Saturday, October 25, 2008

The treaty

Fearing political division in the parliament and in his country, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki won't sign the just-completed agreement on the status of U.S. forces in Iraq, a leading lawmaker said Friday.
The new accord's demise would be a major setback for the Bush administration, which has been seeking to establish a legal basis for the extended presence of the 151,000 U.S. troops in this country, and for Iraq, which won notable concessions in the draft accord reached a week ago.
"No, he will not" submit the agreement to the parliament, Sheikh Jalal al Din al Sagheer, the deputy head of the Shiite Muslim Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, told McClatchy. "For this matter, we need national consensus."



The above is from Roy Gutman's "Iraq's prime minister won't sign U.S. troop deal" (McClatchy Newspapers) and don't count the treaty out yet. al-Maliki is a US puppet and the administration wants the deal. You might think that the State Dept -- which has been doing a strong diplomatic push for the last five weeks -- would be in a tizzy over the latest news; however, they seem highly non-plussed. A sure sign that something more is planned. On the front page of today's New York Times, Alissa J. Rubin offers "As Iraq Takes Control, Puzzle Over Prisoners" which asks what happenes at US prisons like Camp Bucca when Iraq has control or something resembling it? Rubin writes:

Under the proposed new rules, the United States military would need Iraqi permission to make arrests and then would have to turn suspects over to the Iraqi authorities within 24 hours.

Less clear, however, is what will happen to those already in detention -- about 1,000 people in all.

And the answer? Less clear is as clear as it gets. Inside the paper, James Risen offers "Pentagon Finds Company Violated Its Contract on Electrical Work at Bases in Iraq" which involves the Pentagon's finding that KBR is in "serious contractual noncompliance" and the paper ads that there are more records about safety violations than were previously known (at least 18 lives have been lost due to electrical 'work' by US contractors in Iraq).


Kimberly Wilder (On The Wilder Side) notes AFP's "Forgotten candidates for US president may still impact race" which is an overview of all the candidates running for president:

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama have captured the limelight in the race for the US presidency, but they are not the only ones running: 12 forgotten candidates are also chasing the keys to the White House.

Kimberly Wilder is a Green and supporting her party's nominee, Cynthia McKinney, so we'll note this section on McKinney from the article:

Like the Democrats, the Green Party also has an African-American candidate in Cynthia McKinney, a Georgia congresswoman from 1993 to 2003.
McKinney will be on the ballot in 32 states, and could possibly peel off voters from Obama in key states due to her support among women, blacks and anti-war advocates.
"Obama cannot take the peace vote for granted. There are peace candidates running from across the political spectrum," said Kevin Zeese, executive director of anti-war group Voters for Peace.

And just to correct two things, any vote Cynthia recieves (true of all candidates) is a vote she won, not one she 'peeled off'. Second, Cynthia McKinney is the ONLY African-American candidate. Prior to running for the presidency, Barack regularly (and repeatedly) billed himself as "African American" in Columbia's alumni publication. He said he did so to note both countries and explained it was not hyphenated because he wasn't African-American. When even uber Obama supporter Donna Brazile can use the proper terms (bi-racial, mixed race) on Charlie Rose, you'd think the press might be able to.

The following community sites have updated since Friday morning:

Rebecca's Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Betty's Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man;
Cedric's Cedric's Big Mix;
Kat's Kat's Korner;
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


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.












thomas friedman is a great man





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Friday, October 24, 2008

Iraq snapshot

Friday, October 24, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue, concerns rise regarding Iraqi Christians, the "Awakening" members forgotten?, and more.
 
Today Mary Beth Sheridan (Washington Post) observes, "But the violence diminished with the creation of 'Awakening' groups, U.S.-paid patrols of mostly Sunni fighters who broke with insurgents and allied with U.S. forces."  'Awakening' members are Sunni thugs put on the US payroll in order to stop the attacks on the US.  It's the "fork over your lunch money" strategy playground 'strategy' as US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen David Petraeus made clear in their testimonies to Congress in April.  For some US currency, the attacks would stop and the US would step out of the way and let the "Awakening" take over various regions providing 'security' which struck many residents as a reign of terror. October 1st, the puppet government in Iraq was supposed to take over nearly half the "Awakening" members (but even that portion remains on the US payroll).  Nouri al-Maliki has never trusted the "Awakenings" and has staffed his ministries with his own Shi'ite thugs.  Petraeus has repeatedly praised the "Awakenings" as providing security to Iraq.  Where do things stand now?  Earlier in the week, Surdarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) reported on the issue and noted it "is already touching off new conflicts that could deepen without U.S. military backing for the movement.  They have stripped traditional tribal leaders of influence.  They have carved up Sunni areas into fiefdoms, imposing their views on law and society and weakening the authority of the Shiite-led central government.  Divisions are emerging among the new breed of tribal leaders, even as they are challenging established Sunni religious parties for political dominance."  The "Awakening" presence was felt last year after repeated kick start attempts (always hailed as a 'turned corner' by the press) going back to 2005.  The pay-offs were one aspect of the counter-insurgency strategies being deployed against Iraqis. Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee, supports counter-insurgency and has the bulk of those responsible for the assault on Iraqis on his advisory board (Sarah Sewell, Samantha Power, et al).  So it's no surprise that Time quotes him insisting, "The Sunni awakening changed the dynamic in Iraq fundamentally.  It could not have occured unless there were some contacts and intermediaries to peel off those who are tribal leaders, regional leaders, Sunni nationalists, from a more radical messianic brand of insurgency." [Note: Time is down for "scheduled maintenance session" -- that web address was given to me over the phone.  If it does not work, Google the quote and you will find it.]
 
Tim King (Salem-News) observes: "At least half of them are being cut loose and Iraq is expected to take over the payments for a little more than half the program. Most members of this group believe they will not see any payments from their now country. Cutting off the payments to the Sons of Iraq is a colossal mistake. The checkpoints operated by the Sons of Iraq are exactly what has brought the peace to Iraq. Ending them is foolish, but we are doing it. These are mostly Sunni Muslims and they had a place in the Shiite government with the Sons of Iraq, but we are allowing one of the war's few success stories to end, and likely have not even begun to see the repercussions that are sure to come."  The "Awakening" members fear they will be arrested or worse and on the issue of arrests, 
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reported Monday, "Police arrested three Sahwa members in Mustafa neighborhood in Baquba, according to arrest warrants." (Sahwa and Sons Of Iraq are other names for "Awakening" members.)
 
