Our Soldiers Sign Their Own Letters
Fri Dec 10, 2004 at 10:34:08 PM PDT
Long before it was common knowledge that Bush and Rummy have been using facsimile signatures on the KIA letters, I had been thinking about a scene I saw in a movie. In it an actor, portraying the President, was signing letters to the parents of fallen heroes. Saving Private Ryan had a similar scene where letters were written home to parents. Several other movies have also ingrained this idea that our elected officials are really at that level of participation in the process informing relatives that their son/husband/father/brother or daughter/wife/mother/sister had given the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
More after the bump.
Purdue University's Newspaper Gets it Almost Right
Tue Oct 12, 2004 at 11:39:15 PM PDT
Purdue University's newspaper, The Exponent, ran an editorial on its online edition this morning, where they almost get it right.
Second presidential debate proves disturbing
Wait just a minute. I didn't know Sen. Ted Kennedy was running in this election.
During the second debate last Friday, President Bush wanted to send Sen. John KERRY to the ground with his slam-dunk exclamation that "Sen. Kennedy" (Bush mistakenly called Kerry Kennedy) was ranked the most liberal senator by the National Journal.
Repeat after me, Mr. President -- Kerry, Kerry, Kerry. Go home, look in the mirror, say it over again and maybe you can get Kerry's name right in the next debate. Maybe.
[editor's note, by Dems2004] I guess it would help to post the
link
Can We Stop Bombing Wedding Parties in Iraq?
Fri Oct 08, 2004 at 11:37:54 AM PDT
If every wedding party was a meeting of jihadists and/or insurgents, wouldn't we just go around bombing wedding parties? Sound familiar?
(sorry if this had been covered earlier in the day)
U.S. airstrike reportedly hits wedding party
11 killed in Fallujah day after insurgents target Baghdad hotels
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 8:43 a.m. ET Oct. 8, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. air raid, aimed at foreign fighters led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed 11 people and wounded 17 after a wedding party in the rebel-held Iraqi city of Fallujah on Friday, residents and doctors said.
More after the bump.
BREAKING - Deliberate Misleading by Burkette
Mon Sep 20, 2004 at 09:32:37 AM PDT
AP and MSNBC are both reporting that CBS has released a statement that says they..
"..cannot prove the documents are authentic..."
and that Mr Burkette (sp), supposedly a Democrat, has deliberately mislead CBS and Dan Rather.
What to make of this?
Americans Would Ignore Terror Alerts
Tue Sep 14, 2004 at 10:32:56 AM PDT
According to a new story just out by
Reuters , most Americans would ignore advice and instructions about a terror attack involving a disease-spreading agent such as Smallpox, or a dirty bomb.
The New York Academy of Medicine study found that people just don't believe terror warnings and information anymore.
Americans Suspicious of Terror Plans, Survey Shows
36 minutes ago
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans would not cooperate as officials expect during a terror incident such as a smallpox or dirty bomb attack, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
An in-depth survey found that the people do not trust the federal government to take care of them during an attack, and would take many matters into their own hands -- endangering themselves and their families.
Only two-fifths of those surveyed would follow instructions to go to a public vaccination site in a smallpox outbreak and only three-fifths would stay in a building other than their home after a dirty bomb explosion, the study found.
But a little more planning, and working with communities, may help improve emergency plans, leading to better cooperation, the team sponsored by the New York Academy of Medicine found.
If the survey's predictions are true, said Sherry Glied, chair of the department of health policy at Columbia University in New York, "our plans will fail."
SHOCKED! Virginia Goes Democratic?
Mon Sep 06, 2004 at 06:28:50 PM PDT
As I have said here and elsewhere publicly, Virginia will go Democratic this year. Since around February, I think.
Here's why:
The concentrations of population are now in bigger cities on the coast and in Northern Virginia. That means more likely Democrats. As has been said in this thread and elsewhere, Mark Warner, the next Senator from Virginia, has built true bipartisan consensus in governing the state for the last three years. In fact, for the first time in many people's memory, Republican members of the Assembly actually voted to change the tax structure and raise taxes slightly and fees more vigorously.
Soldiers in Iraq Commit Suicide
Mon Aug 23, 2004 at 02:15:14 AM PDT
From the
ABC affiliate in Denver, courtesy of the AP:
(Please excuse me if this has been posted; I found no reference to Ft. Carson in the Diary section. Also, it is from the Friday Data Dump)
Army Investigating Half Of Fort Carson's 44 Deaths
Report Shows 2 Soldiers Committed Suicide
POSTED: 6:52 am MDT August 20, 2004
UPDATED: 10:31 am MDT August 20, 2004
FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Two Fort Carson soldiers who died in Iraq took their own lives, according to Army reports released this week. The documents also reveal that officials tried to prosecute an Iraqi for a roadside bombing that took the life of Capt. Joshua Byers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
~snip~
Essentially, everything must be the fault of an 'insurgent' or someone else. Can't someone start telling the truth about this atrocity? Things must be so great over there, as the government keeps telling us, so great that soldiers are taking their own lives rather than face another day of it.
Princess Lisa (R-AK) At it Again in Alaska
Thu Aug 19, 2004 at 07:35:24 PM PDT
Sen. Murkowski faces complaint over ethics
SEPARATION: Man says constituent mail shared with campaign.
By RICHARD MAUER
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: August 17, 2004)
A Fairbanks man who thanked U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for a vote last spring says her taxpayer-funded Senate office improperly provided his name to her election campaign.
