The relative calm that has descended on Baghdad over the past year has helped keep Iraq mostly off center stage as an issue in the U.S. presidential race. But the violence is still at a level that would be intolerable in any other society.
Take the sniper of Mansour, who has killed at least six Iraqi soldiers in recent weeks in this upscale neighborhood, shooting from a distance across crowded shopping streets and a busy traffic circle.
The U.S. military says the sniper is operating as part of a sophisticated, highly trained team affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq, the down-but-not-yet-out terrorist group that stubbornly persists in its efforts to stage a comeback.
The above is from Liz Sly's "Iraq smolders even as it cools as voter issue" (Chicago Tribune) and Iraq fell off the radar sometime ago. Those who think they can pick it up after the election (I'm not speaking of the MSM) and be listened to have kidded themselves. They have no credibility. Maybe they can write another Hurricane Katrina column? Or maybe a "War coming on Iran!" feature? In Iraq, Corinne Reilly (McClatchy Newspapers) reports on Sumer FM, an Iraqi radio station which went on air in November 2004. In terms of violence . . .
Bombings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Barsa bombing (landmine) that claimed the life of 1 boy and left another wounded, and a Mosul roadside bombing that wounded two police officer while a Mosul car bombing wounded two more police officers and an Al Anbar Province bombing wounded two Iraqi soldiers.
Shootings?
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 Iraqi soldiers shot dead in Mosul.
Turning to the US presidential race, Francisco notes the following from Nader - Gonzalez:
Matt Gonzalez on NPR's Latino USA
Posted by The Nader Team on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 03:37:00 PM
ShareThis
Listen to our Vice Presidential Candidate, Matt Gonzalez, on National Public Radio’s program, Latino USA, in a conversation with host Maria Hinojosa: [here]
Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez is his running mate. John McCain is the GOP presidential candidate and Sarah Palin is his running mate. Becky notes this from McCain - Palin :
JUST WORDS: Barack Obama And Business Taxes
ARLINGTON, VA -- This afternoon, Barack Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that there was an argument for cutting business tax rates -- despite attacking the very same tax cuts earlier today. Once again, the American people are left with a tax plan that changes by the day and is little more than just words. Check out the facts below:
"By Barack Obama's own measure, Obama now supports billions in 'tax cuts for big oil companies' and corporations that are sending American jobs overseas. The truth: Barack Obama has a difficult time coming to terms with the devastating effects of his own economic plan, is learning as he goes and just isn't ready yet." -- Tucker Bounds, McCain-Palin 2008 spokesman
Today, Barack Obama Remained Open To Cutting The Business Tax RateBarack Obama: "And, In Fact, You Can Make An Argument For Lowering The Corporate Tax Rate." CNN'S WOLF BLITZER: "At a time of economic distress, is it wise to increase the corporate tax rate?" OBAMA: "We're not increasing the corporate tax rate." BLITZER: "I know, but there's some talk that you want to increase it, it's 35% right now. you talked about --" OBAMA: "Where is that talk coming from?" BLITZER: "I don't know, you tell me. You want to keep it at 35%?" OBAMA: "I have no plans for increasing the corporate tax rate. And, in fact, you can make an argument for lowering the corporate tax rate, but only if you, at the same time, close all the corporate loopholes. The problem we have right now, on paper we've got a high corporate tax rate; in actual terms, corporations aren't paying their fair share." (CNN's "Situation Roo m," 10/31/08)
Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehT82CXU3Bw
But Even Today, Barack Obama Decried These Very Same Business Tax Cuts
Just Today, Barack Obama Decried Giving Tax Cuts To American Businesses. OBAMA: "At a moment like this, the last thing we can afford is four more years of the tired, old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Des Moines, IA, 10/31/08)
Barack Obama: "It's Not Change When He Wants To Give $200 Billion To The Biggest Corporations Or $4 Billion To The Oil Companies." (CNN's "American Morning," 10/29/08)
Barack Obama Criticized John McCain For Proposing "Another Huge And Permanent Corporate Tax Cut." OBAMA: "Senator McCain used the crisis as an excuse to push a so-called stimulus plan that offered another huge and permanent corporate tax cut, including $4 billion to the big oil companies, but no immediate help for workers." (MSNBC's "Countdown," 9/16/08)
In Addition To Changing His Position On Business Tax Cuts, The Obama-Biden Campaign Has Changed Their Tax Plan Numerous Times In The Past Week
CHANGE #1 ($250,000): In July 2008, Barack Obama Said: "If You Make $250,000 A Year Or Less, We Will Not Raise Your Taxes. We Will Cut Your Taxes." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Powder Springs, GA, 7/8/08)
CHANGE #2 ($200,000): In New Obama Ad "Defining Moment" The Threshold For The Obama Tax Plan For Families Seeing A Tax Cut Is Lowered From $250,000 To $200,000. OBAMA AD: "The Obama Plan: Families Making Less Than $200,000 Get Tax Cut." (Obama Ad, "Defining Moment," 10/25/08)
CHANGE #3: In An Interview With A Scranton, PA, News Station, Joe Biden Said That Only Families Making Under $150,000 Would Get A Tax Cut. BIDEN: "Spreading the wealth was not--he was talking about is all of the tax breaks have gone to the very, very wealthy. For example you have right now, this year, under the old tax policy that was just -- that was put in by George Bush, people making an average 1.4 million a year, good people, decent people, patriotic -- they're going to get an $87 billion tax break. What we're saying is that $87 billion tax break doesn't need to go to people making an average of 1.4 million, it should go like it used to. It should go to middle class people -- people making under $150,000 a year." (Joe Biden, Interview With WNEP Scranton, 10/27/08)
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAEE1_IUycs
CHANGE #4: Obama-Biden Campaign Aides Said That Those Making Between $150,000 And $250,000 Will Actually Not See A Tax Increase Or A Tax Cut. "Biden aides say his comments were actually consistent with Obama's tax plan -- people under $150,000 get a cut, and people making up to $250,000 stay the same." (Mark Murray and Mike Memoli, "$150,000 Vs. $250,000," MSNBC's "First Read" Blog, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com, Posted 10/28/08)
CHANGE #5: Obama Surrogate Governor Richardson Said Only Those Making Less Than $120,000 Would Get A Tax Cut. GOVERNOR RICHARDSON: "What Obama wants to do is he is basically looking at $120,000 and under among those that are in the middle class and there is a tax cut for those." (Governor Richardson, Interview On KOA-AM, 10/31/08)
Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G88ebXY2uaI
Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential candidate, Rosa Clemente is her running mate. Kimberly Wilder (On The Wilder Side) is supporting that ticket (and the Green Party in other races as well) and she notes:
Board of Elections gives Spanish Speakers the WRONG DATE for Election!
I now heard this from two sources: A person from the League of Women Voters and this Long Island immigrant support organization.
By Patrick Young CARECEN October 31, 2008 2:44 PM
On Fridays I work at the Westchester Hispanic Coalition in White Plains. This afternoon Grace Heyman, the director of the Coalition, showed me a letter that had been received by one of the group's supporters. It was from the Board of Elections and it contained some disturbingly misleading information.
And Kimberly and Ian Wilder also offer "Vote Green Party On Tuesday!:"
November 1, 2008
This is an exciting time for us! The Green Party has never been as relevant
as it is today. As Congress offers trillion-dollar bailouts to Wall Street,
people living on Main Street struggle to stay in their homes and pay for
basic needs. Why is Congress bailing out corporations while the public
slides into economic insecurity? Because the industries that will benefit
from the bailout are some of the largest campaign contributors to political campaigns.
But never fear because you can VOTE GREEN on Tuesday and choose People Power over corporate power. Support Cynthia McKinney for President and
Rosa Clemente for Vice President; and, support other Green candidates
running in your community. Greens are running for office across the
country for 60 types of office. Check them out! To find out who’s
running in your community, click here.
Once elected, Greens will not betray the public interest for corporate
cash. We accept no corporate money because we believe corporate
influence is what’s wrong with politics.
If you believe healthcare is a right for all, not to be governed by the
profit motive of insurance companies, support the Green Party and
our campaign for Single Payer Healthcare.
If you believe offshore drilling furthers our national addiction to fossil
fuels; and want to see positive solutions like renewable energy, local food production, local businesses and better public transportation- Help
elect Greens who will make it a reality.
If you believe every vote must be counted, that higher education should
be available to everyone, that climate change is real, that the war on
drugs is racist, and that the privatization of public goods and services
is wrong and that we need to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW stand
up and support the party that will stand up for you The Green Party.
If you want to see a clean, healthy future for our children, make sure
we have a strong Green Party today
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.
iraq
liz sly
sahar issa
corinne reilly
mcclatchy newspapers
kimberly wilder
like maria said paz
kats korner
sex and politics and screeds and attitude
thomas friedman is a great man
trinas kitchen
the daily jot
cedrics big mix
mikey likes it
ruths report
sickofitradlz
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Robin Morgan's homophobic candidate
McPeak drew a parallel between racially integrating the armed forces after World War II and trying to sell the ranks on accepting openly gay colleagues. "We've only had mixed races in combat units for 50 years or so," says McPeak, who led the Air Force during Desert Storm. "The first mixing of races was by the Army in Korea in 1950. It was done because service leaders, generals, chiefs of staff, were able to get ahead of it, were able to go to the lunch at black history week and talk about American values that include equal opportunity for everybody no matter what color their skin is. So the service leadership made a commitment to racial equality and made it happen. Otherwise it wouldn't have happened."