Meanwhile the crisis continues for Iraqi Christians.  Mark MacKinnon (Globe and Mail) speaks with Father Sabri al-Maqdessy who explains, "Christians have always been targeted by different groups in the Middle East because we are the only people without a tirbal system to protect us or that political power to give us security.  The church is weak.  The Vatican does not have tanks. . . .  Everyone is leaving.  If the situation continues the way it is for another 10 years, 20 at most, you won't see any Christians left here."  Mission News Network via Crosswalk.com quotes Open Doors USA's president Carl Moeller, "I'm afraid it's actually getting worse.  The Christian community continues to be terrorized by extremists and basically are being forced out of homes at gunpoint, children and elderly people being murdered.  This is a real crisis.  Not just a Christian crisis, but a real humanitarian crisis for the country of Iraq." UN High Comissioner for Refugees spokesperson Ron Redmond addressed the topic in Geneva today:
 
UNHCR is helping thousands of Iraqi Christians who have fled the northern city of Mosul over the past fortnight, most of them to villages elsewhere in Ninewa province but also about 400 who have crossed into Syria.  It is still not clear who is behind the intimidation that caused them to flee.  More than 2,200 families, or some 13,000 people, are estimated to have left Mosul by mid-week, mostly to safe areas to the north and east of the city.  That is more than half of Mosul's Christian population.  They have also fled to the neighboring governorates of Dahuk, Erbil and Kirkuk. Most have been taken in by other Christian families.  The displacement now appears to be slowing, according to UNHCR staff in the region.  UNHCR Iraq and its partners have delivered aid to at least 1,725 of the displaced families in about 20 ares of northern Iraq.  In Syria, meanwhile, UNHCR Representative Laurens Jolles reports that many Christians from Mosul have been systematically targeted and no longer feel safe there.  UNHCR will provide support for those Iraqis who seek refuge in neighborhing countries and we very much appreciate that Syria countinues to welcome refugees.  Syria already hosts at least 1.2 million Iraqis.
 
This as Assyrian International News Agency reports that Yonadam Kanna ("leader of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and member of Iraq's parliament") has called for the troops in Mosul to be pulled and new ones to be sent in, "We call for an exchange of the troops who failed to protect the Christians in their areas with new troops who are able to bring security to these areas."  And in a new development, AINA reports, "The auxiliary bishop of the Chaldean Church of Babylon in Iraq, His eminence Shlemon Warduni, expressed support on Friday for the establishment of an administrative area for the minorities living in the Nineveh Plain. Speaking to the reporter of the webzine ankawa.com, the high ranking church leader made it clear his church has changed its stand on the administrative unit issue. . . . The Iraqi constitution allows for the establishment of local rule for minorities in areas where they have considerable numbers. The Assyrian Democratic Movement, the political party supported by an overwhelming majority of Assyrians from all church denominations during the last national elections, announced during a 2003 conference in Baghdad it endorses the idea of making the minority dense Nineveh Plain area into an administrative unit according to the Iraqi constitution. Since then, an increasing number of Assyrian representatives from the political and religious sphere have supported the plan."
 
In some of today's reported violence, Reuters notes a Kut mortar attack that claimed the lives of 3 children (two more wounded).  AndReuters notes 1 Iraqi soldier was shot dead outside Tuz Khurmato and wounded two others.
 
 
Stopping for the public airwaves (and all listed can be streamed), in public radio news, WBAI Monday features Judy Collins. Collins and Kenny White appear on Janet Coleman and David Dozer's Cat Radio Cafe along with playwright Shem Bitterman.  The program airs Monday at 2:00 p.m. EST.  Public television? NOW on PBS offers a report on the nursing crisis: "According to a government study, by the year 2020, there could be a nationwide shoratge of up to one million nurses, which could result in substandard treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients.  Just as alarming, fewer nurses are choosing to teach the next generation of professionals, resulting in tens of thousands of applicants being turned away from the nation's nursing schools."  NOW on PBS begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (check local listings) as does Washington Week which finds Gwen joined by journalists Shailagh Murray (Washington Post), Michael Viqueira (NBC) and David Shribman (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and, for the child-at-heart, Gwen also provides two circus clowns on the panel.
 
Turning to the US race for president.  Barack Obama is not a Socialist or a Communist (or a socialist or a communist).  He is a Corporate War Hawk.  But the confusion is understandable considering all the efforst to prop Baby Barry up throughout the Democratic Party primary by non-Democrats.  It's the general election and Barack's just received his latest endorsement from a Socialist or a Communist: Howard Zinn. (Zinn is a Socialist.)   Watch him make an ass out of himself via the so-called "Real" News.  Mickey Z (Dissident Voice) provides the takedown for that pathetic sort of cowardice: "This strategy of choosing an alleged 'lesser evil' because he/she might be influenced by some mythical 'popular movement' would be naive if put forth by a high school student.  Professors [Noam] Chomsky and Zinn know better.  If it's incremental change they want, why not encourage their many readers to vote for Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney?  The classic (read: absurd) reply to that question is: 'Because Nader or McKinney can't win.'  Of course they can't win if everyone who claims to agree with them inexplicably votes for Obama instead.  Paging Alice: You're wanted down the ______ rabbit hole."  And on the subject of Noam Chomsky, let's drop back to 2007 when Panhandle Media was far less concerned with propping up Weather Underground.  This is Michael Alpert of ZNet (ZMag) speaking to Amy Goodman in April of 2007:
 
Michael Albert: One example was, Weatherman was a group that was engaged in activity at the time.  It was part of SDS, not a part I was belonged to, but they wanted to recruit me.  At a particular moment, I went into Noam's office, and I asked him about it, this recruitment effort by them and whether -- you know, how I should relate.  Noam was loath to give people advice about what to do in their life or about strategy. 
 
Amy Goodman: And explain what the Weathermen were.
 
Michael Albert: The Weathermen were a very -- they were the most militant, most violent wing of SDS.  Their analysis was a bit peculiar.  I don't think we need to go into details.  But in any case, so I asked him about that, and he was very loath to do that, but in this particular case -- we were already pretty close, and he -- you know, he didn't want me to make an error, so he did make a suggestion.  And he sort of said very quickly, he said, "They're wonderful people.  They're great people.  They're moved well.  I mean, their motives are good.  Some of them are going to die.  Some of them are going to hurt others.  They're going to have very little effect on the well-being of people around the world because of what they're doing."  And in a phrase, right, he captured what was there, and his advice was important.  I don't think it was a difinitive in my choice not to join, but it certainly would have been a big factor.
 
And there's actually a lot more to the above anecdote.  (I know Michael, I've heard the anecdote repeately over the years in expanded form.)  But Chomsky is warning Albert against the Weathermen.  The Weathermen, Chomsky is arguing, is too dangerous.  The Weathermen is the group that breaks off from SDS and will become Weather Underground.  The Weathermen do the Days of Rage in Chicago (1969). 
 
