Members of the Mercer County Democratic Party will be offering their thoughts, views, and ideas on this page. We hope to offer a comment section after each blog in the hopes of getting a healthy dialogue with each blog. We encourage a free expression without profanity or defamation of character. We will filter out any profane comments by not allowing that person to have their quotes published on this site. If you have any comments about any of these opinions, please email them to jcampbell@mercercountydemocrats.org. In the email, include your name, address, and telephone number for verification. We will print them as long as they fit the criteria described above and if you are a resident of Mercer County.
July 22--Jim Campbell--I would like to thank all of those who came to the Slammer to work on Mercer County's suggestions to Barack Obama for the upcoming platform of the Democratic Party in August. The five of us came up with some great ideas, stories, concerns, and more. It was fun and bonding. I only wish more could have attended.
Apr. 9--Jim Campbell--Moveon.org has a new campaign to show how the Bush-McCain Iraq occupation must no longer be tolerated. Here is what was sent to me.
No matter what happens in Iraq, the Bush administration and John McCain always have an answer: 6 more months.
When the "surge" began a year ago, they told America things would get better by September. In September, they said we'd know more by spring. And this week, General Petraeus is on Capitol Hill asking for—you guessed it—6 more months. Senator McCain and President Bush couldn't agree more.
They don't have a plan for getting us out of Iraq. So they're trying to sell endless war on an installment plan.
Six more months won't change anything—except the body count and the price tag. It's critical that the news media and voters know that the Bush-McCain strategy in Iraq is to keep us there indefinitely—6 months at a time. So we've put together a video exposing their "6 month" gambit. Please check it out and pass it on:
Watch the video at http://pol.moveon.org/sixmonths/?id=12418-6746540-XMHXA9&t=3
What exactly are they saying?
Yesterday John McCain said the same thing he's been saying for the last 5 years: We have to stay in Iraq, but "success is in reach."
And General Petraeus told the Senate that it would be fall before he could say whether, or when, to draw down troops below the "pre-surge" levels. (Specifically, he recommended a 45-day period for "evaluation" starting in the summer, followed by an open-ended "assessment" process to decide what to do next).1
It all boils down to this: Demand more time and promise that victory is just over the horizon. Unfortunately, according to experts from the Iraq Study Group, the "surge" has gotten us "no closer to being able to leave Iraq than [we were] a year ago."2
More than 4,000 Americans are dead. We've spent almost $500 billion on this war. A year after the "surge" began, Americans are no safer, and there is no end in sight.
With the Bush-McCain wait-and-see strategy, we can expect to hear "6 more months" for years and years to come.
We can't just sit by. We've got to speak out now—please help spread the word.
Thanks for all you do,
–Nita, Justin, Eli, Marika, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
Sources:
1. "Petraeus Calls for Troop Withdrawal Halt," Associated Press, April 8, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3556&id=12418-6746540-XMHXA9&t=4
2. "Report: US No Closer to Iraq Goals," Associated Press, April 6, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3555&id=12418-6746540-XMHXA9&t=5
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:
http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=12418-6746540-XMHXA9&t=6
Mar. 21--Jim Campbell--As you can see, it has been 3 months since my last blog. I have been putting in the news not seen on MSM news programs, and that has satisfied to a certain extent the anger I have felt about how this adminstration has manipulated the news away from the truth or the important issues. I feel it is important to get as much information out to our residents since it simply is not available away from the internet, unless you are reading the right books and/or magazines.
I attended the Peace Vigil on Wednesday, which was the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq occupation. Since then, almost 4000 Americans have been killed, over one million Iraqis have been killed, 20% of the Iraqi population has been displaced, oil is over $100 per barrel, the Iraqi government becomes more and more irrelevant (meaning the surge did not work), and our individual rights continue to be slashed, with Bush pushing hard to give the phone companies immunity for breaking the law. I have been to a number of vigils and the numbers of people showing support have steadily increased, which is go to see. However, I do not see many of our own residents getting involved. Why?