Says McPeak, "If you want to do something like racial integration or the integration of openly homosexual soldiers, sailors and marines, airmen, the service leadership will have to get ahead of it. Service leadership will have to go to the gay and lesbian annual ball and lead the first dance. I've spoken many, many times at black history week and am proud to do it. . . . But I couldn't see how I could become an advocate for open homosexuality in Air Force combat units. I don't see how people can do it today."
That's the disgusting Merrill McPeak and probably naming a boy "Merrill" led to the non-stop sexual panic McPeak has long found himself in. The above is from Paul Bedard's "Barack Obama's Military Adviser Says to Stick With Gay Ban" (US News & World Reports). McPeak's the liar who's covered for Barry all through the campaign and you need to grasp how offensive what Merry's saying is. For African-American advancement, Merry says, people just needed to attend a lunch but for equality for all, Merry thinks (or maybe hopes) he'll have to "lead the first dance" at "the gay and lesbian annual ball."
We'll get back to that phrase but for African-Americans to be integrated with Whites, et al, Merry tells us a bit of history was needed. Okay, let's play.
Frank McCarthy. Gay. Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Brig General. Took part in the Allied confrences. Attempted to become an assistant secretary in the State Dept (nominated by then president Harry Truman) and that's when he had to hightail it out of DC because the witchhunt was for 'subversives' and, as usual, 'victims' rush to leave the LGBT community out of history. Brig Gen McCarthy isn't the only gay man who has severed in the military by any means. But look at who he knew: FDR, Truman, Eisenhower. And his service was never in question. Had he gone for a Defense Dept appointment, he would have been waived through. (The State Dept was the original focus for the witchhunt -- another detail often left out of the 'history' of that era,)
We can do that over and over because gay men and women have served in the US military -- have always served. But that requires knowing history and actual knowledge and, goodness knows, you can't get that dispensed in Pat Healy's EZBake Reporting.
"The gay and lesbian annual ball." You need to grasp how much homophobia is oozing out in that condescending phrase. This is the man that homphobic Barack Obama selected. The same as he selected Jeremiah Wright who, on PBS, compared gays and lesbians to murderers. You need to grasp that (and remember that Bill Moyers just sat there grinning like an idiot -- apparently you can't take the boy out of Backwater, Texas -- and that's an insult to a state of mind, not to Marshall, TX). This is the man who put homophobes on stage in South Carolina last November to scare up the vote. This is the man who put a homophobe onstage during the 'values' swing-state tour that only just wrapped up.
This is the man that Robin Morgan has pledged her limited intellectual powers to, the man she's hitched her wagon to in an act of desperation that rivals any fix-up Laura and Rob attempted on behalf of Sally (The Dick Van Dyke Show). Here's Patrick Healy in today's New York Times explaining Robin Morgan's Dream Date:
Several gay friends and wealthy gay donors to Senator Barack Obama have asked him over the years why, as a matter of logic and fairness, he opposes same-sex marriage even though he has condemned old miscegenation laws that would have barred his black father from marrying his white mother.
The difference, Mr. Obama has told them, is religion.
As a Christian -- he is a member of the United Church of Christ -- Mr. Obama believes that marriage is a sacred union, a blessing from God, and one that is intended for a man and a woman exclusively, according to these supporters and Obama campaign advisers. While he does not favor laws that ban same-sex marriage, and has said he is "open to the possibility" that his views may be "misguided," he does not support it and is not inclined to fight for it, his advisers say.
"As a Christian," yeah, that's funny. But Healy's a dumb ass, he's always been a dumb ass and if his topics weren't so 'pleasing' and so easy for the paper to syndicate to other papers around the country, his tired byline would have been retired long, long ago.
Loving v. Virginia is not about religion nor is same-sex marriage. Ava and I addressed this lie from Barack as far back as January but Healy just waives it through.
But let's go over the issue again and let's start with the fact that Churches really do not marry in the US. Churches can be a place where a ceremony takes place.
But if you show up at a church today (with no paperwork) and convince a member of the clergy to marry you, you're really not married in any legal sense other than common law.
That's because Churches do not control marriage. The state issues a marriage license -- not a church. Marriage is an issue to the state, it is an issue controlled by the state. Were marriage about churches, Loving v. Virginia would have been Loving v. [insert Church's name]. The state of Virginia was sued, not a church. The state of Viriginia was refusing to allow inter-racial couples to marry.
It's not a religious issue, it's not a church issue. States determine whom they will issue marriage licenses too. Now you can get married in a church and by a your clergy of choice, but only with the state's permission, only with the state's approval.
So that's the legal realities that Barack continues to dance around and ignore. It's all so strange, not unlike his claim, prior to visiting Africa in 2006, that he would be getting an AIDs test because he wanted to be sure that a stigma was removed and yet, in 2007, he's on stage offending many as he cracks 'wise' about the same AIDs test.
Barack can't hide behind religion to deny rights. He needs to admit that he surrounds himself with homophobes because that is who he is. Who he's always been. And Robin Morgan needs to ask herself when feminism became about endorsing homophobia and homophobes? Our Modern Day Rose Marie is getting on everyone's last damn nerve.
And to be really clear -- remember Barack didn't grow in the United States, he suffers from a failed education (which explains why he thinks there are 57 states in the US) -- religious objection was the basis for opposition to inter-racial marriage. The same way it's used by freaks and zealots to oppose same-sex marriage today.
The plan is to do another entry today. That may or may not happen. Right now, Ava, Dona, Jim and I are going over possible topics for Third.
Iraq? Find the coverage. It's not in the New York Times. Do you see it anywhere? Reuters runs an article claiming that October had the lowest death toll for US service members. Oh really? No, they're lying through their teeth. 13 is the death toll for US service members. 13 was the death toll in July and when you embarrass yourself by claiming you're referring to X-type of deaths, you damn well better grasp that some deaths from October are still under investigation. Translation, you don't know how the service members died so stick with the data, don't go inventing.
On the treaty, Reuters notes:
The pact, which would allow U.S. troops to stay until 2011, has been held up after Baghdad asked for amendments, including tightening the wording on the withdrawal deadline and a stronger pledge not to use Iraqi territory to attack neighbouring states.
Maliki made the pledge in a phone call with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, his office said in a statement.
"The prime minister confirmed that he will send delegations to neighbouring countries to show them the security pact after receiving a response from the United States to the amendments which the Iraqi government proposed," the statement said.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the new york times
patrick healy
paul bedard
Says McPeak, "If you want to do something like racial integration or the integration of openly homosexual soldiers, sailors and marines, airmen, the service leadership will have to get ahead of it. Service leadership will have to go to the gay and lesbian annual ball and lead the first dance. I've spoken many, many times at black history week and am proud to do it. . . . But I couldn't see how I could become an advocate for open homosexuality in Air Force combat units. I don't see how people can do it today."
That's the disgusting Merrill McPeak and probably naming a boy "Merrill" led to the non-stop sexual panic McPeak has long found himself in. The above is from Paul Bedard's "Barack Obama's Military Adviser Says to Stick With Gay Ban" (US News & World Reports). McPeak's the liar who's covered for Barry all through the campaign and you need to grasp how offensive what Merry's saying is. For African-American advancement, Merry says, people just needed to attend a lunch but for equality for all, Merry thinks (or maybe hopes) he'll have to "lead the first dance" at "the gay and lesbian annual ball."
We'll get back to that phrase but for African-Americans to be integrated with Whites, et al, Merry tells us a bit of history was needed. Okay, let's play.
Frank McCarthy. Gay. Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Brig General. Took part in the Allied confrences. Attempted to become an assistant secretary in the State Dept (nominated by then president Harry Truman) and that's when he had to hightail it out of DC because the witchhunt was for 'subversives' and, as usual, 'victims' rush to leave the LGBT community out of history. Brig Gen McCarthy isn't the only gay man who has severed in the military by any means. But look at who he knew: FDR, Truman, Eisenhower. And his service was never in question. Had he gone for a Defense Dept appointment, he would have been waived through. (The State Dept was the original focus for the witchhunt -- another detail often left out of the 'history' of that era,)
We can do that over and over because gay men and women have served in the US military -- have always served. But that requires knowing history and actual knowledge and, goodness knows, you can't get that dispensed in Pat Healy's EZBake Reporting.
"The gay and lesbian annual ball." You need to grasp how much homophobia is oozing out in that condescending phrase. This is the man that homphobic Barack Obama selected. The same as he selected Jeremiah Wright who, on PBS, compared gays and lesbians to murderers. You need to grasp that (and remember that Bill Moyers just sat there grinning like an idiot -- apparently you can't take the boy out of Backwater, Texas -- and that's an insult to a state of mind, not to Marshall, TX). This is the man who put homophobes on stage in South Carolina last November to scare up the vote. This is the man who put a homophobe onstage during the 'values' swing-state tour that only just wrapped up.
This is the man that Robin Morgan has pledged her limited intellectual powers to, the man she's hitched her wagon to in an act of desperation that rivals any fix-up Laura and Rob attempted on behalf of Sally (The Dick Van Dyke Show). Here's Patrick Healy in today's New York Times explaining Robin Morgan's Dream Date:
Several gay friends and wealthy gay donors to Senator Barack Obama have asked him over the years why, as a matter of logic and fairness, he opposes same-sex marriage even though he has condemned old miscegenation laws that would have barred his black father from marrying his white mother.
The difference, Mr. Obama has told them, is religion.