And let's do a book plug.  Paul Street's Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics came out last month and Street's one of the few on the left who has not embarrassed himself in 2008.  And here's Street mentioning his book at ZNet: "It shows Obama and his marketers working effectively to create a false left impression among certain targeted voters.  As I demonstrate, Obama posed as a left-leaning antiwar and social justice progressive, donning deceptive rebel's clothing in numerous speeches, town hall meetings, and television commericals through much of the primary campaign.  He claimed falsely to be a dedicated opponent of American emprie, war and inequality, even going to the sickening point of telling Iowa voters that they could 'join the movement to stop the [Iraq] war' by Caucusing for him.  For all his claims to be a nobel reformer 'above the fray' of America's plutocracy and 'ideological' politics, the real Obama excavated in my study is no special exception to -- and is in many ways an epitome of -- what the still-left Christopher Hitchens called (in his 1999 study of the Bill and Hillary Clinton phenomenon) 'the essence of American politics.  This essence, when distilled,' Hitchens explained, 'consists of the manipulation of populism by elitism'."  If you use the link to the article, you should check out the comments as well (Street's contributing to the comments).  But to clarify something for this site: As repeatedly stated here, Barack is not a Socialist.  However, as Ava and I noted -- addressing Leela's brave piece of writing:
 
First, thank you to Dee Dee for finding that post and e-mailing to ask that it be highlighted. Second, read what Leela's saying. We don't agree with her view of Democrats. We do, however, know where's she's coming from on that view. Her view is the sort of thing that can start a conversation. It may never bring feminists into one political party's tent (we don't think that should be a goal of the feminist movement short of a feminist party being started), but conversations can illuminate and increase our understandings.

Leela is obviously upset (first hint, her title), so even though we disagree with her view of the Democratic Party (re: Socialism), we would have first registered that she was upset and then attempted to engage. That didn't really happen on the thread and we'll assume that was due to the anger/ill will her view caused others.

But here's the reality: some people do see the Democratic Party as a Socialist Party. Some people see the Republican Party as an Evangelical Party. Neither belief is accurate but to understand each other, we need to understand where we are all coming from."
 
That is the reality of perceptions.  (And of course alleged brainiac Rachel Maddow doesn't grasp that there is a difference between Socialism and Communism.)  For this site, we are a left site and see no Socialism in Barack.  But the right insisting Barack's a Socialist are not necessarily lying or even wrong.  The terms are largely undefined in discussions today (again, allegedly educated Maddow -- from the center -- expressed on her bad MSNBC show this week that Socialism and Communism were the same thing).  Leela is among the women blogging at Citizen Girl, by the way. And the US has a Socialist in Congress, Senator Bernie Sanders.  But -- as is usually the case -- 'helpers' and the 'shocked' obscure reality by referring to him as 'independent.'  He is a Socialist openly and the refusal to apply that label goes a long way towards explaining how screwed up US politics are.  Another sign of the sickness in the US is this country's Socialist Worker and crap like Ashley Smith's "Fighting for what we want" that wants to argue there's no difference on the wars between the McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden ticket (there isn't) but uses pejoratives for McCain-Palin ("moronic," "knuckle dragging") but not for Obama-Biden.  It's not even-handed and it does imply -- by insulting only one side -- that one ticket is 'better.'  There is no difference on the Iraq War between the tickets for the two major parties.  One would assume an allegedly Socialist periodical would have no reason to take sides between two Corporatist candidates.  There's a lot more honesty -- from their political perspective (right-wing) -- in Stanley Kurtz' most recent National Review piece: "In short, the New Party was a mid-1990s effort to build a 'progressive' coalition to the left of the Democratic party, uniting left-leaning baby boomers with minorities, relatively militant unionists, and 'idealistic' young people."
 
Moving over to political lies, Mark Hosenball (Newsweek) underscores a big lie that passed with little attention, "'All the public reports suggested,' Obama said, that people shouted 'things like 'terrorist' and 'kill him'.' Making a death threat against a presidential candidate can be a crime. But even before Obama cited "reports" of the threats at the debate, the U.S. Secret Service had told media outlets, including NEWSWEEK, that it was unable to corroborate accounts of the 'kill him' remarks--and according to a law-enforcement official, who asked for anonymity when discussing a political matter, the Obama campaign knew as much. Now some officials are disgruntled that Obama gave added credence to the threat by mentioning it in front of 60 million viewers. At this point in the campaign, said one, candidates will 'say anything to make a particular point.'"  [For more on that topic, see this snapshot from last week.]
 
On the subject of political lies, yes, people in the US do have the right not to vote.  That is their decision and it can be a perfectly acceptable one despite the harping from certain quarters that insist "YOU MUST VOTE!".  Linda Averill (FSN via Information Clearing House) explains that position and also provides some history:
 
Outrageous rules, media censorship, private financing of campaigns, and sheer thuggery have marginalized political parties that compete with labor's fake friend, the Democratic Party. This includes even parties like the Greens, who simply want to reform capitalism.
It's not people who vote socialist or Green who throw away their votes. The system does it! U.S. elections are "winner take all." If a socialist gets 20 percent of the vote, a Green gets 15 percent, and a Democrat gets 51 percent -- all votes go to the Democrat.
Things weren't always so sewn up. At the start of the 20th century, socialists ran on explicitly pro-labor, anti-capitalist platforms. And they won seats -- more than 1,200 offices nationwide.
To eliminate the threat this posed, the Democrats and Republicans launched a political witch-hunt. Socialist party offices were raided, pro-labor representatives were denied their seats, radicals were tossed in jail, and restrictive ballot laws were passed.
 
Averill closes by quoting Mother Jones: "I have never had a vote, and I have raised hell all over this country.  You don't need a vote to raise hell!  You need convictions and a voice!"
 
Those who wish to vote will have many choices to chose from (except for the state of Oklahoma whose restrictive laws allow voters to only pick the Democratic or Republican presidential ticket).  Ther is the Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney who will appear Saturday October 25 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. Cynthia's running mate is Rosa Clemente and Cynthia will be in Seattle:

The Washington State Power To The People Campaign has announced that Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney will be visiting Seattle on Sunday, October 26th and Monday, October 27th. Scheduled activities include:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

* 3pm - 7pm
"Vote...Then What?
From The Day After The Election Onward: Strategies for Community Organizing, Greening & Reconstruction"
Umojafest Peace Center
24th Ave & E Spring St, Seattle
The public is invited to attend.

Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in support of grassroots and institutional solutions to violence and other issues plaguing urban communities nationwide. This event is hosted by the Umojafest Peace Center and the McKinney/Clemente 2008 Power To The People Campaign. The program will include hip-hop and spoken word performances, speakers from youth and community based organizations, and a showing of the award-winning film, American Blackout.

Monday, October 27, 2008

* 11am - 12:30pm
"The Power of Student Movements: How to Use Your Campus as a Tool to Change the World!"
Broadway Performance Hall
Broadway at Pine Street, Seattle
The public is invited.

Ms. McKinney will address the growing concerns of students, the need for student leadership, and how students can organize on campus to engage in and impact social justice struggles and make meaningful contributions to communities outside school. This event will be hosted by the Black Student Union of Seattle Central Community College.
 