Is it because we are isolated? Is it because we are cynical? Is it because we are scared to make a stand? What is it about being residents of Mercer County that makes people unlikely to be politically involved in issues that do indeed have a direct bearing upon our lives. I would like to have a discussion with my fellow citizens as to why most do not feel that their involvement is critical in making the changes necessary to restore this country to the ideals it once had.
Dec. 30, 2007--Jim Campbell--I know what angers me the most about our involvement in Iraq is that the WH administration is disguising their goals of making profits off of the oil there as pushing for democracy. While they are trying to systematically erode our own rights that our Constitution has guaranteed us, they claim that they are trying to establish rights for the countries over there. Most of us who have read and followed the hypocrisy of this administration understand the depths of their deception.
I came across an incredible op-ed piece from the New York Times that examines the lives of two of our soldiers in Iraq who died. What made these two special is that they wrote an op-ed piece for the NYT months before their deaths, wondering what their mission really was there. They used their freedom of speech to question what they were being asked to do. They continued to fight and to die for what their superiors asked them to do. It is a great piece. Here it is. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/magazine/30YANCE-t.html?th&emc=th
Nov. 18--Jim Campbell--It's getting close to the Christmas season. If you are looking for something for that special Progressive in your life, I have some suggestions. Fair Game: My LIfe as a Spy by Valerie Plame Wilson is an excellent account of what happened to her when the White House outed her in retaliation to what her husband said in an op-ed in the New York Times. This is a special book in many ways, but it has the redactions the CIA made. She left in black lines in the book to let you have an idea what they objected to. Then at the end, a reporter named Laura Rozen helps to fill in the blanks and remove the confusion by doing research and figuring out what they were. That is the crux of Plame's argument about the CIA's redactions because all the facts are available on the internet.
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein is the scariest book I've read--and it's nonfiction. This book talks about how the corporations have infiltrated our government and how they are the cause of our loss of morals by using torture and overthrowing governments. You may want to take a shower after reading this, but this is a must-read.
The Secret History of the American Empire by John Perkins is a book similar to The Shock Doctrine, but it deals more with the history as opposed to what is being done now. It is also seen through the eyes of an economic hitman (he wrote the book Confessions of an Economic Hitman--another excellent book) who has participated in many of the horrendous situations talked about here. This is also a scary book, but it is not to be missed either.
The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf is an analogy of America's fall into fascism to the other countries' falls into fascism, including Nazi Germany, Italy, and Chile. This incredibly insightful book was published not by a corporate publisher, but by a small group out of New Hampshire.
Cracking the Code: How to Win Hearts, Change Minds, and Restore America's Original Vision by Thom Hartmann is another in a long line of great books by Air America's arguably best talk-show host. He is insightful, intelligent, and logical in his presentations.
Sicko is now on DVD. This Micheal Moore directed documentary is probably the best documentary I have seen (and I have seen a lot.) This is moving, informative, and stirs one to action.
No End in Sight is a documentary about how Iraq became lawless. It is told through the eyes of mid-level bureaucrats and is pretty powerful stuff. Like any documentary about Iraq, it feels hopeless and frustrating, but its power is in its information. Go to the internet to buy either Sicko or this one. No store in Mercer County has the courage to stock these videos.
Nov. 17--Jim Campbell--I went to the local Wal-Mart (an oddity for me since I try to avoid this horrendous corporation as much as possible) for my wife to get a few things, and I decided to get a DVD of Sicko by Micheal Moore. I realized there was a less than 50% chance of not getting it because I know how much the Waltons despise Mr. Moore. Sure enough, they did not have it. I ran into a couple of ex-cohorts of Westmer, and I was telling them how upset I was that Wal-Mart does not sell Sicko. One of them had never heard of the movie. Then, I asked a clerk who makes this decision, and, just as I expected, she said that the corporate office does. I then checked 3 other places, and sure enough they did not have it, and 2 stated that they had no plans on getting it. I was seething.