As a Christian -- he is a member of the United Church of Christ -- Mr. Obama believes that marriage is a sacred union, a blessing from God, and one that is intended for a man and a woman exclusively, according to these supporters and Obama campaign advisers. While he does not favor laws that ban same-sex marriage, and has said he is "open to the possibility" that his views may be "misguided," he does not support it and is not inclined to fight for it, his advisers say.
"As a Christian," yeah, that's funny. But Healy's a dumb ass, he's always been a dumb ass and if his topics weren't so 'pleasing' and so easy for the paper to syndicate to other papers around the country, his tired byline would have been retired long, long ago.
Loving v. Virginia is not about religion nor is same-sex marriage. Ava and I addressed this lie from Barack as far back as January but Healy just waives it through.
But let's go over the issue again and let's start with the fact that Churches really do not marry in the US. Churches can be a place where a ceremony takes place.
But if you show up at a church today (with no paperwork) and convince a member of the clergy to marry you, you're really not married in any legal sense other than common law.
That's because Churches do not control marriage. The state issues a marriage license -- not a church. Marriage is an issue to the state, it is an issue controlled by the state. Were marriage about churches, Loving v. Virginia would have been Loving v. [insert Church's name]. The state of Virginia was sued, not a church. The state of Viriginia was refusing to allow inter-racial couples to marry.
It's not a religious issue, it's not a church issue. States determine whom they will issue marriage licenses too. Now you can get married in a church and by a your clergy of choice, but only with the state's permission, only with the state's approval.
So that's the legal realities that Barack continues to dance around and ignore. It's all so strange, not unlike his claim, prior to visiting Africa in 2006, that he would be getting an AIDs test because he wanted to be sure that a stigma was removed and yet, in 2007, he's on stage offending many as he cracks 'wise' about the same AIDs test.
Barack can't hide behind religion to deny rights. He needs to admit that he surrounds himself with homophobes because that is who he is. Who he's always been. And Robin Morgan needs to ask herself when feminism became about endorsing homophobia and homophobes? Our Modern Day Rose Marie is getting on everyone's last damn nerve.
And to be really clear -- remember Barack didn't grow in the United States, he suffers from a failed education (which explains why he thinks there are 57 states in the US) -- religious objection was the basis for opposition to inter-racial marriage. The same way it's used by freaks and zealots to oppose same-sex marriage today.
The plan is to do another entry today. That may or may not happen. Right now, Ava, Dona, Jim and I are going over possible topics for Third.
Iraq? Find the coverage. It's not in the New York Times. Do you see it anywhere? Reuters runs an article claiming that October had the lowest death toll for US service members. Oh really? No, they're lying through their teeth. 13 is the death toll for US service members. 13 was the death toll in July and when you embarrass yourself by claiming you're referring to X-type of deaths, you damn well better grasp that some deaths from October are still under investigation. Translation, you don't know how the service members died so stick with the data, don't go inventing.
On the treaty, Reuters notes:
The pact, which would allow U.S. troops to stay until 2011, has been held up after Baghdad asked for amendments, including tightening the wording on the withdrawal deadline and a stronger pledge not to use Iraqi territory to attack neighbouring states.
Maliki made the pledge in a phone call with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, his office said in a statement.
"The prime minister confirmed that he will send delegations to neighbouring countries to show them the security pact after receiving a response from the United States to the amendments which the Iraqi government proposed," the statement said.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the new york times
patrick healy
paul bedard
Friday, October 31, 2008
Iraq snapshot
Friday, October 31, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the treaty remains in doubt, four US Senators speak out on behalf of Iraqi Christians, and more. Starting with Iraqi Christians. The Saudi Gazette notes that Professor Ekmeledding Ihsanoglu (Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference) declared, "As we have consistently demanded that the rights of Muslim minorities be respected all over the world, we do emphasize the need to respect the rights of all minorities across the Islamic world." UPI reports that US Senators Sam Brownback, Bob Casey, Carl Levin and Mel Martinez have "called on Iraqi President Jalal talabni and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take the steps needed to end the violence plaguing the Christian community in nothern Iraq." This is the press release in full from Levin's office: In a letter spearheaded by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) today urged Jalal Talabani, President of the Republic of Iraq and Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, to take all necessary measures to end the violence in the north against Iraqi Christians. According to the United Nations, thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled Mosul in reaction to the increased violence and intimidation. "This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens. It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections," the Senators wrote. They went on to write, "We urge your government to take all necessary measures to increase security in the north on behalf of all Iraqis." Full text of the letter is below: Dear Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister: We write to express grave concern over the recent violence in Mosul that has driven away large numbers of Iraqi Christians. This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens. It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections. We urge your government to take all necessary measures to increase security in the north on behalf of all Iraqis. To this end, we welcomed statements of support from Prime Minister al-Maliki's office calling for an end to these vicious attacks and committing the Iraqi security forces, particularly the additional security forces sent to Mosul, to protect all Iraqis regardless of sectarian affiliation. These actions send a strong signal to the extremists that they will not succeed in spreading division, hatred, and mistrust among Iraqis. We also hope the Iraqi Parliament will seriously consider the issue of minority representation in the provincial elections law. We believe Iraq's leaders can play a critical role in ensuring that the Iraqi government remains a representative body of all of Iraq's people, including its minorities. For over one-thousand years, Iraq has been home to people of many faiths who have lived and worshipped side by side, including Shiites, Sunnis, Jews, Yazidis, and Christians. This long and proud tradition has made Iraq a cradle of human civilization. It is a tradition we hope will be restored. Sincerely, Robert P. Casey Jr. Carl Levin Sam Brownback Mel Martinez Meanwhile, UPI reports that many "Christian communities in northern Iraq are setting up ad hoc militias to secure their neighborhoods, rights advocates said Wednesday." In the last few weeks many Christians in Mosul have fled for safety (and very few have returned). International Medical Corps announces they have "delivered 142 tons of emergency food rations, hygience kits, and household items to more than 2,000 families, or 8,044 displaced persons" and they note "International Medical Corps' most recent reports from field monitoring teams indicate that approximately 173 families have returned to Mosul, 106 families to Hamdaniya, and 67 families to Tel Kef. The Government of Iraq is offering displaced families and returnees financial assistance; however, fears of further violence have prevented many from returning." This page contains links to a slide show of photos from that assistance mission as well as to their [PDF format warning] report entitled "Forced from Their Homes: Mosul Emergency Response Action Report." The report includes a day by day synopsis starting with October 8th: IMC Iraq's Baghdad headquarters was alerted by field staff in Mosul that groups had been using loudspeakers to intimidate Christians in the western and central areas of this district and that Christians were fleeing the area. IMC's humanitarian programs manger confirmed this report with IMC staff in other locations in Ninewa Governorate and learned that at least 40 families had arrived unannounced in Tel Sqof and were staying at the Assyrian Aid Society, with some families campaing in the facility's garden. Assyria Times reports that tomorrow in San Jose, there will be a support rally for Iraqi Chrisians (from one p.m. to three, Courthouse and Federal Building): "The support rally will exhibit a unified stance for the reinstatement of Article 50 of the Iraqi constitution; a key clause whose original intent was to erserve seats on Provincial Councils for Christians and other minorities." And let's stay with Iraqi politics for news of the SOFA, Article 50 and more. First, Abeer Mohammed and Katherine Zoepf (New York Times) explain that Iraq's Defense Minister Abudl-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi has instituted a policy of being "politically neutral" which is thought to be in response to Iraq's Minister of the Interior Jawad al-Bolani and his Iraqi Constiutional Party. Meanwhile on Article 50, UPI reports that provincial elections could be delayed even further: "The Iraqi Independent High Electoral High Commissions Thursday said, following a meeting with officials from the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq, that lawmakers needed to address the articles for minority representation before Wednesday, Voices of Iraq reported." That's the issue of religious minority representation, Article 50, which was pulled. UPI notes this may delay the elections "in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces." From provincial elections to the treaty the White House wants to force off on the puppet government in Baghdad. The Tehran Times reports that Nouri al-Maliki, in conversations with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim (Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council chief) has stated, "We do not call agreement with America a security agreement, but (we) call it a pact of retreating of (US) troops and regulating their presence during the specified time." Iran's Press TV quotes Hoshyar Zebari (Iraq's Foreign Minister) stating, "We must clarify some points such as that on jurisdicition that is to say that the American law has precedence inside their bases but not in the streets. . . . And finally, the sovereignty of the country is at stake over certain aspects such as that of the air space which, for the time being, is still under their control." Did someone say sovereignty? Sunday the US attacked Syria. Jordan's Al Bawaba reports Syria has announced it is severing "diplomatic ties with Iraq". Iraq's Alsumaria adds, "However, Government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh denied in a statement to Alsumaria reports about cutting off relations with Syria hoping it would not reach that point." Farrah Hassen (Asia Times) reminds that 8 Syrians died ("including a farmer, three children, and a fisherman") and that while "numerous questions" continue, no answers are provided. Hassen notes, "By violating Syrian airspace and apparently not consulting the Syrians about its supposed intelligence on Abu Ghadiya ahead of the attack, the Bush adminsitration has confirmed, yet again, its disdain for international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter." Mohammad Akef Jamal (Gulf News) observes that an agreement allowing cross borders raids is one thing but, "Breaking into the borders of any country without a similar agreement is considered a hostile act and a violation of this country's sovereignty, besides being a breach of international laws. This attack raised many questions about its targets and content. First, the US never carried such attacks when the Syrian-Iraqi borders were almost open and Syria was accused of allowing hundreds of militants to infiltrate into Iraq to carry out vandalism operations. However, the situation has changed lately as these accusations decreased and Syria was no longer the country that allows militants into Iraq. Syria has also taken steps to mend its relations with Lebanon and France, which should bring it closer to the US, not the opposite." Yoav Stern (Haaretz) notes, "The Syrian government has demanded Washington apologize for the strike of the Abu Kamal border community and earlier this weeek threatened to cut off cooperation on Iraqi border security if there are more American raids on Syria territory." Atul Aneja (The Hindu) speaks to the fallout, "The news of the attack has strongly echoed in neighbouring Iraq, whose territory was used to mount the raid by U.S. commandos, who used military helicopters for the strike. Analysts say the raid has reinforced the argument within the Iraqi political circles, who have been insisting that an agreement for extending the stay of American forces in Iraq beyond 2008 should be considered only if Washington accepted the condition that it would not use Iraqi soil to mount military strikes against neighbouring countries." At the US State Dept today, spokesperson Sean McCormack declared, "We did have -- our charge Maura Connelly on the 29th so that's two days ago -- was called into the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We reported that and I think we talked about that. And she received a verbal demarche communicating the Syrian government request that the Damascus Community School known as -- known in Damascus as 'the American scool' be closed by November 6. We are considering our response to that demarche. It is the weekend in Damascus right now. These facilities, in any case, wouldn't be scheduled under normal circumstances to reopen until Sunday." Turning to some of today's reported violence . . . Bombings? