the American people support single payer.
Michael Moore supports single payer.
Ralph Nader supports single payer.
But Obama opposes single payer.
And Michael Moore supports Obama?
And he calls Nader's voters crazy?
No, what's crazy is supporting someone opposed to what you believe in.
(What about the third party voters who supported abolition of slavery and women's suffrage? Were they crazy too?)
In honor of Michael Moore calling all of us crazy, here's what we are going to do.
For a donation of $100 or more now to our campaign (must be received by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday August 20), we will send you a copy of Michael's classic DVD -- Sicko.
The DVD includes a whole bunch of great extras including:
- SICKO Goes to Washington
- This Country Beats France
- Uniquely American
- What if you worked for G.E. in France?
- Sister Mary Fidel
- Who Would Jesus Deny?
- More with Mike & Tony Benn
- A Different Kind of Hollywood Premiere
- 'Alone Without You' Music Video Performed By The Nightwatchman and Interview Gallery
You'll be getting a copy of the best argument yet for single payer.
And you'll be supporting the most viable single payer campaign in the nation.
Plus, we'll send you a copy of the classic anti-war DVD -- Awake from Your Slumber -- featuring Ralph Nader and Patti Smith -- autographed by Ralph Nader.
The DVD features a sweeping 2005 anti-war speech by Nader plus an opening poem by Patti Smith titled Shock and Awe about the bombing of Baghdad.
It ends with Patti's rousing anthem -- People Have the Power.
In addition the 28-minute video, the DVD includes three additional songs performed by Patti Smith and an interview of Ralph Nader by Amy Goodman on corporate power.
So, that's two powerful DVDs -- Awake from Your Slumber autographed by Ralph Nader and Sicko -- for a $100 or more contribution to our campaign now.
Today, let's all of us crazy ones band together.
And push the Nader/Gonzalez campaign into the debates.
And into a possible three-way race.
For Medicare for all.
And against the corporate Democrats and their ongoing spinelessness that will lose another election --- a la Dukakis, Mondale, Kerry, and Gore.
We need 480 of you to donate $100 or more now.
To reach our goal of $50,000 by August 20.
And we'll send to you -- crazy Nader voter -- a copy of Sicko. (Even if you already have it or have seen it, get another copy and pass it on to a friend. Tell them you are a crazy Nader voter for single payer.)
Plus a copy of Awake from Your Slumber.
Join the legion of crazy Nader voters.
Together, we are making a difference.
Onward to November
The Nader Team
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
tina susmanthe los angeles timesthe new york timescampbell robertsonriyadh muhammedthe washington postsudarsan raghavansaad sarhandeborah haynes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)