Obviously, the problem is overcoming the corporate mindset of main-stream media and the mega stores. If we need to get the message out, we have to devise ways of overcoming this ugliness that has permeated American society, much to our own doing. In the minds of many, fascism has overtaken this country. I used to scoff at this statement as overdramatization until I found the following piece. I wish to share this with you, and then I wish to start showing Sicko (I gave up and ordered it on the internet--so much for supporting our local stores since they won't supply it) around the county under the auspices of the Mercer County Progressive Society. Enjoy this scary piece.
In his original article, "Fascism Anyone?", Laurence Britt (interview) compared the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet and identified 14 characteristics common to those fascist regimes. This page is a collection of news articles dating from the start of the Bush presidency divided into topics relating to each of the 14 points of fascism.
1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism: Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights: Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause: The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4.) Supremacy of the Military: Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5.) Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6.) Controlled Mass Media: Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7.) Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses
8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined: Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9.) Corporate Power is Protected: The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10.) Labor Power is Suppressed: Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts: Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment: Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations
13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption: Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections: Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
Oct. 31--Jim Campbell--The Democratic Party had their debate last night, and I came away with a number of impressions. First, I still believe that the Democratic Party from top to bottom is better than any of the weasels that the Republicans have to offer as candidates for President. It was nice not to have Mike Gravel there. Second, I wish that Joe Biden was a smarter candidate on the road. Everytime I see him speak, he is absolutely amazing. His line last night about Rudy Giuliani was spectacular. Go to www.youtube.com and type in "Joe Biden Rudy Giuliani" to get the video. The problem with Biden is that he says some of the dumbest things because he does not know when to shut up on the campaign trail. He so dearly loves to hear himself talk, but when he comes up with a gem, it is really special.
Third, I know a lot of people like Barack Obama and John Edwards, and I thought they held their own last night. Unfortunately, I think these two guys cancel each other out. I really wish one of them would drop out of the race to overcome the Hillary tsunami that the main-stream media has caused. Fourth, I really despise Tim Russert as a questioner. He came up with the dumbest questions at the most inopportune times, hoping that what he considered to be insightful questions would be lingered on during the breaks or at the end. His obsession with Hillary Clinton is bordering on the obscene. I think the only other guy who is more obsessed with her is Chris Matthews; so, thank goodness that clown was not on until after everything was wrapped up. Stephanie Miller called him "a right-wing tool" to his face on his Hardball show, and I thought he was going to cry right there. It was classic television. At any rate, Russert tried to make the Democrats look as ridiculous as possible with questions like "Do you believe in UFOs?"
Finally, Dennis Kucinich was virtually ignored last night; so, he had to be tough and aggressive in his answers, and he was. Granted, Russert and Brian Williams of NBC gave more questions to Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Biden than in the past, but Kucinich did not get this priviledge, and one has to believe the MSM fears this man--and for good reason. Dennis brought up the "I" word (impeachment), and was adamant about his one-payer health care plan and the pulling out of the war. While the others seemed to be obsessed with Hillary, he was obsessed with fixing America. He kept his eye on the ball and proved that if he was elected, you knew he was going to do what he says. I don't trust many of the others, but I have 100% assurance Dennis will be a man of his word. When he was given the insane question about if he truly saw a UFO, instead of backing down from it, he admitted to it and then turned it back on Mr. Anus Russert and stated that 14% of America claims to have seen a UFO and that is higher than the numbers that support President Bush. Others who hear him know this is true, but they are afraid he won't win the primary, and therefore won't back him. I will support a man of his conviction over a person of his/her political calculations. Go Dennis!!!!
I hope all you readers are checking out the "News" section. This is a section I am very proud of. Rather than keep railing that people need to be staying on top of the sleaze machine known as the GOP, I have been supplying news the MSM would not give us on TV. Between that and GoLeft.tv, I feel the Mercer County citizens will have a pretty good feel for the political situation of this country.