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad bicycle bombing that resulted in no deaths or wounded. Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing that left one woman and three Iraqi service members injured and another Mosul roadside bombing that left two people injured Shootings? Reuters notes a Mosul shooting that left a police officer injured. Corpses? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad. Turning to the US presidential race and starting with Ruben Navarrette Jr. (San Diego Union-Tribune): After defending Sarah Palin, I heard from a member of the angry left who wrote: "Your (sic) from a Third World country, or your family is, stop trying to be white." I also heard from baby boomer activists who regret -- as they see it -- yanking me off that landscaping crew and sending me to the Ivy League. Or as one put it: "Unbelievable that you can sit there and defend Sarah Palin. I broke down doors for you to have a foot into the society you now participate in." When I praised McCain, a liberal asked: "What are you, the Uncle Tom of Latinos?" She advised, "Make your people proud because you are shaming them." When trying to assert control over freethinking Latinos and African-Americans, the liberal catchword is "disappointed." Lately, I've received dozens of e-mails from readers who use that word to describe how they feel about me. In the liberal tradition, most of the missives are condescending. Like this: "At one time, your articles were interesting to read but ... it seems you have lost your way." Or this: "You are feeding the ignorant and twisting truths so badly they become lies ...One day my words will resonate, sorry you lost your way in the meantime." To read their complaints, it seems the last time I had my bearings was -- coincidentally -- the last time I wrote something with which they agreed. It's part of how broken our political discourse has become. We're not allowed to say that we think either Obama or McCain would make a fine president. We can't agree to disagree; we have to destroy the other side. We're trapped in an all-or-nothing paradigm where partisans demand complete agreement and undying allegiance. It would probably be very wise for certain White Anglo 'helpers' to grasp that they do not control the world or anyone else. That's a point Marcia makes regularly at her site (including this week with White Tim Wise attempting to tell the African-American community what their lives are like). It is offensive and it needs to stop. Something else that needs to stop is Robin Morgan's public tantrums. It's an election, Robin, and you are not ruler of the universe. Robin's back with more nonsense at (Democratic) Women's Media Center and the latest garbage is entitled "Moose, Mousse, and Spalinism". No surprise, there's no attempt by Robin to apologize for her GROSS FACTUAL ERRORS (also known as LIES) in her previous writing on Palin. It's just more scattered, bitchy comments from a woman who truly should know better but apparently will bow and scrape before any man until her dying day. Wally and Cedric grabbed the previous crap from (Democratic) Women's Media Center this week [see their "Women's Media Center -- fact free for most of 2008..." and "THIS JUST IN! KEEP HER AWAY FROM A KEYBOARD!"] because I was too enraged to tackle that 'historian.' Now Robin shows up for one last cat-fight. It's all so damn pathetic. But if any actual feminists are concerned about the effect on Women's Movement institutions and energy of this clutch of "formers" (a former chapter official of a national feminist organization, a former editor of a feminist publication, former Democratic funders, former Hillary supporters, and so forth), let me reassure you. The "trust date" had already long expired on these women, who'd been voted off feminist leadership posts, or fired, or quietly asked to resign. Some are confessed consultants to the campaign whose candidates they now--surprise!--endorse. I never imagined I'd see a "feminist" mercenary. But then I never heard of rats climbing onto a sinking ship, either. I think Joni Mitchell best dealt with crap like Robin's churning out when noting of Rickie Lee Jones, that Rickie thought she could own jazz and it was her own private sidewalk. Robin writes as if feminism belongs just to her but she will dole it out in morsels to whomever she deems worthy. That's not how it works. Robin's got to have a screaming tantrum again because things aren't working out the way she wants. Someone needs to correct her on her sense of entitlement. She does not own feminism. There will never be an excuse for Robin's actions in the last three months. She has chosen to attack Sarah Palin repeatedly and she's done so with lies. There's no excuse for her shameful behavior. Certainly not 'an election.' And love Joe Biden though I do, let's stop building him into "feminism salvation." But possibly when you're as frail and pathetic as Robin's become, you need a man to save you. I'm not voting for McCain - Palin. That's been stated before Palin was on the ticket but, unlike Robin, I at least have enough ethics not to try to tear Sarah apart with lies. Unlike Robin, I have enough sense not to join in Bash the Bitch and, unlike Robin, I realize that actions like Robin's aren't about feminism or empowerment (they're about whoring yourself out to the patriarchy). All week, numerous strong women (many I know) have stepped foward and I've kept it out of the snapshot but let's bring it in since Robin wants to have her tantrum. Elaine Lafferty is one of the unnamed women Robin's hissing at. Yes, Robin is hissing at Elaine. In public. That's how pathetic Robin's become. That's how decreipt and useless Robin's become. Elaine wrote "Sarah Palin's a Brainiac" (The Daily Beast): For the sin of being a Christian personally opposed to abortion, Palin is being pilloried by the inside-the-Beltway Democrat feminist establishment. (Yes, she is anti-abortion. And yes, instead of buying organic New Zealand lamb at Whole Foods, she joins other Alaskans in hunting for food. That's it. She is not a right-wing nut, and all the rest of the Internet drivel--the book banning at the Library, the rape kits decision--is nonsense. I digress.) Palin's role in this campaign was to energize "the Republican base," which she has inarguably done. She also was expected to reach out to Hillary Clinton "moderates." (Right. Only a woman would get both those jobs in either party.) Look, I am obviously personally pro-choice, and I disagree with McCain and Palin on that and a few other issues. But like many other Democrats, including Lynn Rothschild, I'm tired of the Democratic Party taking women for granted. I also happen to believe Sarah Palin supports women's rights, deeply and passionately. That's Elaine's 'crime.' (It's a well written piece.) I know Elaine, I know Lynn Forester de Rothschild (The Daily Beast): First, although I disagree with several of her positions on social issues, I do not fear that she is a threat to the rights we have as Americans. As Governor of Alaska she vetoed a bill that would have denied hospital rights to gay couples because the bill violated the Alaska constitution. In her debate with Joe Biden, she clearly stated her tolerance, with the same position on gay couples as her opponent. Although she is personally pro-life, Palin has proven she will uphold the law of the land. Like McCain, she will work with a Democratic Congress on acceptable judicial appointments. It is time to stop allowing the Democratic Party to scare voters into believing only they can protect a woman's right to choose. Second, the attack on Palin's qualifications is sexist, a bias abetted by the media. On CNN, Obama contrasted Palin's experience to his own by saying Wasilla has only 50 employees and a budget of $12 million a year while his campaign has 2,500 employees and a budget of $36 million per month. Excuse me, but she is Governor of a State with 29,000 employees and a budget of $11 billion. She has actually reduced taxes and cut spending. Staying with Tina Brown's The Daily Beast, this is Wendy Button: The party I believed in wouldn't look down on working people under any circumstance. And Joe the Plumber is right. This is the absolutely worst time to raise taxes on anyone: the rich, the middle class, the poor, small businesses and corporations. Our economy is in the tank for many complicated reasons, especially because people don't have enough money. So let them keep it. Let businesses keep it so they can create jobs and stay here and weather this storm. And yet, the Democratic ideology remains the same. Our approach to problems--big government solutions paid for by taxing the rich and big and smaller companies--is just as tired and out of date as trickle down economics. How about a novel approach that simply finds a sane way to stop the bleeding? That's not exactly the philosophy of a Democrat. Not only has this party belittled working people in this campaign from Joe the Plumber to the bitter comments, it has also been part of tearing down two female candidates. At first, certain Democrats and the press called Senator Clinton "dishonest." They went after her cleavage. They said her experience as First Lady consisted of having tea parties. There was no outrage over "Bros before Hoes" or "Iron My Shirt." Did Senator Clinton make mistakes? Of course. She's human. But here we are about a week out and it's déjà vu all over again. Really, front-page news is how the Republican National Committee paid for Governor Sarah Palin's wardrobe? Where's the op-ed about how Obama tucks in his shirt when he plays basketball or how Senator Biden buttons the top button on his golf shirt? Or take Helen McCaffrey's insightful column for the Philadelphia Inquirer that begins with her encountering a male student wearing a t-shirt on campus proclaiming Palin is a c-word: First, with the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won 18 million popular votes from the people of the United States and was ridiculed, marginalized, and put in her place when she wasn't even offered the vice presidency slot. But the really big attack on women occurred when John McCain selected only the second woman in history to be on a major-party ticket. He chose a governor of a state critical to our energy crisis. She is a very popular governor with an 80-percent approval rate. She was elected on her own merit without previous political ties. She is her own political creation, not the wife, daughter, sister or mistress of a politician. I thought Americans would be proud of her nomination, whether we agreed or disagreed with her on the issues. Was I in for a shock. The sexism that I believed had been eradicated was lurking, like some creature from the black lagoon, just below the surface. Suddenly it erupted and in some unexpected places. Instead of engaging Palin on the issues, critics attacked attributes that are specifically female. It is Hillary's pantsuit drama to the power of 10. Palin's hair, her voice, her motherhood, and her personal hygiene were substituted for substance. That's when it was nice. The hatred escalated to performers advocating Palin be "gang raped," to suggestions that her husband had