Our intrepid Secretary of State took a break out of her busy schedule today to play a piano recital at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It aint shoe shopping but Ferrragamo must not have a Malaysian location. She briefly fielded questions afterwards and when asked about Rome and, in particular, the United States being the lone holdout in asking for a complete ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, she said the following:
"Every time there is a broken ceasefire, people die and there is destruction and misery."
follow me below the fold for my take on this ridiculous statement...
I felt it necessary to share with this wonderful community, my thoughts on Memorial Day and the current state of our military and its alleged leaders. I apologize if this gets a little long-winded but I have a lot to say.
When I was a kid, Memorial Day was always just another day off of school before the impending summer break. I never fully understood its import until later in my life when I reconnected with some relatives that I had not seen in some years. First, I suppose, a little background is in order. My mother's side of my family is steeped in American military tradition going back to the French and Indian War (in which I had relatives on both sides). As a child, when I heard of Memorial Day, if I even gave it a second thought, it was this:
About a week and a half ago, I posted a comment to a diary by lebkuchen regarding the pay problems that I encountered while on stop-loss shortly after the 9/11 attacks. I was asked by AllisoninSeattle to write a diary about my trials and tribulations with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Although it has taken me some time to actually find time to research and write the diary you are reading, I have been looking forward to sharing this information with the DKos community ever since Allison suggested I write it (Thanks Allison!). The Republicans have consistently charged our side of the aisle with being weak on defense and, more egregiously, of not supporting the troops. I hope that this diary will clarify just how little they actually support the troops regarding one aspect of military life: pay.
Every poll taken over the last six months states an unarguable truth: the majority of the American people are not happy with the direction in which our country is moving. The President's approval rating continues to hover dismally between 30 and 40 percent and it appears to drop ever further with each successive poll. The Bush Administration has violated the public trust on multiple occasions, subverted the Constitution of the United States, advocated policies that go against the law of the land (as well as International law), and violated their Oaths of Office. The Republican controlled Congress has enacted legislation limiting education opportunities for Americans, gutted our health care system with the assistance of the pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and generally lowered the standing of living in this country by supporting economic and other policies which are detrimental to the everyday lives of millions of Americans. As Eldridge Cleaver so eloquently said, "You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem."
After reading Armando's diary The Rule of Law, it became apparent to me (and obviously to Armando) that most of the American people have missed the boat as to what this scandal is really all about. The wire-tapping in and of itself is almost secondary to the real matter at hand (Although it is a disgrace). This scandal is about the President claiming the right to break the law of the land at his whim. Furthermore, I realized that I have not yet seen a clear, concise refutation of the Administration's claims that Article 2 of the Constitution grants this right to the President as the Commander in Chief during a time of war. There are several reasons why this argument is specious at best and patently outrageous at worst. I shall, for the sake of clarity and brevity, concentrate on two of them.
I apologize for the short diary but this is really important. I'm watching the NewsHour on PBS and Ray Saurez is interviewing Robert Worth of the New York Times to discuss the awful bloodshed today in Iraq. Mr. Worth just reported that in conjunction with today's attacks (all of which were against either shia civilians or American troops) Abu Musab al Zarqawi released a tape. In the tape he says that today's brutal attacks were in retribution for the American/Iraqi forces leveling Tal Afar over the last week. He also said the following: "Al Qaeda in Iraq declares war on all shia in Iraq."
I've been saying that Iraq was going to have a civil war whether or not our troops are there for over a year now. Sometimes I really hate being right.
The above is a quote from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Miority Leader, describing the President of the United States earlier this week. Madame Leader, I couldn't agree more. This simple, three-word description of the President and his entire administration has been patently obvious to we kossacks (at least most of us) for, well, for almost five years now. It is now time for all of us, especially the media, to awaken the rest of the citizenry to this stark and horribly frightening fact. The President of the United States is oblivious, in denial, and dangerous.
More on Rep. Pelosi's exchange with the President and more below the fold...
Yesterday began like any other day for me. I struggled through the morning ritual and griped and grumbled about the petty, quite insignificant trials and tribulations that tend to make up my average day. It rapidly became something very different. I witnessed one of the most heart-wrenching and painful things that I have had to be a party to in a very long time. I watched one of my father's very dear friends bury his son.
I have noticed a huge influx of trolls both here at dkos and on other liberal sites of late. I normally just shrug it off and go about my business but, I have, on a couple of occassions now, felt it necessary to respond to their inanity. The following is a post I encountered on the Huffington Post Blog. This poor deluded fool not only contradicts himself but, his version of the facts is so far spun (he's obviously a right-wing media junkie because ALL the talking points are there) that it's hard to tell if he really believes any of what he typed.
The following is an LTE I have submitted to the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. I don't know if they'll print it as I greatly exceeded their word-count limitations but, I felt that I needed to express my outrage at the current environment in this country. I hope you all enjoy it.
I sometimes find it staggering to see the amount of trolls that have been out of late. I think it is a sign of good things (for our side) to come...we have them rattled. I encountered this young man on The Huffington Post but, was unable to answer his questions there (my answers were too lengthy so I thought that I would answer them here (and direct him here for his answers).
I am so sick and fucking tired of hearing that Republicans are the party that supports the troops that I could fucking vomit! These bloviating bastards can kiss my ass on the Capitol steps. I just witnessed the latest in a long line of travesties perpetrated against our brave men and women in uniform by Republicans on the floor of the United States Senate and I'm fucking furious.
I have been hesitant to write anything about this issue as I feel it has already garnered too much coverage but I was curious when I saw that Rep. Kennedy had voted for the legislation (not surprised in the least mind you). I accessed his website and found the press release that follows in bold print on the first page of his website and immediately begin crafting a retort. My retort follows below.
An Italian journalist, who had been held captive by insurgents since Feb. 4th, was injured when U.S. troops fired on the car carrying her at a checkpoint in Baghdad. Giuliana Sgrena, a reporter for Il Manifesto, a leftist newspaper, had been released by her captives earlier today and was returning to Baghdad at the time of the shooting. An Italian Intelligence agent died and another is in critical condition following the incident. Ms. Sgrena suffered a shrapnel wound to her shoulder and is expected to make a full recovery.
There is NO doubt that operating a security checkpoint in the dangerously violent and increasingly volatile climate of Baghdad is a daunting task but there seems to be a recurring trend here, particularly where journalists are concerned. Seventeen journalists have been killed since the start of the war according to The Freedom of Information Center.