Oct. 21--I have already endorsed Dennis Kucinich for President, and I have given money to both his campaign and to Bill Richardson because in the last debate, they were the only sane ones (Mike Gravel is not sane) who stated unequivocably that they would bring our troops home and start the day they became President. In fact, Dennis stated that the day he takes over the Presidency, he is going to have the entire White House cabal arrested by the international court system for war crimes. Wow, I love this guy.
However, I became a huge fan of Chris Dodd last week. If you have missed it, the White House has requested retroactive immunity for the telecom companies that allowed Americans to be spied upon without a warrant. Obviously, this was illegal, or the WH would not have made this request. Shockingly, Jay Rockefeller seems to be complicit in this illegal act and is trying to convince Democrats to go along with yet another Bush tactic. Along comes Chris Dodd. The Senate has a rule that a Senator can "hold" a bill from being introduced if he/she objects vehemently to that bill. Dodd has said that he will hold this bill so that this immoral and illogical bill will die. My hero, Russ Feingold, has given his support for this. It will be a fight, but Dodd is running for President and is doing exactly the right thing here. Many Democrats in the Senate don't seem to understand that the President is constantly lying to them, or they just don't care, or they are being blackmailed (which I sincerely believe is happening to explain why they vote the way they vote). They need a true leader with a real backbone. It looks like Chris Dodd has the right stuff to become President. I continue to be baffled by Hillary's stands and Barack Obama's wishy-washiness. I like Edwards a lot, but when I write another check to Dennis' campaign, I may be sending Chris some as well. They make me feel optimistic in a time of black clouds.
Oct. 16--How mean are Republicans? How low can they go? How disturbing is the behavior of those who are supposedly pro-life, although we all have to admit how much of a crock of horse manure that is when you follow their actions? They are not pro-life, they are pro-profits--period. Take a look at how they went after the 12-year-old Graeme Frost and the 2-year-old Bethany Wilkerson.
Graeme Frost and his sister were in a car accident. He was in a coma. Their parents could not afford health insurance even though they worked hard, had their own business, played by all the rules, etc. They used SCHIP since they had no options. It saved the lives of their kids. Graeme delivered a rebuttal speech with Senator Harry Reid to George Bush, asking that he not veto the expanded SCHIP bill. He did anyway. But the worst part of the whole thing is that the White House sent their dogs out onto the family and the 12-year-old. In a classic move that fascists do to dissenters, they attacked them via their right-wing talk show hosts like Rush (Do you have any more drugs, Maria) Limbaugh and Michele (the childless shrill) Malkin and their right-wing hatemongers on the blogosphere. Can you imagine, a 12-year-old child that just got out of a coma? They lied about him and his family, posted their address onto the internet, and just railed against them.
Bethany Wilkerson developed severe heart problems. Her parents, like many hard-working parents in Mercer County, can't afford health insurance. They rent a house and own "a junker" car, as Bo Wilkerson puts it. If not for SCHIP, Bethany would be dead. They do not fear the right-wing smear machine. They are so thankful that SCHIP existed. Now, it looks to be gone after the vote on Thursday. Why?
Profits.
Bush would rather see his buddies get money than save the lives of the children of this country. Bush would rather see children die than have his buddies not spend $100,000 for expensive watches each year or $300,000 a year for fancy cars. This is a political party that fights hard for the fetuses and the brain-dead women, but once the child pops out of the womb, that kid is on his/her own. It is sick. It is disgusting. It is not Christian. If we are truly a Christian nation, then we take care of the poor. If that angers you, reread the first 4 books of the Bible. What kind of nation have we become that allows anybody to die just because they do not have enough money? I suppose it makes sense. We invade a country for oil, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens and displacement of millions more, the deaths of thousands of American soldiers, and the injuries of tens of thousands more soldiers. Why should a pathetic child be of any concern for this President? If my heart doesn't explode from my frustration, I think my head will.
Oct. 14--I am adding 2 new pages to this site. One is for the candidates who are running in races that are important to the upcoming elections. I will be putting in promos, statements, whatever the candidates want me to put in. I will try to keep this as current as possible, which will be much easier for me now that volleyball season is about over. Granted, I wasn't coaching this year, but I have been spending a fair amount of time watching them and cheering the Riverdale Rams win the TRAC-8 Conference for the second year in a row. I feel like a proud papa since I molded this program to what it is now.