had sex with their young daughters, and reports that her Down syndrome child really was that of her teenage daughter. One columnist even called for her to submit to DNA testing to prove her virtue. Smells a little like Salem to me. I was present at an Obama rally at which the mention of Palin's name drew shouts of "stone her." "Stone her"? How biblical. Or take the one and only Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. From Reuters: Bloodworth-Thomason and others seemed especially critical of the way MSNBC -- and other media -- has attacked Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin while demeaning her supporters. "We should stop the demonizing," she said, adding that Democrats have been worse than Republicans as far as personal attacks on candidates are concerned. "It diminishes us," she said of her fellow Democrats. Bloodworth-Thomason even suggested a defense of Palin and her supporters should be written into TV programing, just as she went out of her way to portray Southern women as smart in her hit TV show "Designing Women." Now grasp that all these women and more are "wrong" and only Robin is right. In Robn's mind that's how it works. She really needs to stop embarrassing herself in public. Instead of scraping and bowing before a man, WomenCount is calling on action: The next president, whomever he or she may be, should "create, withint the first 100 days, a presidential commission on women that will bring together the best thinkers from all backgrounds, sectors, and political parties, to impact the future of women in our nation." Or let's take The New Agenda where Cynthia Ruccia writes: As women, we have several positions that we fall back on. One is exhaustion, which is where I believe many find themselves now. How can we not be tired when everywhere we turn these days there is one heinous example after another of our national disease: Misogyny. Unlike racism, which we are growing to tolerate less and less in America, sexism is absolutely acceptable. If this campaign year has proven anything, it is that Americans not only tolerate discrimination against women, in many instances they revel in it. Another position we women take is denial. And why not deny? Who wants to spend a lifetime screaming about this inequity? It's exhausting, and let's face it, joy is a much more pleasant way to live. But our best position by far is when we decide we are all in this together and we rise up against this injustice. Believe it or not, we have so much to be grateful for having watched these two courageous women, Hillary and Sarah, buck the system. By going where no woman has gone before, they have been human targets, willing to take the incoming fire. Although what Hillary withstood has receded a little in our memories, we have the spectacle of Sarah being eviscerated with glee by the Democrats. They are taking her apart with great creativity and total impunity. Why? Because as a society, we still permit the exercise of sexism without shame. I could list many examples of what Governor Palin has endured--the ridiculous clothing flap (who cares?), the trashing of her family (after all, women must pay for their sins of the family—Geraldine Ferraro did and Hillary paid for the sins of her husband), the c**t t-shirts that the creators wore with glee (they got more "attaboys" for having the courage to do it than shame for having done it), the constant minimizing of her accomplishments, since, after all, she's only a woman. The list goes on, day after day, on and on and on. And on. At first we're mad, then we can't stand it and hide, and then we realize that since NO ONE is stopping it, we must make that step ourselves. But once again I note how lucky we have been to have two brave women, Governor Palin and Senator Clinton, who have shown us what courage is. And if they can summon this courage, so can we. Imagine that, the notion that women matter. A notion Robin no longer subscribes to which is why she hisses and snarls from (Democratic) Women's Media Center in attempts to bully the (small number of) readers into voting her way. She doesn't respect women. We're stupid -- in Robin's eyes. If it weren't for Robin, we wouldn't know how to vote. Or that's what she likes to kid herself. The failed child star who's hold on reality has become increasing fragile (never a good thing for a writer or non-fiction) is going out in one of the most embarrassing slow fades. Robin's hardly the only one embarrassing herself. Kim Gandy's doing a delightful job, such an 'amazing' job that she may be responsible for NOW losing its tax status since NOW's not allowed to endorse a candidate. (NOW PAC is, NOW is not.) As Mike pointed out last night, Kim Gandy's latest scribble promotes a 'scary' theme at NOW's website: dressing like McCain and Palin. This follows, as Elaine pointed out last month, Gandy using NOW's mailing list and official NOW stationaiy to promote Barack Obama's campaign. Turning to Kim and Robin's crush Barack Obama, Jake Tapper (Political Punch, ABC News) reports: "The Obama campaign has told three reporters they have to drop off the campaign plane this weekend. All three work for papers that endorsed Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.: the New York Post, the Washington Times, and the Dallas Morning News." Tapper explains St. Barack got a little snitty over the fact that the editorial boards of all three papers endorsed McCain. Tapper explains the Post and Times importance but skips Dallas. The Dallas Morning News is the paper with the largest circulation in Texas. Not only that, pay attention Cult of Barack, it (actually Belo) also owns cable and broadcast channels in the area -- including WFAA Channel Eight (which also reaches as far north as into Oklahoma). The reporters for the Dallas Morning News are expected not only to file text reports, they also provide reports for the TV channels. In addition, they supply to the the paper's Spanish language paper as well as to the freebies (such as Quick). To the north of Dallas county, to the south of Dallas county and to the east of Dallas county, the broadcast channels and the paper are widely available. As far to the east as Smith County, the Dallas Morning News is the dominant paper (Tyler has one paper under two names, it is not the dominant paper in Smith County -- under either name). (The Dallas Morning News' reach to the west is non-existant due to the understanding it and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram worked out to avoid another paper war -- the sort that allowed the Morning News to take out the Dallas Times Herald.) So this was a vanity move on the part of the Cult of Barack that effects a huge number of people. If the Cult wants to reduce it to 'voters,' no Barack's most likely not going to carry Texas (no Democrat has since Jimmy Carter in 1976) but for a candidate who claims to stand for reaching out, it was a really petty and juvenile move. Scott Conroy (CBS News) reports Mike Ditka of Chicago Bears fame campaigned in Pennsylvania with Governor Palin today and explained, "I'm not here because I'm a Republican, which I am, and I'm not here because I'm a conservative, which I am. I'm here because I am an American. It's time in this country you put party lines on the backburner and you put your country first." Meanwhile, the Latino vote was never Barack's -- not in the primary and not in the general. But he didn't really want to compete for it and his Cult in Panhandle Media was too busy ignoring Latinos. Point, the campaign is freaking out about the new numbers (which don't just include Florida where Barack's own polling says he's losing the Latino vote). This as McCain-Palin '08 announces: Today the McCain-Palin campaign announced the endorsement of Maria Conchita Alonso, a Latin American actress who has starred in television and film for three decades. Alonso, who was born in Cuba and raised in Venezuela, recently appeared on CSI: Miami and Desperate Housewives and starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man. "As a Latina and a new American citizen, I believe in this country and its people, and I believe that we need more than just 'change.' We need a leader who can bring about the right kind of change, and John McCain has the experience and judgment necessary to lead us in these uncertain times," Alonso said. "I grew up in Cuba and Venezuela, and I am appalled that Barack Obama apparently wants to emulate the "spread the wealth" economic policies of those countries and negotiate with their leaders. For me the choice is clear, and I believe it is my duty to share my views even though it might not make me popular in Hollywood." After a successful career in Venezuela as a beauty queen, telenovela star, film actress and singer, Alonso emigrated to the United States from Caracas, Venezuela in 1982. She has appeared in dozens of films and television shows since then and was the first South American star to star on Broadway. Apparently Marica Conchita Alonso, like many women, do not take their marching orders from Robin Morgan. Someone help Robin off the floor. Let's see Robin's insulted all religious people, she's insulted Ralph Nader specifically and all third-party candidates and she's insulted a lot of women. At some point, in a functioning feminist movement, she would have been pulled aside and told to cool her damn jets. She would have been informed just how ridiculous she looked and just how much damage she was doing to the movement. Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate and Robin Morgan thinks you're an idiot and an awful person if you vote for him too. So reject Robin Morgan, make it clear to her that she is not in charge of America's vote. Declare your independence from Robin Morgan -- a declaration that's necessary only because her ego is greater than her intelligence (or her reach). Matt Gonzalez is Ralph's running mate and Team Nader notes: Happy Halloween. Today, you can help us Freak Out the Corporate State. How? Why? Ralph Nader is pulling four percent among registered voters in the latest CNN poll in battleground states. Four percent in Arizona. Four percent in Nevada. Four percent in Ohio. Four percent in Pennsylvania. Let's say the predictions are right and 130 million Americans vote. And let's say the four percent holds up. That's 5 million voters for the Nader/Gonzalez shift the power agenda. From the corporations back into the hands of the people. That's enough to freak out the corporate state. Even the thought of that this Halloween is enough to freak them out. But to get there, we need to hit our last fundraising goal of $4 million by election day. And we're $170,000 away. So, today, Halloween, 2008, let's freak out the corporate state. We need 4,000 of you -- our loyal supporters -- to hit that there donation button. We're driving toward a winning election day. When we send a strong message. We're here. We're near. We're not going anywhere. Get used to it. Onward to November and beyond. Public TV notes. On most PBS stations, NOW on PBS begins airing tonight but check local listings. The topic for the latest broadcast is: What Women Voters Want [Streaming video of this program will be available online after broadcast] Election 2008: Tough decisions for undecided women voters in the swing states. There are roughly eight million more female voters than male, and more women than men say they are still undecided. Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin have undoubtedly changed the debate for many women voters, but the question is: how will they ultimately respond in the booth? This week, NOW on PBS travels to the swing state of Colorado to get insight from a diverse group of women. These pro-choice, pro-gun women don't fit into neat categories, but they do respond to issues built around working moms: pay equity, family leave, and child care. On the show, NOW also interviews former Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro for her take on the role of women in this election. Will the women's vote decide the election? Also on PBS (begins airing Friday on many stations, check local listings) Washington Week where Gwen sits down for a ghoulish chat and chew with Doyle McManus (Los Angeles Times), David Broder (Washington Post), a mystery guest who shows up costumed as a Bobbsey Twin and, as a special treat, Time's Karen Tumulty offers up her impression of Bette Davis from Beyond The Forest. Watch in wonder as she really digs into the line, "What a dump." Marvel as truer words were never spoken. Oooh. Scary. That's the trick, the treat comes Monday, on commercial TV: Cher makes her first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. xx |
Other Items
Two years ago, President Bush hailed Najim al Jabouri as a symbol of success in the battle to curb Iraq's sectarian violence. Today, Jabouri is a symbol of how uncertain that success is.