The Republican presidential candidate is John McCain, Sarah Palin is his running mate.  
 
"And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students." -- Governor Sarah Palin, 10/24/08


Governor Palin Has A Proven Record Of Commitment To Special Needs Children:

Governor Palin Has Increased Funding For Special Needs Education. Overall funding for Special Needs students has increased every year since Sarah Palin entered office, from $219 million in 2007 to a projected $276 million in 2009. Breakdown below:
  • FY07: $219,358,041
  • FY08: $220,420,268
  • FY09: $275,827,909
On March 28, 2008, Governor Palin Signed Legislation That Will Nearly Triple
Per-Pupil Funding Over Three Years For Special Needs Students With High-
Cost Requirements. Per-pupil breakdown below:
  • FY08: $26,900
  • FY09: $49,320
  • FY10: $61,380
  • FY11: $73,840
Governor Palin Has Directed State Funds To Other Special Needs Programs.
This funding includes $500,000 for diagnostic services for autistic children and $250,000 for training in early autism intervention in her FY2009 budget.

The Executive Director Of The Association Of Alaska School Boards Called
The New Funding Palin Fought For A "Historic Event." "Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a 'historic event,'
and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets."
("Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding," Education Week, 4/30/08)

Families Of Special Needs Children "Have Been Flocking To Palin Rallies ...
They Say, Because Her Story Is Theirs, Too." But in the sea of faces, nearly everywhere she goes, she encounters people who aren't really there for the politics. ... Families of children with Down syndrome have been flocking to
Palin rallies. They come to shake her hand, grab a hug or snap a picture,
drawn there, they say, because her story is theirs, too." (Savannah Guthrie,
NBC "Nightly News," 10/14/08)
 
Scott Conroy (CBS News) reports, "The Alaska governor, whose infant son Trig has Down syndrome, said that a McCain/Palin administration would allow more flexibility for parents to choose their children's schools, committed to fully fund the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, and promised to reform and refocus special needs services."  This was a major speech and text of it (and video) is up at McCain-Palin:
 
Too often, even in our own day, children with special needs have been set apart and excluded. Too often, state and federal laws add to their challenges, instead of removing barriers and opening new paths of opportunity. Too often, they are made to feel that there is no place for them in the life of our country, that they don't count or have nothing to contribute. This attitude is a grave disservice to these beautiful children, to their families, and to our country -- and I will
work to change it.

One of the most wonderful experiences in this campaign has been to see all the families of children with special needs who come out to rallies and events just
like this. We have a bond there. We know that children with special needs
inspire a special love. You bring your sons and daughters with you, because
you are proud of them, as I am of my son.

My little fella sleeps during most of these rallies, even when they get pretty rowdy. He would be amazed to know how many folks come out to see him instead of me.

When I learned that Trig would have special needs, honestly, I had to prepare my
heart. At first I was scared, and Todd and I had to ask for strength and understanding. 
 
I did a lot of praying for that understanding, and strength, and to see purpose.

And what's been confirmed in me is every child has something to contribute to the
world, if we give them that chance. You know that there are the world's standards of perfection, and then there are God's, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake. And the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.

As for our baby boy, Trig, for Todd and me he is only more precious because he is vulnerable. In some ways, I think we stand to learn more from him than he does
from us. When we hold Trig and care for him, we don't feel scared anymore. We feel blessed.

Of course, many other families are much further along a similar path -- including my best friend who happens to be my sister, Heather, and her 13-year old son Karcher, who has autism. Heather and I have worked on this for over a decade. Heather is an advocate for children with autism in Alaska. And as governor, I've succeeded in securing additional funding and assistance for students with special needs. By 2011, I will have tripled the funding available to these students.

Heather and I have been blessed with a large, strong family network. Our family helps make sure that Trig and Karcher have what they need. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that strong network of support. And the experiences of those millions of Americans point the way to better policy in the care of children with special needs.

One of the most common experiences is the struggle of parents to find the best and earliest care for their children. The law requires our public schools to serve children with special needs, but often the results fall far short of the service they need. Even worse, parents are left with no other options, except for the few families that can afford private instruction or therapy.

Many of you parents here have been through the drill: You sit down with teachers and counselors to work out the IEP -- an individual education plan for your child. The school may be trying its best, but they're overstretched. They may keep
telling you that your child is "progressing well," and no extra services are required. They keep telling you that -- but you know better.

You know that your children are not getting all of the help they need, at a time when  they need it most. The parents of children with special needs ask themselves every day if they are doing enough, if they are doing right by their sons and daughters. And when our public school system fails to render help and equal opportunity -- and even prevents parents from seeking it elsewhere that is unacceptable.

In a McCain-Palin administration, we will put the educational choices for special needs children in the right hands their parents'. Under reforms that I will lead as vice president, the parents and caretakers of children with physical or mental disabilities will be able to send that boy or girl to the school of their choice -- public or private.
 
And McCain picks up another endorsement today, South Carolina's The State which asserts that "we prefer Sen. McCain. First and foremost, he is far better prepared not only to be commander in chief, but to lead the nation as it deals with a complex array of global challenges, from Iran to North Korea, from Russia to Venezuela. Consider two widely different areas of foreign policy, Iraq and Colombia.  Sen. McCain has often led the charge against the Bush administration when it was wrong on national security, from the 9/11 Commission (working with Joe Biden to make that happen) to the use of torture. But the most dramatic case regards Iraq. For years, he insisted we needed to send more troops. When Mr. Bush finally agreed to the "surge," Sen. McCain was Gen. David Petraeus' most conspicuous supporter. The surge worked. Sen. McCain was for it, and Sen. Obama was against. That's no accident. Sen. McCain's support arose from his superior understanding of the situation and how to approach it."
 
Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and Matt Gonzalez is his running mate.  The campaign has toured all fifty states and this Saturday?  "Nader to Attempt Guinness World Record on Saturday: Massachusetts Marathon, Most Speeches in 24-Hours:"

This Saturday, Ralph Nader will hold campaign events in 21 cities across Massachusetts in an attempt to set a sanctioned Guinness World Record
to give the most speeches in a 24-hour time period. The minimum threshold
he must meet is 15. He is scheduled to deliver over 315 minutes of speeches
and drive over 365 miles. Each speech will last at least 10 minutes and will
tackle a separate issue.

Nader/Gonzalez campaign events are scheduled to be held in the
following cities:

Boston, Cambridge, Belmont, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Lexington,
Concord, Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Worcester, Auburn, Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, West Springfield, Westfield, Stockbridge
and Sheffield.

There is an additional van for intrepid journalists who want to chronicle the adventure from start to finish.

For a full itinerary or other related inquires, please contact Ryan Mehta at
408-348-0681, or Rob Socket at 202-471-5833.
 
