Last night I spoke with a local activist. Astute woman. We had a good discussion centering on Social Security and the economy.  I wish more were as concerned as she about the politically fragile times we're in.  

As we talked she lead me to a question.  She had commented that the Neo-cons, for such a small majority, have been extremely successful in controlling the national agenda and effectively instituting not only their programs, but have set mechanisms in place to further their agenda that without extreme vigilance and an informed electorate, will become inevitable.  

The question is, other than power and control, what is/are their ultimate goals?  Profit for a few, policy control, military dominance and a resultant police state as a necessary adjunct.  But we need to counter their overall vision, and I have difficulty picturing their grand vision.  If these policies are allowed to continue, what will be the end social picture?

ABC News: "Sept. 4, 2005 -- Americans are broadly critical of government preparedness in the Hurricane Katrina disaster -- but far fewer take George W. Bush personally to task for the problems, and public anger about the response is less widespread than some critics would suggest." poll results here

Let your voice be heard:
Fox poll 35% says fed response is "great" compared to 32% "disgraceful response."
MSNBC poll 81% says the government does NOT have control of the relief effort.
Update [2005-9-4 20:46:39 by 2dot]: below the fold:

It's time.  It's time for Senators and Representatives to come out in lock-step and stand FOR accountability and reason.

Putting aside any accusations of lies, theft, and deceptions, this is simply about getting straight answers to simple questions.  Why is the cost in terms of lives and dollars so much greater than we were told? It is reasonable to demand accountability from those executives putting our citizens at risk and spending of huge amounts of our public funds.  

See The Trillion Dollar War.

See an account of the human price we pay.

Last night I heard a powerful message from Adele Kubein of Corvallis,Oregon, a military mom and an active member of Military Families Speak Out. Her daughter served at the beginning of the assault on the people of Iraq and is suffering from permanently disabling injuries.  

As a National Guard member for a time, at first, her daughter was given a weapon, but no ammunition as they traveled through hostile country. There was precious little supply support for their unit and the average weight loss per member was 30 pounds. There was no plan for managing the health issues for National guard members in the event of injury or death. She helped build roads composed of unidentified materials and depleted uranium waste.

The lack of support for returning guardsmen and women was non-existent and treatment for injuries of National Guard personnel is limited to 90 days regardless of the extent of injury.  Ms. Kubein's daughter last Thanksgiving could not get past the memories of cleaning a friend's body parts out of one of their unit's humvees.

There's more...

I'm with Harry Reid, "The burden is on Roberts to prove his worthiness, not on us to prove his unworthiness."

'According to Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes an oath. It is up to Roberts to document how and why he will be able to make and honor the following oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm)
that I will administer justice without respect to persons,
and do equal right to the poor and to the rich,
and that I will faithfully
and impartially discharge
and perform all the duties incumbent upon me
as a Supreme Court Justice under the Constitution
and laws of the United States.

April 5th the Senate voted 52-46 to overturn the odious Global Gag Rule that President Bush imposed in the first days of his first term. The debate occurred with very little advance notice.

The Global Gag Rule denies U.S. family planning aid to foreign health care providers that use their own, privately raised funds to provide legal abortions, to provide counseling or referrals on legal abortion, or to publicly support legal abortion within their own countries.

The vote came on an amendment (S.AMDT.278  proposed by Senator Boxer) to prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility requirements to foreign nongovernmental organizations.  S.600, (Foreign Affairs Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007) is a bill authorizing a number of foreign policy programs. By adopting the Boxer Amendment, the Senate stood up for the right of poor women around the world to take control of their own lives and their own futures.