Dan LaSota, the owner of a small business that develops software applications, filed a formal complaint last week with the Senate Ethics Committee, accusing Republican Murkowski of misusing her office.
Reading from a prepared statement, a spokeswoman for Murkowski, Kristin Pugh, said the campaign observes proper boundaries between official and election offices.
"We have, and will continue to make sure, that there is a strict and distinct separation between official Senate business and campaign business," Pugh said. Even as the ethics committee investigates what happened, the campaign "has good reason to believe" the complaint is politically motivated and will be dismissed, Pugh said.
LaSota acknowledges he will be voting for Democrat Tony Knowles and has contributed $50 to his campaign. That is why he became suspicious in the first place when a Murkowski campaign worker called him a couple weeks ago and referred to him as a Murkowski supporter.
Great. This woman wants to continue to be a Senator. And she can't keep her ethics straight. Sounds just like the Republican she is.
Please Use MOVE-ON to send FMA msg
Mon Jul 12, 2004 at 06:44:15 PM PDT
Please use MoveOn.Org's website below to register your complaint about the Hate Amendment.
It's never been more important than right now to call or write your congresspersons, and your senators concerning this unprecedented grab of civil rights.
It's easy, it's fast, and it is the right thing to do.
MoveOn FMA Petition
Mark
The latest from Princess Lisa vs Tony Knowles
Thu Jul 08, 2004 at 10:31:51 PM PDT
Murkowski team denies role in anti-Knowles ad
CURIOUS: A campaign coordinator for senator appears on screen.
By LIZ RUSKIN
Anchorage Daily News
Copyright 2004
(Published: July 8, 2004)
Campaign Coordinator Appears in Ad
A Truly Laughable Review of F911 **Plus Poll**
Thu Jun 24, 2004 at 12:25:28 AM PDT
And I don't mean humorous.
The website About.com has people as the 'editor' ? of particular sections. This guy is so far out to lunch, it does seem a little humorous to see how out of touch he is. He might as well be a cheerleader.
Note the category it is included in. Too clueless.
Mark
F911 Review Comic Relief
UA Fairbanks DJ Suspended for Reagan Remarks
Fri Jun 11, 2004 at 01:45:06 AM PDT
UAF radio station suspends student disc jockey for Reagan comments
The Associated Press
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (June 10, 6:12 pm ADT) -
Managers at a University of Alaska Fairbanks radio station have suspended a disc jockey who turned a Sunday radio show into what he called a "celebration" of the death of former President Ronald Reagan.
The KSUA-FM disc jockey, an undergraduate who goes by the call name "Spider Bui," said his show was a reaction to the media's positive portrayal of Reagan after his death Saturday.
Neither the student nor station staff would reveal the student's real name.
The show generated numerous complaints, KSUA program director Chip Brookes told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Brookes said Spider Bui, who was working as a fill-in disc jockey, was supposed to play a prerecorded show. Instead, he went with the Reagan content without running a disclaimer or getting anyone's permission.
Anchorage Daily News
Copyright 2004 AP
More
Tony Knowles Gets Help (Anchorage Daily News)
Wed Jun 09, 2004 at 09:20:26 PM PDT
Knowles gets help running his campaign
By NICOLE TSONG and RICHARD MAUER
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: June 9, 2004)
Former Gov. Tony Knowles has added an experienced political insider to his staff this week in his bid for the U.S. Senate seat.
Jim Messina has taken a leave of absence from his role as chief of staff for Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to help Knowles in the newly created position of campaign director, Knowles' campaign said. He will be joining long-time Knowles aide Leslie Ridle, the campaign manager, in running Knowles' election effort.
Messina said Knowles' record as governor was one of the most impressive he has ever seen.
"He is an amazing leader," Messina said Tuesday.
Messina ran the 2002 re-election campaign of Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., in which Baucus won 63 percent of the vote. Messina also worked on Baucus' successful 1996 campaign, according to the publication Roll Call.
In between those campaigns, Messina served as chief of staff to Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.
(more on the extended copy)
Anchorage Daily News
New Prison Torture Story from the NYT
Fri May 28, 2004 at 12:25:55 AM PDT
This morning's edition of the
online NYT (subscription) has a truly sad story about the atmosphere at Abu Graib prison in Iraq.
Evidently, they wanted people to be analysts so fast, that they dispensed with all the training for the job.
Sgt. Provance, who has already been disciplined for speaking to the press, relates how people that had been tracking vehicles on a computer screen (in his batallion) found themselves in the position of being an intelligence analyst overnight.
Thanks again to Sgt. Provance for disobeying this particular order. (about speaking to the press)
This is more of the evidence that shows that nobody paid attention to what was going on. Several people have spoken to the NYT, the New Yorker (evidently) and other publications about this torture scandal.
It's hard to imagine that given the impression we were about the war and how it was going in December and January, nobody spoke up until recently. The media, the administration, the soldiers themselves. All chose to pretend that it wasn't happening.
"You couldn't keep track of who was from what unit; it was really weird how many M.I. people were there," said Sergeant Provance, a technician who did Internet and database maintenance for the interrogation center. "Even the interrogators were encouraging the analysts to interrogate, and some of them some of them did lead interrogations."
Within his own intelligence battalion, Sergeant Provance said, some enlisted soldiers with primarily technical expertise were moved from assignments in which they tracked vehicles on computer screens to new roles as intelligence analysts.
...
"When you let people take power in their own hands, it's going to happen," said a soldier who served as a military intelligence analyst at the prison. "There was no higher authority really."
Shameful. Unneccesary. In our names.
Not any more.