And events are lined out throughout the final days of the race.  One just announced will take place November 2nd:

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RALPH NADER TO SPEAK IN ALLENTOWN

WHO: Ralph Nader

WHAT: Campaign rally/speech on the Wall Street bailout and other current
issues

WHEN: Sunday November 2 at 7:30pm

WHERE: Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1533 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18102

On Sunday, November 2 at 7:30pm, consumer advocate and Presidential candidate
Ralph Nader will hold a press conference followed by a rally in Scottish Rite Cathedral.
He will speak about the Wall St. Bailout, single-payer health care, the Iraq
War, the environment, and the state of the Presidential debates from which
he was excluded.

Ralph Nader is the only Presidential candidate who recommends jail time,
not bail time for Wall Street fat cats (and the only one who has been pointing
out the risks of deregulation for the last 20 years).  He is the number three contender for the Presidency, America's number one consumer advocate,
and he has real solutions to our economic woes.
 
 

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Just as the situation seemed to be stabilizing, a spate of murders in recent weeks targeting the Christian community of the nearby city of Mosul has sparked a new exodus. Another 1,500 families have fled Mosul in the past month, with many of those arriving at St. Josephs, looking for shelter and food.
"Christians have always been targeted by different groups in the Middle East because we are the only people without a tribal system to protect us or the political power to give us security," the bald, soft-spoken priest said as we chatted inside the stone-walled compound of St. Joseph's, which from the street looks as much like a castle than a place of worship. "The church is weak. The Vatican does not have tanks."
Just as worrying for Father Sabri are those who are leaving Ainkawa. Theyre not returning to their homes, but headed for new lives in the West, leaving Iraq behind. As much as half of Iraqs prewar Christian population of 800,000 is believed to have emigrated since 2003.
"Everyone is leaving. If the situation continues the way it is for another 10 years, 20 at most, you won't see any Christians left here."

The above, noted by Vic, is from Mark MacKinnon's "The plight and flight of Iraq's Christians" (Globe and Mail) and the priest being quoted is Father Sabri al-Maqdessy. On the same topic, Crosswalk.com includes this paragraph in today's news summary:


Mission News Network reports that the situation facing Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul is not improving. "I'm a afraid it's actually getting worse," said President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller. "The Christian community continues to be terrorized by extremists and basically are being forced out of homes at gunpoint, children and elderly people being murdered. This is a real crisis. Not just a Christian crisis, but a real humanitarian crisis for the country of Iraq." Coalition forces in the area are not authorized to aid Christians, however, as the situation is viewed as an internal matter. "[I]t's really an international crisis where the Christian community is in danger of being extinguished completely in Mosul... The city itself is being religiously cleansed of Christians." Moeller believes al Qaeda is behind the attacks.

Ed West's "Global Persecution of Church intensifies" (United Kingdom's Catholic Herald via Catholic Online) examines the issue worldwide and notes the following of Iraq specifically:

In other countries instability or anarchy has led to increased persecution. Several thousand Iraqi Christians remain displaced after two weeks of violence in the city of Mosul that left at least 13 Christians dead. A church was firebombed in the city last Tuesday as the country's leading Shia cleric condemned the ongoing attacks.

Some 800 Christians have been murdered since the US-led invasion in 2003 and half the country's 800,000 faithful have fled the country. Last week Iraq's leading Catholic churchman, the Chaldean patriarch Cardinal Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad, described the "disastrous and tragic" situation in his country at the Synod of Bishops on the Bible in Rome, saying life in Iraq was like the Way of the Cross for many people."Peace and security are lacking, just as the basic elements for daily life are lacking," he said, drawing applause from more than 200 bishops.

The suspected fragging murders in Iraq of 1st Lt Lou Allen and Capt Phil Esposito continue. From Robert Gavin's "Wives talk in frag case" (Albany Times Union):


"Occasionally he makes eye contact with me,'' Siobhan Esposito told a military prosecutor on the first day of testimony in Martinez's double-murder trial, "and it's with contempt."
Her husband, Capt. Phillip Esposito, 30, of Suffern, and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, 34, of Milford, Pa., were on a military base in Tikrit, Iraq, when a devastating Claymore mine exploded outside Esposito's living quarters and office about 10 p.m. on June 7, 2005. The men, who had been playing the board game Risk at the time, died the next day.
[. . .]
Capt. Esposito's widow, who now lives in Virginia, battled tears as she testified in the military courthouse, at Fort Bragg just outside Fayetteville. She last spoke to her husband, with whom she has a 5-year-old daughter named Madeline, on June 6, she said, and last saw him the prior New Year's Eve.
[. . .]
Allen's widow, Barbara Allen, next testified, but said nothing about Martinez on witness stand. But after the court session, when asked by reporters, she said there had been a "few occasions where he actually walked up to me" and looked her up and down. She said she brought it to the attention of military police, who took measures to avoid similar interactions.




Meanwhile Eddie notes this from Ayan Mittra "Fact check: Biden on Iraq" (Dallas Morning News):

CNN says this statement by Joe Biden is misleading: "George Bush is now backing the plan that Barack Obama suggested, which is to set a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq and turn over responsibility to the Iraqis." CNN said the Bush administration, like the Obama campaign, is considering a troop withdrawal timetable. But the Bush proposals are based on security improvements in Iraq, while Obama's are based on a 16-month timetable.

Joe Biden is the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Barack Obama is top of the ticket. Staying with the US presidential race,Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will appear Saturday October 25 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. Cynthia's running mate is Rosa Clemente and Cynthia will be in Seattle:

The Washington State Power To The People Campaign has announced that Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney will be visiting Seattle on Sunday, October 26th and Monday, October 27th. Scheduled activities include:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

* 3pm - 7pm
"Vote...Then What?
From The Day After The Election Onward: Strategies for Community Organizing, Greening & Reconstruction"
Umojafest Peace Center
24th Ave & E Spring St, Seattle
The public is invited to attend.

Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in support of grassroots and institutional solutions to violence and other issues plaguing urban communities nationwide. This event is hosted by the Umojafest Peace Center and the McKinney/Clemente 2008 Power To The People Campaign. The program will include hip-hop and spoken word performances, speakers from youth and community based organizations, and a showing of the award-winning film, American Blackout.

Monday, October 27, 2008

* 11am - 12:30pm
"The Power of Student Movements: How to Use Your Campus as a Tool to Change the World!"
Broadway Performance Hall
Broadway at Pine Street, Seattle
The public is invited.

Ms. McKinney will address the growing concerns of students, the need for student leadership, and how students can organize on campus to engage in and impact social justice struggles and make meaningful contributions to communities outside school. This event will be hosted by the Black Student Union of Seattle Central Community College.

