Thom Hartmann gets it!

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Monday June 19, 2006 · 5:08 PM PDT

2006/06/19 · 17:08

Thom Hartmann is on AAR right now saying that Democrats have to start talking about Iraq as an occupation. We won the war. The war is over because we toppled the government, captured Saddam and disbanded the military. Now we are occupiers. The American people will get behind that message. Then, we can propose how we effectively redeploy troops in order to win the larger "war on terrorism."

This is the only way that we can get our message to the American people. We'd get air time because there would be a different view to report on.

I e-mailed my Senators and I suggest that everyone else does too.

Great PBS Interview on Private Contractors in Iraq

espoir

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Tuesday April 18, 2006 · 10:51 AM PDT

2006/04/18 · 10:51

Retired Marine Col. Thomas X. Hammes served in Iraq in early 2004. He interacted with civilian contractors as part of his job managing the bases and facilities for the training of Iraqi armed forces. "I think contractors are best used for mundane, repetitive tasks that are clearly defined with a legal structure," he tells FRONTLINE. Hammes argues that using private contractors for security can be counteractive to the mission's overall goals.

He points to Blackwater's contract to protect Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority as an example.

"Blackwater's an extraordinarily professional organization and they were doing exactly what they were tasked to do: protect the principal," he says. "The problem is in protecting the principal they had to be very aggressive, and each time they went out they had to offend locals, forcing them to the side of the road, being overpowering and intimidating, at times running vehicles off the road, making enemies each time they went out. So they were actually getting our contract exactly as we asked them to and at the same time hurting our counterinsurgency effort." Read More

Let's pick 1 news outlet to pressure for a Bush resignation.

espoir

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Sunday March 12, 2006 · 2:19 PM PST

2006/03/12 · 14:19

I wasn't alive during the Nixon administration, so I don't know how the events that led to his resignation unfolded in the public eye. From the research I've done, it seems that Watergate was seen as an unfolding mystery that was solved by the WaPo.

Is it possible that if the Democrats don't win back Congress in 2006, that Bush could still be forced to resign due to all of the scandals and crimes they have committed?

I say, yes. Let's forget about impeachment and 2006 because the Democratic party in Washington has played it's own role in getting us here.

If we can get one news outlet, show, or journalist CNN? MSNBC? Olberman? NYT?,to pressure for a Bush resignation, just as the WaPo did for Nixon, then we can show the Democrats in Washington our REAL power as a blogosphere. We need to develop a website that lays out the ENTIRE case for his resignation and target one outlet to pressure. If I were a web designer, I'd do it right now. Read More

Michael Schiavo creates Terri PAC - says that he USED to be a Republican

espoir

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Wednesday December 07, 2005 · 8:13 PM PST

2005/12/07 · 20:13

MIAMI (Reuters) - Terri Schiavo's widower launched a political action committee on Wednesday aimed at defeating elected officials he accused of exploiting a tragedy for political gain by trying to block court orders that allowed his brain-damaged wife to die.

Michael Schiavo said in a news release that the group, TerriPAC, would raise money to campaign against members of Congress, mostly Republicans, who drafted and voted for legislation to intervene in the case.

"I was a lifelong Republican before Republicans pushed the power of government into my private family decisions," Schiavo said in a statement. "And it is not so simple to forget those politicians who shamelessly sought to squeeze political leverage out of my family's most emotional hour." Read More

OMG... Text from Bush's speech today

espoir

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Tuesday September 27, 2005 · 9:27 AM PDT

2005/09/27 · 09:27

As posted on ABC's The Note:

Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem?

I promised you a president who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you.

**** updated: I was born in the late 70s, so if this truly is a spoof on Carter's speech, then I consider myself to be a young and naive sucker. I'd rather be a sucker than have this be true, that's for sure. Read More

FEMA & the Ownership Society

espoir

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Wednesday September 07, 2005 · 2:33 PM PDT

2005/09/07 · 14:33

FEMA is distributing debit cards to victims.

From the WaPo...

Michael Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency which is administering the novel card program, said it is aimed at those with the most pressing needs.

"The concept is to get them some cash in hand which allows them, empowers them, to make their own decisions about what do they need to have to start rebuilding ," Brown said.

I am dumbfounded. Why not invest the money in creating JOBS for these people? Like a WPA or CCC

Bush makes a public ? appearance to visit hurricane stricken area.

espoir

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Tuesday August 30, 2005 · 8:41 PM PDT

2005/08/30 · 20:41

The president changed his plans to return to Washington on Friday following a Tuesday morning briefing on the damage caused by the devastating storm. President Bush intends to visit the stricken area, but hasn't decided when and where he will go, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

LINK

My question is this. If the President doesn't make appearances that are open to the public, then how will he manage to pull this stunt off? Will it come across like his visit to ground zero after 9-11, or will it look like his rallies and all of his staged photo ops with "patroitic" Americans?

DOD Press Release: All Constitutions are Living Documents?

espoir

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Tuesday August 30, 2005 · 9:45 AM PDT

2005/08/30 · 09:45

"On NBC's "Meet the Press," Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that even though not all parties are completely satisfied with the draft, it represents a "synthesis between the universal principles of democracy and human rights, and Iraqi traditions and Islam." He said that, like all constitutions, this is not a one-time document and will be revised as necessary in the future.

This is a living document, as all constitutions are," he said. "As Iraq evolves and changes, this constitution will also change and adapt to the circumstances."

Wow.... So our Constitution is a living document?

"The Living Constitution can be seen as standing in opposition to originalism and strict constructionism, and is often denounced by opponents as intellectual cover for judicial activism. Its result, critics charge, has been to effectively create a Constitution in exile, and its ultimate result will be to destroy the Constitution."

Reasons why it is so difficult to be a Dean supporter

espoir

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Thursday June 09, 2005 · 10:09 PM PDT

2005/06/09 · 22:09

You get railed on by people on the extreme right and left and the middle because they think that Dean is crazy.
Because the MSM has never understood how revolutionary his grassroots campaign was. (I worked in Iowa for him and this REALLY hurts)
Because I have a different idea of what the scream was. It's the sound of the scream of a room packed full of people who feel that they actually do have the power to change this country.
Because we want Bush to be held accountable for all of his decisions.
Because the only solace I get is when reading history or blogging. I know that what we have done and are doing is the best way to change the course of history. It is important to try and find a way to change the system from within.

I don't want to be a downer, but I just wanted to get that off my chest.

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