Last month, Jabouri quietly left Tal Afar, an ancient city near Iraq's desert border with Syria where he was the police chief and the mayor, collected his wife and four children and flew to safety in the United States.
"There was no other choice," Jabouri, 52, a retired Iraqi army lieutenant general, said in a recent interview that was translated by his eldest son, Omar, 21. "I had been serving my homeland, the Iraqi people and Iraqi soil my whole life. I decided I had to do something for my own family. I saw that their lives were in great danger."
The above is the opening to Jonathan S. Landay's "Another success? Iraqi mayor Bush once hailed flees to U.S." (McClatchy Newspapers) and you can file it under 'progress.' At the New York Times Iraq blog, photographer Marko Georgiev offers "Funeral of Sand and Fog" which details sandstorms, militias and other difficulties in covering Iraq:
The bomb was planted at the base of his front gate, and his car was blown to pieces. When we got to the area, there were Awakening members with Kalashnikovs strategically placed on every corner, on every street.
Since the visibility was reduced to less than 500 meters, they would just appear out of the fog. All the sounds were muffled from the sand in the air surrounding us and the orange/red tint just added to the eeriness of the mood. It was a very tense situation. Everyone was expecting trouble and we were the least welcome people in the area.
After a screaming session they searched my bag and let me through. We arrived just in time to see the coffin brought from his house and carried to the mosque. Suddenly everyone who was carried a weapon fired in the air.
Some people positioned far away from us also fired, but I had no way of knowing if they were shooting in the air or firing at us. It's a bit difficult to think of the correct white balance while a person three feet away from you decides to fire his AK-47. The sound blasted into my left eardrum and the empty shell hit my head.
I carried on, knowing that my guards were one step behind me and they would grab me if something went wrong.
Thankfully it didn't, but at one point they told me it's time to go. I was a little disappointed since I had gone deaf and was just getting used to all the firing.
In the print edition of the paper, Abeer Mohammed and Katherine Zoepf offer "Iraqi Ministry Adopts Political Neutrality" covers the decision by Iraq's Defense Minister Abudl-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi to institute a policy of being "politically neutral" which is thought to be in response to Iraq's Minister of the Interior Jawad al-Bolani and his Iraqi Constiutional Party. Staying with politics, UPI reports that provincial elections could be delayed even further: "The Iraqi Independent High Electoral High Commissions Thursday said, following a meeting with officials from the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq, that lawmakers needed to address the articles for minority representation before Wednesday, Voices of Iraq reported." That's the issue of religious minority representation, Article 50, which was pulled. UPI notes this may delay the elections "in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces."
Public TV notes. On most PBS stations, NOW on PBS begins airing tonight but check local listings. The topic for the latest broadcast is:
What Women Voters Want
[Streaming video of this program will be available online after broadcast]
Election 2008: Tough decisions for undecided women voters in the swing states.
There are roughly eight million more female voters than male, and more women than men say they are still undecided. Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin have undoubtedly changed the debate for many women voters, but the question is: how will they ultimately respond in the booth?
This week, NOW on PBS travels to the swing state of Colorado to get insight from a diverse group of women. These pro-choice, pro-gun women don't fit into neat categories, but they do respond to issues built around working moms: pay equity, family leave, and child care. On the show, NOW also interviews former Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro for her take on the role of women in this election.
Will the women's vote decide the election?
Also on PBS (begins airing Friday on many stations, check local listings) Washington Week where Gwen sits down for a ghoulish chat and chew with Doyle McManus (Los Angeles Times), David Broder (Washington Post), a mystery guest who shows up costumed as a Bobbsey Twin and, as a special treat, Time's Karen Tumulty offers up her impression of Bette Davis from Beyond The Forest. Watch in wonder as she really digs into the line, "What a dump." Marvel as truer words were never spoken. Oooh. Scary.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
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mcclatchy newspapers
jonathan s. landay
the new york times
marko georgiev
washington week
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abeer mohammed
katherine zoepf
Last month, Jabouri quietly left Tal Afar, an ancient city near Iraq's desert border with Syria where he was the police chief and the mayor, collected his wife and four children and flew to safety in the United States.
"There was no other choice," Jabouri, 52, a retired Iraqi army lieutenant general, said in a recent interview that was translated by his eldest son, Omar, 21. "I had been serving my homeland, the Iraqi people and Iraqi soil my whole life. I decided I had to do something for my own family. I saw that their lives were in great danger."
The above is the opening to Jonathan S. Landay's "Another success? Iraqi mayor Bush once hailed flees to U.S." (McClatchy Newspapers) and you can file it under 'progress.' At the New York Times Iraq blog, photographer Marko Georgiev offers "Funeral of Sand and Fog" which details sandstorms, militias and other difficulties in covering Iraq:
The bomb was planted at the base of his front gate, and his car was blown to pieces. When we got to the area, there were Awakening members with Kalashnikovs strategically placed on every corner, on every street.
Since the visibility was reduced to less than 500 meters, they would just appear out of the fog. All the sounds were muffled from the sand in the air surrounding us and the orange/red tint just added to the eeriness of the mood. It was a very tense situation. Everyone was expecting trouble and we were the least welcome people in the area.
After a screaming session they searched my bag and let me through. We arrived just in time to see the coffin brought from his house and carried to the mosque. Suddenly everyone who was carried a weapon fired in the air.
Some people positioned far away from us also fired, but I had no way of knowing if they were shooting in the air or firing at us. It's a bit difficult to think of the correct white balance while a person three feet away from you decides to fire his AK-47. The sound blasted into my left eardrum and the empty shell hit my head.
I carried on, knowing that my guards were one step behind me and they would grab me if something went wrong.
Thankfully it didn't, but at one point they told me it's time to go. I was a little disappointed since I had gone deaf and was just getting used to all the firing.
In the print edition of the paper, Abeer Mohammed and Katherine Zoepf offer "Iraqi Ministry Adopts Political Neutrality" covers the decision by Iraq's Defense Minister Abudl-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi to institute a policy of being "politically neutral" which is thought to be in response to Iraq's Minister of the Interior Jawad al-Bolani and his Iraqi Constiutional Party. Staying with politics, UPI reports that provincial elections could be delayed even further: "The Iraqi Independent High Electoral High Commissions Thursday said, following a meeting with officials from the U.N. Assistance Mission to Iraq, that lawmakers needed to address the articles for minority representation before Wednesday, Voices of Iraq reported." That's the issue of religious minority representation, Article 50, which was pulled. UPI notes this may delay the elections "in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces."
Public TV notes. On most PBS stations, NOW on PBS begins airing tonight but check local listings. The topic for the latest broadcast is:
What Women Voters Want
[Streaming video of this program will be available online after broadcast]
Election 2008: Tough decisions for undecided women voters in the swing states.
There are roughly eight million more female voters than male, and more women than men say they are still undecided. Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin have undoubtedly changed the debate for many women voters, but the question is: how will they ultimately respond in the booth?
This week, NOW on PBS travels to the swing state of Colorado to get insight from a diverse group of women. These pro-choice, pro-gun women don't fit into neat categories, but they do respond to issues built around working moms: pay equity, family leave, and child care. On the show, NOW also interviews former Vice Presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro for her take on the role of women in this election.
Will the women's vote decide the election?
Also on PBS (begins airing Friday on many stations, check local listings) Washington Week where Gwen sits down for a ghoulish chat and chew with Doyle McManus (Los Angeles Times), David Broder (Washington Post), a mystery guest who shows up costumed as a Bobbsey Twin and, as a special treat, Time's Karen Tumulty offers up her impression of Bette Davis from Beyond The Forest. Watch in wonder as she really digs into the line, "What a dump." Marvel as truer words were never spoken. Oooh. Scary.
Freak Out the Corporate State
Happy Halloween.