In addition, today, Cynthia is on:

Friday, October 24

C-SPAN

Washington Journal

9:00 am EST

John McCain is the Republican presidential candidate and Sarah Palin is his running mate. Becky notes this from McCain-Palin:

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New Television Ad: "Ladies And Gentlemen"
ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Ladies and Gentlemen." The ad highlights Joe Biden -- Barack Obama's own running-mate -- guaranteeing an international crisis if Barack Obama is elected. Because of Barack Obama's inexperience, Joe Biden has guaranteed the American people that the world will test Barack Obama within the first six months of being elected. If Barack Obama's vote against the surge and response to the Russia-Georgia crisis are any indication, Americans can't afford to see if he passes the test or not. The ad will be televised in key states.

VIEW THE AD HERE:

Script For "Ladies And Gentlemen" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Listen to Joe Biden.

Talking about what electing Barack Obama will mean.

JOE BIDEN: Mark my words.

It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama.

The world is looking.

We're going to have an international crisis ... to test the mettle of this guy.

I guarantee you it's gonna happen.

ANNCR: It doesn't have to happen.

Vote McCain.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

AD FACTS: Script For "Ladies And Gentlemen" (TV :30)

ANNCR: Listen to Joe Biden. Talking about what electing Barack Obama will mean. JOE BIDEN: Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama. The world is looking. We're going to have an international crisis ... to test the mettle of this guy. I guarantee you it's gonna happen. ANNCR: It doesn't have to happen. Vote McCain. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Joe Biden: Mark my words. Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. ... The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough - I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate. And he's gonna need help." (Joe Biden, Remarks, Seattle, WA, 10/19/08)

Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and Matt Gonzalez is his running mate. Samantha notes this from Team Nader:

Help Ralph Get Into Guinness Book of Records

Posted by The Nader Team on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 04:53:00 PM

Help Ralph Get Into Guinness Book of Records .

Drop a $2 bill on Nader/Gonzalez.

C-Span 2 is going to air the Third Party Debate live tonight at 9 p.m. EST.

Former New York Times reporter Chris Hedges is going to moderate.

If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, please come on down to the Mayflower Hotel and watch live and in person.

Also, we consider the $2 bill a good luck charm.

And we’re going to need all the luck we can get on Saturday.

Why?

Because it’s now official.

Our national media coordinator just got off a long distance phone call to the UK with the head of the Guinness Book of World Records.

He just confirmed it.

With your help, Ralph will make it into the Guinness record book this Saturday.

Ralph will campaign in 21 cities and towns across Massachusetts in one day.

Guinness says that if hits 15, he’ll be in the record books — most campaign speeches in a 24-hour period.

But we’re shooting for 21.

Each speech will last ten minutes and will tackle a separate issue — single payer, poverty, Palestine — you get the idea.

On Saturday, Ralph is scheduled to deliver 315 minutes of speeches — and we’ll be driving 365 miles.

In one day.

Events are now scheduled in the following towns:

Boston, Cambridge, Southborough, Somerville, Medford, Arlington, Lexington, Concord, Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Worcester, Auburn, Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, West Springfield, Westfield, Stockbridge and Sheffield.

Help Ralph Get Into Guinness Book of Records

If you are in the Massachusetts area, come on out and meet Ralph and the Nader Road Crew as we zip across the Commonwealth. (For complete schedule, including times of each stop go to votenader.org/marathon)

If not, donate $2, or $20, or whatever you can afford now to fund Nader’s Mass Marathon.

We need to rent the cars and vans, pay the advance teams, feed the hard working Nader’s Raiders road crew, rent the multiple GPS systems.

And we need to meet our latest fundraising goal of $200,000 by tomorrow midnight.

So, donate now and then watch the widget zoom to the goal line.

And deliver Ralph into the Guinness book.


Onward to November

The Nader Team


PS: If you donate $100 or more now, we will ship to you our corporate crime package. The package includes two books and a DVD: Gangster Capitalism by Michael Woodiwiss, The Cheating of America by Charles Lewis, Bill Allison and the Center for Public Integrity, and a DVD of our Wall Street rally. (This offer ends October 24, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.)



In public radio news, WBAI Monday features Judy Collins. Collins and Kenny White appear on Janet Coleman and David Dozer's Cat Radio Cafe along with playwright Shem Bitterman. Public television? NOW on PBS offers:

Nurses Needed
[Streaming video of this program will be available online after broadcast]
According to a government study, by the year 2020, there could be a nationwide shortage of up to one million nurses, which could result in substandard treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients. Just as alarming, fewer nurses are choosing to teach the next generation of professionals, resulting in tens of thousands of applicants being turned away from the nation's nursing schools.
"If there was ever a time in the history of this country when one thought about the match between a profession and the changing needs of people in the country, this is the time," Dr. Mary Naylor of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing tells NOW on PBS. Dr. Naylor points out the growing population of older people, many of whom are living with chronic conditions, is significantly increasing the demand for nurses.
This week, NOW on PBS takes a hard look at how the shortage of nurses is placing strains on the entire medical system, as well as innovative efforts to reverse the trend.
Can America solve its nursing crisis?

NOW on PBS begins airing on many PBS stations tonight (check local listings) as does Washington Week which finds Gwen joined by journalists Shailagh Murray (Washington Post), Michael Viqueira (NBC) and David Shribman (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and, for the child-at-heart, Gwen also provides two circus clowns on the panel.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.















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Iraq

The attack against Radhi occurred during the morning rush hour when a gray 1979 Toyota Land Cruiser slammed into his official motorcade in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad and exploded, authorities said. The minister is a member of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a major Shiite coalition partner of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The blast killed nine people and wounded 26, according to Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, the top spokesman for Iraqi military operations in Baghdad. Among the dead were three of the minister's bodyguards, including his nephew, according to a statement from the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry.
The explosion blew a hole in the street, sheared chunks of brick off buildings and damaged many cars in the area. The windows of stores surrounding the square were shattered, and glass carpeted the sidewalks.

The above is from Mary Beth Sheridan's "U.S. Cedes Control Over Iraq's Once-Bloody 'Triangle of Death'" (Washington Post) and the excerpt above is covering the attack on Mahmoud Muhammad al-Radhi's convoy which is a topic Katherine Zoepf also addresses in "Bomber Kills 11 in Attack on Iraqi Official" (New York Times):

Salam Rzoki, 35, was walking to work at a nearby photograph developing center and said he was about 100 yards away when the vehicle exploded.
"Iraqi security forces deployed around the scene and started shooting randomly to keep people away," Mr. Rzoki said. "I tried to cross the street to help the victims but a policeman told me to stay away. I explained that I just wanted to help the victims, and he refused me again, then pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot over my head."
A spokesman for the labor minister, Abdullah al-Lami, told Al Arabiya television that the bombing was "the latest in a series of criminal attacks that are targeting the development process in Iraq," The Associated Press reported.

In what may be Zoepf's first solo byline from Iraq, she's turned in a very well written article. Both articles note the 'handover' over Babil Province to Iraqis and Sheridan adds the following: "But the violence diminished with the creation of "Awakening" groups, U.S.-paid patrols of mostly Sunni fighters who broke with insurgents and allied with U.S. forces."