The second page will be dealing with an issue I have been hammering in the Democratic Party meetings, and that is education. In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, I am taking it upon myself to try to get our population more educated so that we can have the truest democracy we can get. I will be finding the top headlines of each day and placing a synopsis on the News page, since the main-stream media refuses to cover substantive news. The old News page will become this. The other new page will be what the old News page was. I have been asked by the Democratic Party to put out news releases about the laughable Republican Presidential candidates and their follies. That page will become the First Response page. If you like to giggle or roll your eyes over the lunacy and plain stupidity of the right, then that's the page for you. If you want to hear about Paris Hilton or Brittney Spears, watch ABC. I also am starting a new organization called the Mercer Country Progressive Society. I will be going to libraries or civic organizations all over the county and show documentaries such as Who Killed the Electric Car, Iraq for Sale, and Sicko there to allow people a chance to see what the issues are in an in-depth manner.
I hope you enjoy these new features.
Sept. 25--What a week! If you have been following the political scene in Washington, you know that the Republicans are pulling out all the stops in trying to keep this illegal war going. They defeated every Democratic version of a bill involving Iraq by filibustering them all, meaning that they demand a 60-vote approval to end discussion of the bills. Since the Dems don't have 60 votes for anything, they have succeeded in not allowing a vote on these bills. What bills are they? One was the Feingold-Levin bill asking for a phased withdrawal of all troops beginning in 3 months and going on for 9 months. Another was Jim Webb's amendment to the spending bill (Sen. Webb was a one-time Secretary of the Navy under Reagan). He had the "audacity" of asking that the troops be allowed to spend an equal amount of time at home as the amount of time they spend in the fields of war. The Republicans did not even want that to happen. How's that for supporting the troops?
Let's be honest here. The Republicans don't care about the troops. They never supported the concept of supplying body armor to the troops. They expected the troops to buy their own. I have never understood that. The Democratic members of Congress added additional funds to supply our troops with the types of motor vehicles that would cut down deaths and injuries substantially. These funds (about $1.2B in the last funding bill) were NEVER requested by the White House or the Republican congressmen. Support the troops? Puh-lease! The Republicans are not supporters of the troops. They are supporters of their president and their position of power.
Now, the Republicans are trying to divert attention away from them and toward their new enemy: MoveOn.org. The same people that supported the Swift boat campaign against John Kerry and the ugly comparison of Osama bin Laden to Sen. Max Clelland of Georgia, a triple-amputee veteran of the Vietnam War are thumping their chests in anger against MoveOn.org for calling Gen. Petraeus "General Betray Us." They said the organization and any Democrat who supports them has crossed the line in taste and decorum. President Bush said people can criticize him (OK, thanks, I think I will), but they have no right to criticize a member of the military. Um, excuse me, but why are you changing the rules? Oh yeah, I know why, because people let him. This is so disengenuous, it stinks. The only difference between the attacks and Kerry and Clelland and the attack on Petraeus is that the attack on Petraeus was based on facts and the attacks on the 2 Democrats were based on lies. But the Republicans are outraged, outraged, outraged. Oh, shut up and sit down, you traitors. You vile profiteers. You disgust me.
If you have not read the previous post I made about the lies Gen. Petraeus made before Congress, now would be a good time to stop and read it. Gen. Petraeus, a general who made appearances on Fox before and after the Congressional hearings, cooked the books. And why is Gen. Petraeus in charge of the Iraqi theatre there? Because the president fired all other generals who disagreed with him about the American presence in Iraq. The one left standing was paraded in front of the Senate for confirmation, and they recognized his intelligence. But they made one oversight, an oversight they continue to make time and time again--he is a Bushie. Bushies can not be trusted, and he has proven that to be the case. Now we have 20 retired generals stating that the war must end, and it must end now. Admiral William Fallon, head of the Mideast Theatre and Petraeus' boss was overheard calling Petraeus "an ass-kissing, little chickens**t." He knew he was in cahoots with the neo-cons and had politicized the war. We have Alan Greenspan writing a book about his views, and he states that the Iraq war is about oil--period. Finally, someone on the Republican side has stated what many of us have been saying since the war began. Now we know that our men and women have been dying for oil. Does that honor their deaths? Or does it honor the profits of the oilmen?