Today, you can help us Freak Out the Corporate State.
How?
Donate $4 to Nader/Gonzalez now.
Why?
Ralph Nader is pulling four percent among registered voters in the latest CNN poll in battleground states.
Four percent in Arizona.
Four percent in Nevada.
Four percent in Ohio.
Four percent in Pennsylvania.
Let’s say the predictions are right and 130 million Americans vote.
And let’s say the four percent holds up.
That’s 5 million voters for the Nader/Gonzalez shift the power agenda.
From the corporations back into the hands of the people.
That’s enough to freak out the corporate state.
Even the thought of that this Halloween is enough to freak them out.
But to get there, we need to hit our last fundraising goal of $4 million by election day.
And we’re $170,000 away.
So, today, Halloween, 2008, let’s freak out the corporate state.
We need 4,000 of you — our loyal supporters — to hit that there donation button.
We’re driving toward a winning election day.
When we send a strong message.
We’re here.
We’re near.
We’re not going anywhere.
Get used to it.
Onward to November and beyond.
The Nader Team
PS: Remember, if you donate $100 or more, we will ship to you the hard cover 40th Anniversary edition of Unsafe at Any Speed — Ralph’s historic expose of the American automobile industry — autographed by the man himself. It was the book that launched the American consumer movement and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. This autographed edition is bound to become a rare collector’s item after the election. So, get it now. Only a limited number left. (This book offer ends November 4, 2008 at 11:59 p.m.)
PPS: Look for Ralph this morning on CNN Morning America.
Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez is his running mate. West noted the above.
John McCain is the Republican presidential candidate and Sarah Palin is his running mate. Vernon notes this from McCain - Palin:
McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New Television Ad: "Obama Praising McCain"
ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released its latest television ad, entitled "Obama Praising McCain." The ad highlights Barack Obama's past praise for John McCain on the issue of confronting global climate change. As he said numerous times during the first debate, Barack Obama often believes John McCain is right. The ad will air in key states.
Script For "Obama Praising McCain" (TV :30)
ANNCR: The truth on global warming:
BARACK OBAMA: The right approach begins with the proposal put forward by Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain.
The Lieberman-McCain bill establishes limits for greenhouse gas emissions. It's a framework that's not only good for the environment, it's also good for business.
I want to thank Senator Lieberman, as well as Senator McCain, for the outstanding leadership that they've shown.
JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
AD FACTS: Script For "Obama Praising McCain" (TV :30)
ANNCR: The truth on global warming: BARACK OBAMA: The right approach begins with the proposal put forward by Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain. The Lieberman-McCain bill establishes limits for greenhouse gas emissions. It's a framework that's not only good for the environment, it's also good for business. I want to thank Senator Lieberman, as well as Senator McCain, for the outstanding leadership that they've shown. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL): "Since coming to Washington, I've believed that the right approach begins with the proposal put forward by Senator Lieberman and Senator McCain, a proposal they've been pushing for years, and I thank them again for their leadership on this issue. The Lieberman-McCain Bill establishes limits for greenhouse gas emissions well into the 21st century. To remain below these limits, the bill encourages the market to determine how best to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rewarding cost effective approaches using a system of tradable allowances." (Sen. Barack Obama, Hearing, Committee On Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate, 1/30/07)
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
mcclatchy newspapersjonathan s. landaythe new york timesmarko georgievwashington weeknow on pbspbsabeer mohammedkatherine zoepf
Syria, Iraqi Christians
Tens of thousands of Syrians turned out Thursday for a massive government-orchestrated protest against a deadly U.S. raid near the Iraqi border Sunday.
A mile away, hundreds of Syrian riot police formed a protective ring around the closed U.S. Embassy, but the crowds dispersed peacefully after a couple of hours.
Also Thursday, Syria demanded a formal apology for the attack, which it says killed eight civilians, and threatened to cut off cooperation on Iraqi border security if there are more American raids.
There has been no formal acknowledgment of the raid from Washington, but U.S. officials have said the target was a top figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The above is from the Syria section of the Washington Post's news brief roundup "Around the World" and Jordan's Al Bawaba reports Syria has announced it is severing "diplomatic ties with Iraq". Iraq's Alsumaria adds, "However, Government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh denied in a statement to Alsumaria reports about cutting off relations with Syria hoping it would not reach that point." Farrah Hassen's "A bumpy ride for the US over Syria" (Asia Times) offers perspective that the US media can't bother to provide:
The details of the attack remain murky and the White House has declined to comment. Not so murky is the fact that eight Syrian civilians, including a farmer, three children, and a fisherman, died as a result of the strike. They were all victims of collateral damage, like the Iraqis and Afghans who have perished as a result of Bush's reckless wars.
Questions
Numerous questions abound about the timing, purpose, and legality of the strike. Was the attack directed specifically against Syria, which has cooperated with the United States in the "war on terror" and the Iraq War, or is it more of a desperate pre-election move by the Bush administration to showcase the image of stability and US resolve?
Other pundits have called the attack a "parting shot" from Bush and neo-conservatives in his administration, who have long advocated but failed to bring regime change to Damascus, particularly in response to Syria's early opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
By violating Syrian airspace and apparently not consulting the Syrians about its supposed intelligence on Abu Ghadiya ahead of the attack, the Bush administration has confirmed, yet again, its disdain for international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Indeed, the United States, in the name of fighting "terrorists", has carried out other cross-border raids in recent months, including against the Taliban along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In justifying the Syria attack, a senior US official told The Washington Post: "You have to clean up the global threat that is in your backyard, and if you won't do that, we are left with no choice but to take these matters into our hands."
Does this standard apply to other countries and legitimize their counter-terrorism operations? Imagine if Cuba offered a similar justification for going after scores of Cuban exiles in Miami who have acted anti-former Cuban president Fidel Castro, including Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles, who carried out the October 6, 1976, bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner, killing all 73 passengers and crew members on board.
Meanwhile, Leila Fadel's "What to do with the detainees?" (Baghdad Observer, McClatchy Newspapers) explores the issue of Iraqi prisoners held by the US:
Following the killing of 17 civilians last year by Blackwater, security contractors that protect diplomats, the Iraqi government could do nothing. When a teenage girl was raped and her family killed, south of Baghdad, by a U.S. soldier, the Iraqi government could do nothing.
While the negotiations continue and seem to be hitting a wall we've forgotten about the detainees.
Right now the U.S. military is trying to pare down the number of Iraqi detainees in custody before the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year. They've reduced the number by almost 10,000 since last year; currently there are 17,000 people in U.S. custody. Most are detained and are never charged or go on trial, many are held for months or years until they are no longer deemed a threat. If and when a security agreement is actually in place the U.S. will have to transfer the remaining detainees to Iraqi custody.
On the subject of the attacks on Iraqi Christians, the Saudi Gazette notes that Professor Ekmeledding Ihsanoglu (Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference) declared, "As we have consistently demanded that the rights of Muslim minorities be respected all over the world, we do emphasize the need to respect the rights of all minorities across the Islamic world." UPI reports:
The government of Iraq needs to take all necessary actions to bring a halt to the targeted killings of the Christian minority population, U.S. lawmakers said.
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Carl Levin of Michigan, along with Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mel Martinez of Florida, called on Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take the steps needed to end the violence plaguing the Christian community in northern Iraq.
"This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens," the senators wrote. "It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections (in January)."
Turning to the US presidential race. Dana notes this from Team Nader:
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the washington post
mcclatchy newspapers
leila fadel
farrah hassen
A mile away, hundreds of Syrian riot police formed a protective ring around the closed U.S. Embassy, but the crowds dispersed peacefully after a couple of hours.
Also Thursday, Syria demanded a formal apology for the attack, which it says killed eight civilians, and threatened to cut off cooperation on Iraqi border security if there are more American raids.
There has been no formal acknowledgment of the raid from Washington, but U.S. officials have said the target was a top figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The above is from the Syria section of the Washington Post's news brief roundup "Around the World" and Jordan's Al Bawaba reports Syria has announced it is severing "diplomatic ties with Iraq". Iraq's Alsumaria adds, "However, Government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh denied in a statement to Alsumaria reports about cutting off relations with Syria hoping it would not reach that point." Farrah Hassen's "A bumpy ride for the US over Syria" (Asia Times) offers perspective that the US media can't bother to provide:
The details of the attack remain murky and the White House has declined to comment. Not so murky is the fact that eight Syrian civilians, including a farmer, three children, and a fisherman, died as a result of the strike. They were all victims of collateral damage, like the Iraqis and Afghans who have perished as a result of Bush's reckless wars.
Questions
Numerous questions abound about the timing, purpose, and legality of the strike. Was the attack directed specifically against Syria, which has cooperated with the United States in the "war on terror" and the Iraq War, or is it more of a desperate pre-election move by the Bush administration to showcase the image of stability and US resolve?
Other pundits have called the attack a "parting shot" from Bush and neo-conservatives in his administration, who have long advocated but failed to bring regime change to Damascus, particularly in response to Syria's early opposition to the invasion of Iraq.
By violating Syrian airspace and apparently not consulting the Syrians about its supposed intelligence on Abu Ghadiya ahead of the attack, the Bush administration has confirmed, yet again, its disdain for international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Indeed, the United States, in the name of fighting "terrorists", has carried out other cross-border raids in recent months, including against the Taliban along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In justifying the Syria attack, a senior US official told The Washington Post: "You have to clean up the global threat that is in your backyard, and if you won't do that, we are left with no choice but to take these matters into our hands."