In the US presidential race, we'll note Matthew Power's "Left Behind" (UAE's The National)

On the day after the United States congress passed an unprecedented $700 billion bailout of the collapsing financial industry, Ralph Nader -- tireless consumer advocate, scourge of both Wall Street and K Street, scapegoat of the American Left, quadrennial presidential candidate -- held a campaign rally in the echoing lobby of an abandoned bank in Waterbury, Connecticut. It was his fourth official run for the presidency in as many elections. A large banner, reading Nader-Gonzalez 2008, was hung before the empty vault, and a sign marked "safe deposit boxes" pointed unreassuringly down a darkened stairwell. A dusty chandelier hung over the lectern, and a single red balloon had drifted up from its blue and white mates tied to a chair, resting against the peeling paint of the ceiling.
The rally’s setting may have been an unintentional allusion to America’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, or perhaps a clever piece of low-budget political stagecraft, but there were few present to appreciate such subtleties. Fifty or so people filled half of the folding chairs set up by campaign volunteers, or picked at the fruit and pastries laid on a table to one side. There were a few families, a clutch of college students, a scattering of geriatric hippies. After a few independent candidates for state and local offices took their turns stumping for votes, Nader himself walked to the lectern – at 74 a stooped, greying figure in a dark suit, with a voice so slow and deep it sounds like a 45rpm record played at 33. Half the room stood to give him an ovation; even among those who would come out on a Saturday morning to hear him speak, it seemed sentiment was divided.
Nader spoke forcefully, without a teleprompter or notes, infuriated at the current bailout plan, which he calls "Socialism coming to the rescue of Capitalism." "I warned of this for twenty years. It was deregulation that started it. And you can thank Bill Clinton, working hand in glove with the Republicans. Washington had Wall Street over a barrel. They could have gotten them to agree to anything." There was scattered clapping, hoots of approval, most vociferously from his own campaign volunteers manning a table at the back.
Nader laid the blame equally on Wall Street and the government – two villains, in Nader's view, whose unholy alliance represents everything wrong with contemporary American life. Instead of using the crisis as a chance to extract concessions from the finance industry, Nader argued, the government has used "Chicken Little" tactics to scare Americans into approving the publicly-financed bailout with no public hearings. "Instead of 13 colonies under King George the Third, we're 50 colonies under King George the Fifth. And this is taxation without representation!" Nader's voice echoed off the empty bank's high ceilings, like a prophet of economic doom.

Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and Matt Gonzalez is his running mate. Kayla notes this from Team Nader:

Pull Out the Stops Video

Posted by The Nader Team on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 10:17:00 AM

Pull Out the Stops Video .

We’re less than two weeks out.

As of yesterday, Ralph has campaigned in all 50 states.

Media exposure is picking up.

Crowds are getting bigger at the Nader rallies.

Last night, Ralph spoke before a packed crowd of over 1,000 in Boulder, Colorado.

Starting Monday, our radio ads will be playing in key states around the country.

On Saturday, Ralph will go for the world record for most campaign stops in a day as he motors across Massachusetts, hitting 21 towns and cities.

And tonight, Ralph will participate in a Third Party debate that will be shown live on C-Span at 9 p.m. EST.

We’re firing on all cylinders.

And as of this writing, we’re just $70,000 shy of meeting our goal of $200,000 by tomorrow night.

Pull Out the Stops Video

So, please, donate now whatever you can afford — $5, $10, $50, $100 — up to the legal limit of $2,300.

Or, if you haven’t purchased our Nader ‘08 Buffalo T-Shirt (men’s or women’s), please do so now.

Let’s drive the widget hard today.

Yesterday, late at night, the Nader Media Team pulled together a new video featuring National Campaign Coordinator Jason Kafoury.

Jason updates you — our loyal supporters — on where we stand — and where we’re heading.

Take a peek.

And then drive up the widget.

We haven’t missed a deadline yet this year.

Let’s get it done.


Onward to November

The Nader Team


PS: If you give $100 or more now, we’ll ship to you our No More Bailouts Package. The package includes two books and a DVD: Gangster Capitalism by Michael Woodiwiss, The Cheating of America by Charles Lewis, Bill Allison and the Center for Public Integrity, and a DVD of our Wall Street rally. (This offer ends October 24, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.)





A few notes. "Share This" is causing problems. For the same reason (Mozilla shutting down for some members), the feed to the McCain events has been removed from the side.

Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney will appear Saturday October 25 on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. Cynthia's running mate is Rosa Clemente and Cynthia will be in Seattle:
The Washington State Power To The People Campaign has announced that Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney will be visiting Seattle on Sunday, October 26th and Monday, October 27th. Scheduled activities include:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

* 3pm - 7pm
"Vote...Then What?
From The Day After The Election Onward: Strategies for Community Organizing, Greening & Reconstruction"
Umojafest Peace Center
24th Ave & E Spring St, Seattle
The public is invited to attend.

Cynthia McKinney will be speaking in support of grassroots and institutional solutions to violence and other issues plaguing urban communities nationwide. This event is hosted by the Umojafest Peace Center and the McKinney/Clemente 2008 Power To The People Campaign. The program will include hip-hop and spoken word performances, speakers from youth and community based organizations, and a showing of the award-winning film, American Blackout.

Monday, October 27, 2008

* 11am - 12:30pm
"The Power of Student Movements: How to Use Your Campus as a Tool to Change the World!"
Broadway Performance Hall
Broadway at Pine Street, Seattle
The public is invited.

Ms. McKinney will address the growing concerns of students, the need for student leadership, and how students can organize on campus to engage in and impact social justice struggles and make meaningful contributions to communities outside school. This event will be hosted by the Black Student Union of Seattle Central Community College.


And here's a video of Cynthia on al Jazeera:



Morgan notes this from the McCain-Palin campaign:

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New Web Ad: "I Am Joe"


ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest web ad, entitled "I am Joe." The ad features Americans who submitted their homemade videos to the campaign telling their stories and how they are like "Joe the Plumber." Like Joe in Ohio, people from across the country do not want to see their taxes increase as Barack Obama proposes. They don't want a president who will "spread the wealth around" instead of creating new wealth and new opportunity. They don't want a president who sees economic success, expansion and job creation as an excuse to increase taxes. They don't want a president who will place a tax on the American dream.

VIEW THE WEB AD HERE

John McCain is the Republican presidential candidate and Sarah Palin is his running mate.

Yesterday, a video was added to one of the morning entries after Marci e-mailed to request it. It's Govenor Palin speaking about women's rights.





A portion of the speech was included in yesterday's snapshot.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.