Somebody please explain to me why we are there!
Sept. 16--I am preparing to go outside and have my sign in hand saying "Enough!" I don't expect anybody else to stand with me, but I am going to do this periodically whether anyone stands with me or not. I got onto the site Crooks and Liars (www.crooksandliars.com) and saw the clip of Senator Chuck Hegel (R) of Nebraska commenting on the Petraeus statements to the House and to the Senate when Hegel was on the amazing HBO show with Bill Maher, Late NIght. If you have not seen this show, it is on a bajillion times on HBO each week. Crooks and Liars printed a major part of his comments on their website, and I am putting it on here because it reiterates what I said below. Hegel is resigning from the Senate because the Republican Party has run up "the largest debt since Roosevelt, and Roosevelt had an excuse. He was in a World War." What Hegel fails to state, however, was that Republican icon, Ronald Reagan, started this philosophy as he accrued more debt than ALL Presidents before him COMBINED. So, even Republican Hegel can't help but distort the facts when he criticizes his own party. Do these people have no shame anymore? As long as people let them get away with such odious nonesense, the answer will always be "no." Anyway, here are is comments about Bush/Petraeus.
Maher: Isn’t a dirty trick on the American people when you send a military man out there to basically do a political sell-job?”
Hagel: It’s not only a dirty trick, but it’s dishonest, it’s hypocritical, it’s dangerous and irresponsible. The fact is this is not Petraeus’ policy, it’s the Bush’s policy. The military is — certainly very clear in the Constitution — is subservient to the elected public officials of this country.. but to put our military in a position that this administration has put them in is just wrong, and it’s dangerous.”
Read it and weep, Republicans. Even a lying twerp from Nebraska can't stand to have his name attached to what this criminal President is doing to our men and women over there.
Sept. 15--I watched the President's speech on Thursday on MSNBC, which then aired the Democratic response and the 2-minute "commercial" by John Edwards. I hope you got a chance to catch these. Bush's comments were jaw dropping and, as usual, a pack of lies based on a pack of lies. The Center for American Progress (www.americanprogressaction.org) has put together a list of myths about the lies of Bush and the lies of Gen. Petraeus, particularly. Bush was basing his representations on the misrepresentations of Petraeus. I will give a quick overview of what CAP said.
#1--"Sectarian Deaths in Baghdad have dropped 75% since 2006." This contradicts the findings of the National Intelligence Estimate that was released just before Petraeus' statements of Monday and Tuesday. Why? Because Petraeus and his ilk redefined what sectarian violence and deaths are. They no longer count suicide car bombs and killings via bullets that enter the front of the head. Huh?
#2--"Sectarian deaths reached more than 1600 in December, 2006." First of all, the numbers are debatable and dubious. The unbiased Government Accountability Office estimated the violent deaths to be around 1300, but the problem is that the military is keeping their methods of counting deaths classified. It is a matter of "just trust me." Right. The military then compares the numbers to April's 600 deaths, but look at #1 above to determine the validity of even that number.
#3--"Sectarian deaths are declining across the country." War-related deaths of Iraqis in all of Iraq was averaging 33 a day--about 1000 a month--in 2006 is now almost doubled to 62 a day, according to the NIE.