Does this standard apply to other countries and legitimize their counter-terrorism operations? Imagine if Cuba offered a similar justification for going after scores of Cuban exiles in Miami who have acted anti-former Cuban president Fidel Castro, including Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles, who carried out the October 6, 1976, bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner, killing all 73 passengers and crew members on board.
Meanwhile, Leila Fadel's "What to do with the detainees?" (Baghdad Observer, McClatchy Newspapers) explores the issue of Iraqi prisoners held by the US:
Following the killing of 17 civilians last year by Blackwater, security contractors that protect diplomats, the Iraqi government could do nothing. When a teenage girl was raped and her family killed, south of Baghdad, by a U.S. soldier, the Iraqi government could do nothing.
While the negotiations continue and seem to be hitting a wall we've forgotten about the detainees.
Right now the U.S. military is trying to pare down the number of Iraqi detainees in custody before the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year. They've reduced the number by almost 10,000 since last year; currently there are 17,000 people in U.S. custody. Most are detained and are never charged or go on trial, many are held for months or years until they are no longer deemed a threat. If and when a security agreement is actually in place the U.S. will have to transfer the remaining detainees to Iraqi custody.
On the subject of the attacks on Iraqi Christians, the Saudi Gazette notes that Professor Ekmeledding Ihsanoglu (Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference) declared, "As we have consistently demanded that the rights of Muslim minorities be respected all over the world, we do emphasize the need to respect the rights of all minorities across the Islamic world." UPI reports:
The government of Iraq needs to take all necessary actions to bring a halt to the targeted killings of the Christian minority population, U.S. lawmakers said.
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Carl Levin of Michigan, along with Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Mel Martinez of Florida, called on Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take the steps needed to end the violence plaguing the Christian community in northern Iraq.
"This violence is emblematic of a larger pattern of severe persecution by extremists that threatens to deprive Iraq of her non-Muslim citizens," the senators wrote. "It also highlights the possibility of increased violence ahead of provincial elections (in January)."
Turning to the US presidential race. Dana notes this from Team Nader:
The Final 100 Hours: Get Out the Vote
In the final 100 hours before the election, we need your help to implement our get out the vote (GOTV) plan.
To make tens of thousands of phone calls, knock on doors in hundreds of communities, and pass out thousands of flyers and leaflets.
To remind voters that Nader/Gonzalez is the independent choice on November 4th.
It’s a simple five step process.
Here’s what you need to do:
Step One: Vote for Nader/Gonzalez. Get your friends and family to vote for Nader/Gonzalez. Vote early. Vote on election day. But vote independent. Vote Nader/Gonzalez.
Step Two: Connect with Nader Supporters in Your State. Go to our state-by-state map. Connect with your state, regional, community, and campus coordinators to find out how you can help.
Step Three: Spread the Word. Great Nader/Gonzalez literature is available in every state. Click here to see the location of the campaign literature nearest you. You can download GOTV flyers to help pass out in your local community. You can knock on your neighbors’ doors. Canvass door to door, telling your neighbors why you’re voting for Nader/Gonzalez. Urge them to do the same.
Step Four: Create Visibility. Help us distribute Nader/Gonzalez buttons, window signs and more. We’ve unloaded all of our materials to our coordinators around the country. Click here for people with campaign materials in your state. To find a state or local coordinator with bumperstickers and other Nader/Gonzalez merchandise, click here.
Step Five: Join our Nationwide Phone Bank. Are you willing to help phone bank supporters and independents across the country? If yes, please contact liz@votenader.org to sign up for our national GOTV phone bank effort. Over the next 24 hours we’ll be sending them information on how to vote for Nader/Gonzalez in your state and sharing with them a GOTV video from Ralph that he shot last night on why they should join the GOTV effort.
That’s five simple steps.
History will look back on this effort as the end of the two party domination in this country and the beginning of a new era of citizen politics.
We can’t make that happen unless you help us get millions of votes for Nader/Gonzalez on November 4th.
Onward to November.
Jason Kafoury
National Campaign Coordinator
The Nader Team
Ralph Nader is the independent presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez is his running mate. Ryan notes this from Team Nader:
Breaking Point: Voting for the First Time in 40 years...for Nader!
Voting for the first time in 40 years – for Nader!
My husband, Rick, and I are overjoyed you have decided to declare your candidacy for President! In 2000 I fell into the trap of voting for Al Gore even though I knew you had what it takes to turn this nation around for the better. I won’t make the same mistake again.
This time around you have my vote and would still have it even if it were Barack Obama against Dick Cheney. Too many people are looking at who is more likely to win for their party, and the result is too many people compromising what is important for their lives and their values. ALL your stands on the issues and your values are our dream for what we wish this nation could be. You have already done so much for this country, not only by voicing your stands to steer this country in the right direction, but also with all the improvements in safety for the public that you have championed.
Rick is so turned off by politics in America that he hasn’t voted in more than 40 years. He hasn’t registered to vote since we were married 39 years ago. He tried to get me to vote for you in 2000, but was still feeling too cynical about the election procedure back then to register to vote himself. Now with your candidacy he will register once again in order to vote for you. We both have never felt worse about this country than we do now, and your candidacy will be a motivating factor in getting him to register.Thank you!
—Amy and Rick
If you haven’t reached your breaking point, visit www.breakingpoint08.com.
Send me your Breaking Point story to share at loralynne@votenader.org, so the growing numbers of independent voters can join our voices, and together, we can change the system.
Loralynne Krobetzky
Communications Director
Nader for President 2008
And Becky notes this from McCain - Palin:
In Case You Missed It: "Reality Check: The Cost Of Obama's Pledges"
"The fact is the savings Obama has identified do not cover his spending. According to a CBS News estimate, he's around $90 billion short. The Obama campaign disputes this, saying everything including the stimulus is paid for over 10 years. But other analysts say - even presuming Obama saves money in Iraq and chops the federal budget as promised - he falls short." -- CBS News' Wyatt Andrews
"Reality Check: The Cost Of Obama's Pledges"
Wyatt Andrews
CBS News
October 29, 2008
Without question, the Barack Obama infomercial served as a very slick and powerful recitation of the biggest promises he's made as a presidential candidate. But the very bigness of his ideas is the problem: he seems blind to the concept his numbers don't add up.
Obama has already proposed a new stimulus package of $188 billion over two years. His tax cuts will cost $85 billion a year. His "army of new teachers": $18 billion; Renewable energy: $15 billion. CBS News and various independent experts estimate Obama's total first year spending could exceed $280 billion.
Still Obama repeated his claim he can find the money to pay for every proposal.
"I've offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost," he has said.
The fact is the savings Obama has identified do not cover his spending. According to a CBS News estimate, he's around $90 billion short. The Obama campaign disputes this, saying everything including the stimulus is paid for over 10 years. But other analysts say - even presuming Obama saves money in Iraq and chops the federal budget as promised - he falls short.
Let's break all of this down, starting with his highly suspect, and widely discredited, claim that he can find federal "spending cuts beyond the costs" of his promises. Very few independent economists believe he has identified the savings needed to offset his remarkable list of tax credits, tax cuts and spending pledges.
Fact: Even if you believe Obama intends to fix health care, most independent analysts say the cost is massive - $1.2 trillion over ten years, according to the highly respected Lewin Group. When the new Congress wakes up next year to a $1 trillion deficit, and answers the overwhelming new demands for another stimulus package, will the leadership really bite on a health care reform package that digs the deficit hole so much deeper?
And that's just the beginning of what Obama would spend.
Fact: The tax cuts he promises, which are mostly refundable tax credits (code for cash back), will cost $60 billion just in year one, according the National Taxpayers Union, though the Obama campaign's own estimates in July put that figure at $130 billion.
Fact: His new promise to give businesses a $3,000 tax credit for each new job created will cost $40 billion. But economists say this credit is far more likely to benefit companies already planning to expand and will likely not be enough to help companies create new jobs or forestall layoffs.
Fact: Obama's claim he will lower health care premiums by $2,500 is: 1.) guesswork, which is 2.) based on health care savings that might, in a perfect world, happen over 10 years - a fact Obama neatly glosses over.
Fact: Obama, when referring to savings he can make by leaving Iraq ($90 billion, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates), has spent these savings several times over, across several different promises depending on the crowd he's addressing.
Most of the time he spends the Iraq savings in the context of the roads he wants to build; sometimes it's for the teachers he wants to hire. Tonight, he riffed rhetorically on the savings, asking how many scholarships could be funded, or how many schools could be built. In the end though, presuming he really saves $90 billion, he can only spend it once.
Remember he also mentioned rebuilding the military ($7 billion/yr); his education initiative ($18 billion/yr); and his energy initiative ($15 billion/yr). He did not mention the $188 billion that he would spend on the brand new stimulus package he has proposed.
If he closes every loophole as promised, saves every dime from Iraq, raises taxes on the rich and trims the federal budget as he's promised to do "line by line," he still doesn't pay for his list. If he's elected, the first fact hitting his desk will be the figure projecting how much less of a budget he has to work with - thanks to the recession. He gave us a very compelling vision with his ad buy tonight. What he did not give us was any hint of the cold reality he's facing or a sense of how he might prioritize his promises if voters trust him with the White House.
Read The Article
John McCain is the GOP presidential candidate, Sarah Palin is his running mate. And Ava and I were talking yesterday about writing something on the topic above for Third. The garbage in today's New York Times makes it all the more likely.The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
the washington postmcclatchy newspapersleila fadelfarrah hassen
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