Bush again comparing Iraq to Vietnam...................hes last.  of course, he served in neither...nor his kids.................last

And of course Howard Dean is first.

Also Charlie Grapski.

bush is the ultimate ars hole. he is a disgrace.

and vietnam? what happened to the korea story? oh, I see, that didn't stick.

so he is talking to a bunch of old farts in their old hats. The vfw is a dog and pony show for anyone who shows up.

the guy has got not credibilty at all.

someone send him back to crawford, to his faux ranch. the one with no cows and no brush left either.

Is charlie still in the hospital?

3
"so he is talking to a bunch of old farts in their old hats. The vfw is a dog and pony show for anyone who shows up.

This is very insulting to those of us who are VFW members and refuse to sign on with the current war crowd. Not all vets drink the kool-aid.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/washington/21health.html?_r=2&th=&adxnnl=0&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1187795618-DbqBz/CJ5CJ9mlJrc/91mw&pagewanted=print

The Bush administration, continuing its fight to stop states from expanding the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, has adopted new standards that would make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families.

Administration officials outlined the new standards in a letter sent to state health officials on Friday evening, in the middle of a monthlong Congressional recess. In interviews, they said the changes were intended to return the Children’s Health Insurance Program to its original focus on low-income children and to make sure the program did not become a substitute for private health coverage.

After learning of the new policy, some state officials said yesterday that it could cripple their efforts to cover more children and would impose standards that could not be met.

 ``````````

So now we know this administration will do anything to keep from having middle class kids from being healthy, wealthy and wise. Family values my foot.

Bush and Co. the lowest of the lowlife, predators!

Reposting. Could yuz guys spread the love on this one so it gets attention, please. I'll try to find a local link.

THIS MAY BE AN ATTEMPT TO COVER UP THE STOLEN 2004 ELECTION BEING. INVESTIGATION BY CONGRESSMAN HENRY WAXMAN LED TO THIS SAME GOP SERVER IN E-MAIL SCANDAL!!

In a very interesting development here in Chattanooga TN there are reports of an evacuation of the (former) Pioneer Bank Building due to a 'major gas leak'.

One of those things we call 'coinickeedeenks' around here. hmmm

This is where the GOP sponsored Smartech servers are kept in the basement, the ones used allegedly to transform Ohio's votes to a win for George Bush in the 2004 election.

Story of that below:


http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A...


Well, we may not get attention for our choice of Democratic nominee, but it's about time for the DNC to 'find' this area at least to keep it from backfiring on them nationally!!

... or is it just me?

By Ronald Dupont Jr.
Herald Editor
ALACHUA -- Political activist Charlie Grapski, who has been on a hunger strike since he was taken to the Alachua County jail Monday, Aug. 13, said today, Wednesday, Aug. 22, that he would start eating.

Grapski's attorney, Joe Little, met with Grapski this morning in a Gainesville hospital. Little said that Grapski is hopeful of getting his bond reduced in a hearing next Tuesday and getting out of jail.

Little had tried to speak with Grapski Tuesday night at the hospital but was unable to wake Grapski. Apparently, Grapski had been that way most of the day, Little said he was told. . . 
 

More at:

http://www.highspringsherald.com/

~~~~~~~~~~

That's certainly hopeful news from today's paper.

5.

dog soldier
Wed, 08/22/07
11:32 am


...Not all vets drink the kool-aid.
---------

I suspect the least amount of them do..., they know what war is.
The young farts mostly, imo, Bush&Co.'s cool-aid drinkers.

O.K. this is under control, for now. One never knows tho.
I'm standing down on this one for now.

Really glad noone got hurt too!!

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/chattan...

It's.....jerrymcnerney.org folks, if you don't like our #1 DFA candidate wavering. We need to reinforce the gullible Dems, or if that doesn't work, threaten to throw them out.

jerry's email from the other day...


Hello,


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please take just a few minutes to read this important message about where I stand on the war in Iraq. Then, please share your thoughts with me and our larger community by clicking on the links below.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you know, I ran for Congress to change the way Washington works and restore honesty, integrity and accountability to our federal government. Now that I am serving you in our nation's capital, fulfilling this promise means engaging in an open and ongoing dialogue with my constituents and supporters about the issues that concern all of us the most.