#4--"Bush's escalation is responsible for progress in Anbar." This lie sickens me the most, as if needless murder of fellow human beings is not bad enough. As a scientist, I am fully aware how easily numbers can be manipulated if you change the facts. We scientists are particularly careful and sensitive to every aspect of our experiments, or the wrong conclusions will be drawn. Anbar province was already more quiet months before Bush announce his absurd surge "strategy". He has the nerve to go to Anbar province on Labor Day for 6 hours in the middle of a military base, surrounded by soldiers with weapons. He did not go out into that "safe" neighborhood, a la John McCain and that joke of a photo opportunity in a market with a large number of armed soldiers while wearing a flak jacket. Puh-lease spare me your drum-beating war machoism. Then Bush decides to have a photo-op in the base with one of the Sunni sheiks who accepted weapons from the military to fight al Qaeda. Just before the speech was given on Thursday, that sheik was assassinated in a car bomb near his home. Safe indeed!
#5--"Al Qaeda in Iraq is 'Public Enemy Number One.'" Al Qaeda is present in Iraq but in very small numbers. They are not liked there by Iraqis and never have been liked there. Fox News loving Americans still believe and Bush keeps implying that Iraqis were involved with al Qaeda, leading to the destruction of the World Trade Towers. This is so false. 15 of the 19 terrorists in that attack were from SAUDI ARABIA and the other 4 were from EGYPT. Why aren't we attacking those 2 countries instead? Al Qaeda makes up 3-7% of all attacks in Iraq. The Sunni insurgents make up most of the attacks in Iraq. Gee, who funds them? Oh yeah, SAUDI ARABIA. Who bankrolled George Bush's failing oil company before he was governor of Texas? Who do we see holding hands with George Bush in a photo op with them when they visited the US? Who does Dick Cheney fly off to visit in a secret meeting about who knows what and nobody questions it? I think you may know the answer to these questions.
I have had enough. Impeach these evil liars before they begin to bomb Iran.
Sept. 15--I got a letter from Aubrey Cunningham, Barack Obama's campaign director for this area.
Hello All!
I hope this email finds you well! If you did not receive your own copy of this email, I have attached the link and information for Camp Obama below. Please feel free to share this with any and all that may be interested in attending. Space is limited to 140 persons and registration will cut off when the maximum capacity is reached. It is also important to note that participants are responsible for securing their own housing during their stay in Normal. I will be happy to help connect participants with other campers in their area and from there they can negotiate travel arrangements if they so choose. This is an exciting and ONCE in a lifetime experience. There is no better way to take a first step to get involved. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and I look forward to seeing you there!
http://illinois.barackobama.com/campdownstate
Yours truly,
Aubrey
Sept. 12--Jim Campbell--I have had enough. Do you hear me? I have had enough. Why is this administration trying to make us fear everything? Because we empower them when we do that. 9/11 has been used by this group as a political tool to make us fear. FDR when Pearl Harbor was bombed and when California, Oregon, and Washington were attacked in WWII did not use fear against its citizens (except against the Japanese-Americans) to rally us. I have had enough. Cenk Uygur of Air America has started a campaign after he had a tirade on the air a while ago, stating pretty much what I have said. It is time for us as Americans who have warmongers as our leaders to let them know and to let all of our neighbors know that it has got to stop. The war drum to bomb Iran is beating loudly, and they are counting on the subservience of all Americans to let them do this. I have had enough of this. The richest 2% of the country has had their taxes cut while Bill Gates and Warren Buffett has said they did not really want the cuts. Meanwhile the tax burden has fallen onto a middle class that is paying higher gas prices, higher medical costs, increased insurance costs, and on and on. Now we are to subsidize the richest 2%? When Eisenhower (a Republican) was President, the richest 2% paid a rate of 91%. Why? Because people believed that their should not be any wealthy dynasties, that the middle class should be strong, and it was never stronger from this time until Reagan became President. He then slashed the tax rate to the rich, and the middle class has been declining ever since. I have had enough.
On noon Sunday (Sept. 16) until 1PM, I will be standing in Joy on the corner of Illinois 17 and Washington Street with a banner that states "Enough." I urge others to join me or do it themselves at their own corner or at their courthouse or wherever there are people who can see you. Let people know that we are not going to put up with this anymore. It starts with us, people. Let your views and voices be known.