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Thursday, October 23, 2008

I Hate The War

Gina rightly guessed in the roundtable tonight (see the gina & krista round-robin tomorrow morning) that the hoped for topic tonight (by me) would probably be Governor Sarah Palin and special-needs. The speech by Palin that was highlighted in today's snapshot also included a section on special needs. And the plan was to offer that section and to jump on an angle Jim asked (three or four weeks ago) be held for Third (and has still not resulted in a feature for Third). But an idiot wrote a post online insisting Sarah Palin was really against the disabled and special-needs community. I find that so offensive and think someone really has to be the lowest of the low to even suggest something like that.

The man's a liar and we'll note this comment posted in response (no link to that man's trash) to his nonsense:


I am certain that Senator Obama will do as much for all Americans with developmental disabilities as he has for those in the state of Illinois. Illinois was ranked 47th when he came into the Illinois legislature and now we are ranked 50th. . . but I am sure you already knew that as you have "worked with and for parents of children and adults with disabilities at the local, state, national and international level for 35 years." As an Illinois parent of a child with developmental disabilities, I can tell you first hand Senator Obama and our overwhelmingly Democratic state government have done nothing for our children. I also find it interesting that you regard Senator Obama as such as champion of disability issues, but a review of "The One's" convention speech transcript reveals that he forgot to mention autism. On the other hand, both Senator McCain and Governor Palin both made commitments to the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

It's really amazing that some man (not the person posting the comment quoted above) thinks he can look at the parent of a special-needs child and call him or her a liar based on nothing (based on lies). It really goes to how sick our national conversation has gotten. I don't give a damn about tone and I'm not interested in policing the internet (or advocating for anyone else to). But special-needs children is an issue I've volunteered on and donated to for decades and maybe I'm just taking this topic too personally?

That could be it. But I think when someone wants to make judgments about someone's parenting, they damn well better know something. And when they want to accuse a parent of a special-needs child of not giving a damn about children with special-needs, they better have something a little stronger than a 'hunch.'

But that's how the left's run all year long -- fact free and filled with lies. You had non-Democrat Barbara Ehrenreich attempting to clear the Democratic Party primary of Hillary with a slanderous piece of filth that didn't even pass the comprehension test. Equally true, the religion that so alarmed Socialist Barbie in Hillary was also practiced by Dream Crush Barack.

Once again, we're seeing how disgusting so many on the left are. The same way they ripped Hillary apart with lies, they now go after Sarah Palin.

I'm not voting for Sarah Palin. Yet for some strange reason, I have no desire to rip her apart with lies. In 2008, that qualifies as a 'bad' leftie.

Because women joined in on the attacks on Hillary -- little no names like the Elivra look-alike failed actress who believes one bad but successful play makes her a playwright -- it allowed society at large to really attack women with the deep thread of misogny that apparently is always below the surface.

So it does matter when Robin Morgan thinks she can lie about Sarah Palin. There was no reason for Robin to write that ridiculous column (and there was no reason for Women's Media Center to publish it). But Robin's desire to stone Palin and to do so with lies created the climate for others to 'let loose.' Robin is too damn smart not to grasp that there is a direct line between her column and those shirts with the c-word and cries of "stone her old-style!"

It does matter when Gloria Steinem dismisses a question (a valid one) about how it's not feminism to insist Palin should be home with her children by stating she hasn't heard anyone say that. I'm sorry Gloria hadn't heard that but it was all over the internet and if Women's Media Center wants to be a net presence (it's not a print publication) and they want people to take their "Sexism Sells But We're Not Buying It" campaign, they better start self-checking and they better start monitoring and calling out. Otherwise, Women's Medica Center is ENDORSING sexism.

They also better grasp that the speech Palin gave this week was an important speech and one that needs highlighting and discussion. Not hisses, not coughing up fur balls, a serious discussion.

And a serious discussion needs to take place about how certain women have intentionally failed others. WMC provides a link (actually an address, the woman in charge of their blog doesn't know how to do links) to Cynthia McKinney's NPR interview (covered in Wednesday's snapshot) and that's going to cut if for 'coverage' of Cynthia's campaign.


2008 has shown (and continues to show) just how deeply sexism remains in the US. Feminists in the United States have more than enough to focus on. But that would require getting off their knees (or backs) and standing up -- there's been no indication that our 'leadership' can do anything of the sort.

When feminists stood up for Hillary back in January, it was important for them to be destroyed. They had to be victimized with lies and smears because otherwise people might listen to them. So it's especially appalling to see Robin Morgan and others who were the targets of lies turn around and utilize lies to take Palin out.

It's especially disgusting to watch women like Robin do the men's work for them -- get into a catfight to take out a woman.

It's disgusting and it's not feminism.

Governor Sarah Palin identifies as a feminist and has long before this year. It's a real shame that feminists couldn't take the road that we're all supposed to take: I'm not tearing her apart.

Deciding not to join in on "Bash the Bitch" didn't require that you vote for her. It did require that you saw how ugly it got with the attacks on Hillary and you weren't about to let it happen to another woman running for high office. It did require that you grasped the message attacks on Palin sent to young girls. It did require that you had enough self-respect to tell various Democratic males (in 'power') -- egging you on to prostitute your talents by attacking Palin -- to go f**k themselves.

In the real world, Jill Zuckman's "Sarah Palin talks about wardrobe flap, double standard for women and special education" (Chicago Tribune) explains:


Less than two weeks before Election Day, she will deliver her first major policy speech Friday, calling for full funding of special education, a subject that has suddenly become extremely personal. And that's not just because of the arrival of Trig, her 6-month-old son with Down syndrome. It's because families with children who have disabilities have been flocking to her campaign stops, looking to Palin and her family for inspiration.Palin on Thursday granted one of her first newspaper interviews since becoming McCain's vice presidential nominee. She was joined by her husband, Todd, who cradled Trig, noticeably plumper since he was first introduced to the world two months ago.
Palin called the disabilities issues "a joyful challenge." Todd Palin showed off photos of people with Down syndrome who have come to campaign events, and the candidate said one advocacy group sent her a bumper sticker that said "My kid has more chromosomes than your kid."
"These children are not a problem, they are a priority," Palin said."We're on this journey with other families," she said. "We'll learn a lot from those other families, as they can count on us in the White House doing all that we can for them also. It's going to be a nice team effort here."

Sarah, Cynthia, Rosa and Hillary. In one way or another, all four have been repeatedly betrayed this year. (Rosa Clemente is Cynthia's running mate.) It's not about disagreeing with them or even about 'tone' -- it's about grasping when they are being attacked and having the feminist perspective that you're not going to join in, that you're either going to stand up for them the way you'd want to be stood up for or you're going to shut your damn mouth because, although cowardly, you're not a hypocrite. Sadly, those two options were too much for most 'leaders' in the feminist movement in 2008 and the movement's suffered greatly as a result.


It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)

Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 4185. Tonight? 4186. Just Foreign Policy lists 1,273,378 as the number of Iraqis killed since the start of the illegal war . . . same number they listed last week and the Thursday before and, yes, the Thursday before that. They've got a candidate to install and Iraq Can Wait! Obviously.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.




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