The war in Iraq is, of course, the most significant issue of our time.

A few weeks ago, I was honored to lead a bipartisan, all-freshman Congressional delegation to Iraq to gain a deeper understanding of the conflict. As I discovered, it's one thing to read about what's going on there. But it's quite another to witness it firsthand and experience it personally.

I came away from this profound experience tremendously moved by the commitment of our brave men and women in uniform as well as the perseverance of the Iraqi people. Although I was proud to lead this delegation and personally meet with our troops, the trip was brief and limited to the locations picked by the military ahead of time.

For a grounded perspective on the war from those who are on the front lines, I urge you to read this critical first-hand account in the New York Times by a group of infantrymen just returning from serving in the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq:

New York Times Op-Ed: "The War as We Saw It"

As the poignant and piercing words of these seven soldiers demonstrates, the unfortunate reality in Iraq is that -- while our troops have performed extremely well under very difficult conditions -- the Bush Administration's planning and execution of the war continues to be an abysmal failure.

Our women and men laying their lives on the line in Iraq have done everything we have asked of them. To honor their service, they deserve leaders who respect them enough to ask the tough questions, and -- when something isn't working -- not only acknowledge it, but fundamentally change course.

In September, Congress will be participating in perhaps the most critical discussion of this conflict since it began in 2003. My campaign web site has been receiving increasing amounts of email from concerned citizens curious about my stance on the war. So, as we approach this pivotal debate, I want to clearly and unequivocally express to you where I stand on the question of executing a responsible redeployment from Iraq:

I am firmly in favor of withdrawing troops on a timeline that includes both a definite start date and a definite end date ("date certain") and uses clearly-defined benchmarks. I am not in favor of an "open-ended" timeline for withdrawal, as some members of Congress have proposed recently.

As many foreign policy experts agree, setting a date certain for withdrawal is fundamental to forcing George W. Bush to bring our troops home from Iraq and ensuring the Iraqis step up and defend their own country. That's why -- even as I consider all proposals as a matter of due diligence -- I am standing strong on setting a definite redeployment end date (as an example, I recently voted for the "Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act" to safely draw down our troops over the course of nine months).

As this national debate begins anew, I am counting on you to stand strong with me as well. The only way that we, together, can bring this unfortunate chapter in our history to a close is if we remain united and steadfast in our collective commitment.

Now that I've had the opportunity to frankly articulate where I stand on the war, I would appreciate it if you took just a few minutes to tell me what you think as well. Please let me -- and our community -- know your thoughts by posting them on my blog at:

http://weblog.jerrymcnerney.org/

If you would rather not post your thoughts publicly, you can send your comments privately to me here:

http://www.jerrymcnerney.org/contact.asp...

As always, I am looking forward to hearing your heartfelt concerns for the future of our nation and the world. In the spirit of continuing our open dialogue, I will read your comments and will do my best to respond on our blog.

Thank you for your time and your support.

Jerry

I have been naughty.  See Hannah to read about Trigger Dick

Would someone put in plain English what McNerney is really saying...no spin?  I really can not get his drift.

We donated to him, still get emails from him,   but feeling disillusioned once again....I think all of our candidates we pick are just going for the bigger money and forgetting who they are.

Here's one quote I saw:

"That followed comments by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-California) suggesting that his trip to Iraq made him more flexible in his search for a bipartisan accord on the future U.S. role in the conflict. "If anything, I'm more willing to work to find a way forward," he told reporters late last month."

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1448

He was on a tour with Mahoney, whom I wrote about here.  At least that is what I gather.  Our Democrats are going to be so flexible they will fall for anything.

"I am firmly in favor of withdrawing troops on a timeline that includes both a definite start date and a definite end date ("date certain") and uses clearly-defined benchmarks. I am not in favor of an "open-ended" timeline for withdrawal, as some members of Congress have proposed recently."

~~~~~~~~~~

IMHO McNerney is doing what he said he would when we backed him, but he has asked for input and we should give him an earful.

Pombo was really, really bad so I'm still happy we gave Jerry aid.

Good news about Charlie.  It's my sense that he's slightly manic-depressive.  Which means that the failure to eat regular and get adequate rest is very detrimental.

Glad Joe got in to talk to him.  It would be nice to know if he has family, since that's very important to the courts--i.e. in the sense of is there someone to look after him?

What's really bad about all this ideological emphasis on individual responsibility and self-reliance is that our social institutions, especially our judicial institutions, are set up as if that were the norm.  You could almost say that it's a sucker-play.  "go ahead buddy, try it on your own and see what happens!"

Nothing good. 

look toward the bottom for mcnerney remarks....

Democrats Refocus Message on Iraq After Military Gains
Criticism Shifts to Factional Unrest

By Jonathan Weisman and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A04

Democratic leaders in Congress had planned to use August recess to raise the heat on Republicans to break with President Bush on the Iraq war. Instead, Democrats have been forced to recalibrate their own message in the face of recent positive signs on the security front, increasingly focusing their criticisms on what those military gains have not achieved: reconciliation among Iraq's diverse political factions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Petraeus' Kabuki Theater

http://www.counterpunch.org/lind08222007.html

September approaches, and with it the supposed watershed in the Iraq war that General David Petraeus' report to Congress will represent. In reality, the report will make little difference in what the Democratically-controlled Congress does, because it has already decided what it will do, namely pretend to try to end the war while actually ensuring its continuation through the 2008 elections. That strategy seems to offer the best promise of electing more Democrats.

As American military officers gain rank, they soon learn that the absolute worst political sin is "committing truth." Any time they say something that contradicts what is coming out of the White House or the Office of the Secretary of Defense, they find themselves in very hot water. If they persist in the annoying practice, they discover they do not quality for senior commands.

If General Petraeus is to present a genuine military report in September and not a "cooked" political document, he will have to buck the system. It should be fairly easy to judge whether he has done that or not, because if he has, the White House will howl. The gap between the reality in Iraq and the administration's rhetoric is so wide that it should show dramatically in any genuine military analysis. If it does not, and if the White House regards his report complacently, with just a few quibbles as part of the kabuki, then it amounts to nothing more than one of Napoleon's bulletins -- from which we got the phrase, "to lie like a bulletin."

Come September, we will find out what General Petraeus is made of. Depending on that, we may also find out something about the war in Iraq.

GO AL, GO!

http://www.crooksandliars.com/

This new video from Al Franken’s official Senate campaign website takes a light hearted jab or two at Minnesota Senator, Norm Coleman, who is welcoming President Bush to the state for a private fundraiser.

Norm Coleman just doesn’t get it. Minnesotans want a Senator who’ll stand up to the special interests and stand up for working families – not a Senator who’ll stand with George W. Bush.

Coleman’s going to try to run from his record of supporting the Bush administration – he votes with the President almost 90% of the time – but first, he’s bringing in George W. Bush for a ritzy private fundraiser.

Senator Coleman is hoping to use President Bush’s big-money megaphone to drown out our voice. I need your help to keep that voice strong.

3722

Many Democrats, including Tom's and my Senior Senator (who represents Israel more effectively than he does Michigan) have been suckered by the Pentagon propaganda on "the surge".

Talk about clueless wimps!

Bush combining VietNam and Iraq in the same thought is more accurate than he will ever admit.

must be missing his brain already

We were fighting the Chinese in Korea, and the next thing you know it will be our troops crossing the "Yalu" into Iran, (talk about bad checkpoint duty in 30 years). 

I e-mailed Jerry that a trip to Iraq in a staged setting should not have resulted in a "flexible" feeling. There is nothing flexible about dying soldiers. As a DFA member, I expected him to do the right thing amd work to end the war now.

Bloggers and Billionaires, MoveOn and Howard Dean: The Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party

http://www.alternet.org/story/60305/

Frustrated by Clintonian triangulation, two losses to George Bush in elections that were widely perceived to be stolen or given away too easily, and enraged by the party leadership's support of the invasion of Iraq, outsiders have risen up in an attempt to displace the insiders and their losing ways and bring more progressive values and vision to the political process

Arrayed on the establishment side are a host of recognizable names including Terry McAuliffe, former head of the DNC; James Carville, longtime Clinton advisor, author and talking head, who is married to chief Dick Cheney protector Mary Matalin; Harold Ickes, another former Clinton official who raised many millions of dollars for media on behalf on the Democrats leading up to the Kerry nomination in 2004; and Bob Shrum, media consultant-cum-campaign manager who led the failed Kerry campaign in 2004. It was Shrum's fifth consecutive defeat in the presidential sweepstakes.

On the legislative side, establishment leaders include Rahm Emmanuel, former Clinton aide, and current House member who headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's successful 2006 effort to win back a majority for the Dems for the first time since 1994, and Chuck Schumer, Emmanuel's counterpart, who led the Dem effort in the Senate and who has received particular notoriety of late for breaking with his party and promising to work very hard to maintain the 15 percent income tax rate for hedge fund billionaires, while the rest of us frequently pay a tax rate twice as high.

The grassroots insurgency has already scored major blows against the Dem Party establishment. They supported Howard Dean's campaign for chairman of the DNC in 2005 and truly panicked the Beltway insiders who mounted a failed attempt to stop him. Soon after, Dean embarked on his 50-state strategy, which had given party insiders conniption fits. In his campaign, Dean insisted that the Democratic Party was never going to get its mojo back unless it stopped being a triaging, pollster-driven operation, collecting money from big donors and parachuting in outsiders to focus only on key "swing" states, while starving the rest of the party's political infrastructure nationwide.

Click here to see why the DSCC needs your help - then vote on which bumper sticker slogan you want to see in 2008!  And if you've got a different idea entirely, let us know.

another
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Democracy Bond holders across the country make our work possible. If you're not already a Bond holder, the best way you can help field organizers in your state right now is to make a recurring contribution to the Democratic Party and our 50-State Strategy:

http://www.democrats.org/HelpOrganizers

Actually, Phil, I think it's his subconscious brain that makes these connections for him.

There's nothing wrong with his long term memory.  The problem is a sorting problem, so the remembered events aren't in sequence.  The brain finds similarities on its own.

It's quite amazing what the brain can do without any conscious direction.  It's the conscious direction that seems to be lost as people age or even succumb to senile dementia.  Their brains still go on like HAL the computer in "2001."  Even emotion seems to be hard-wired. 

I support congress for shinning light and passing the bill for children in poverty.  This administration has, thus far, done little to nothing for the poor in this country or around the world.  Rather, more poverty, violence, and terror are created overseas and within US.  According to the Borgen Project, whose goal is to fight global poverty, US is one of the nations pledged in the Millennium Development Project.  MDP is aimed at eliminating world poverty in half by the year 2015.  With $19 billion dollars annually, world poverty can be stopped.  However, our government has already spent more than $450 billion dollars over this fruitless war in Iraq.  It is time for the Bush Administration to take a real interest in the lives of the American people as well as people who are in desperate needs around the world.  Stop the lies and stop poverty now.  Put away the arrogance and put the needs of the people before political gains.

You want the Health Care Plan WE got?

My scathing letter to FOX won't go thru.

I don't understand why our progressives are folding, but something or someone got to them, unless they were lying all along about being anti-war.  The only other choice is to believe that things are going well in Iraq.  

If we know about the records being in SmartTech (is that what it's called)? why can't they be subpoened if they tell the truth about fraud in Ohio so we can recall putz?

Someone suggested on AAR that Gonzales could rather simply be disbarred, which would disqualify him to be Att'y Gen'l.  Is this true? It was also suggested that impeachment of him be started and that he would prolly retire to *spend more time with his family* rather than face the proceedings.

The dems are a monumental disappointment, either misreading the public, which is rather hard to do, or they just don't care becuz they're panting for  presidetial power.   That unitary executive dictator thing must look pretty good to people, most of whom have sold out the Constitution, which, after all, is just "a damn piece of paper."  (putz)  I think that's the verbatim quote.

The morning show could now be changed to "The Mourning Show." 

 Heres a few bumper stickers      Clinton/NewWar08    Clinton/nafta05  Clinton/Murdock  Clinton/Obomba/newwar08

Chuck/crymeariver08

 Jimmy/08

Wrong blog.  Try the whacked out wingnutblog.  You'll get as far...least with me, anywho.

more bumper stickers

Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton/08

Bush/Clinton dynasty/08

More Gore Please

Clinton/AIPAC 08

Clinton/Olmert 08

Maybe Phil's great paygo idea will take hold but if it hasn't so far, I have doubts.  It's so simple and puts putz on the razor's edge. 

34.

get real folks.  It ain'a 'bout Clinton.

Fantasies and conspiracies

Huon 19 thank you for the other Al's video, Al Franken sure can make you feel good.

So, I contributed a little bit.  He is the first to give you a

 thank you for your contribution, video.  No lie, way cool.

And of course, in his way, it was a chuckle.

https://secure.alfranken.com/page/contribute/alneedsyou-082001/thanks 

ANY Government that can "function" e.g. the one that can contain and control its own people's freedom is now OK with Bush&Co..., please, please just give all those warmongers ANY Government!

Endeavor for the ME "democracy" at its last throes..., lol.
Real democracy is coming.

------------

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/2...

U.S. officials rethink hopes for Iraq democracy

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nightmarish political realities in Baghdad are prompting American officials to curb their vision for democracy in Iraq. Instead, the officials now say they are willing to settle for a government that functions and can bring security.

A workable democratic and sovereign government in Iraq was one of the Bush administration's stated goals of the war.

But for the first time, exasperated front-line U.S. generals talk openly of non-democratic governmental alternatives, and while the two top U.S. officials in Iraq still talk about preserving the country's nascent democratic institutions, they say their ambitions aren't as "lofty" as they once had been.

"Democratic institutions are not necessarily the way ahead in the long-term future," said Brig. Gen. John "Mick" Bednarek, part of Task Force Lightning in Diyala province, one of the war's major battlegrounds.
..............
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, declined to be interviewed for this story, but they issued a joint statement to CNN that reiterated that the country's "fundamental democratic framework is in place" and that "the development of democratic institutions is being encouraged."

And, they said, they are helping Iraqi political leaders find ways "to share power and achieve legislative progress."

............
Iraqi government officials concede things aren't working, but they say that's because the United States doesn't allow Iraq to really control its own destiny.

While the Iraqi government commands its own troops, it cannot send them into battle without U.S. agreement. Iraqi Special Forces answer only to U.S. officers.

"We don't have full sovereignty," said Hadi al-Amri, the chairman of parliament's Defense and Security Committee. "We don't have sovereignty over our troops, we don't have sovereignty over our provinces. We admit it."

.............

Abdul Qarim al-Enzi, director of the parliamentary ethics committee, asks whether it is "reasonable for a country given sovereignty by the international community to have a chief of intelligence appointed by another country."

One senior U.S. official in Baghdad told CNN that "any country with 160,000 foreigners fighting for it sacrifices some sovereignty."

The U.S. government has long cautioned that a fully functioning democracy would be slow to emerge in Iraq. But with key U.S. senators calling for al-Maliki's removal, some senior U.S. military commanders even suggest privately the entire Iraqi government must be removed by "constitutional or non-constitutional" means and replaced with a stable, secure, but not necessarily democratic entity.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/2...

#33 Democracy is great, until one is told to not be a part of it.  Impeach. Stop the industrial military complex. Bring them home now. Stop the war drums for Iran.

Paine,please explain your "get real" comments.

If you're referring to the fact that this country started out by committing genocide and that the rich and powerful have always been in charge, and that Clinton is just another in a  long line of sell-outs, then we agree.  :-) 

Iraq needs a *decider* guy.  Who best fits that bill?  Putz or Sadr?

41.

seashell :-)
Wed, 08/22/07
2:42 pm
-----------

They won't ask us, they'll find what/who they need...by themselves.

The new goal in Iraq is not to lose.

Pathetic putz.

Impeach now!

************************

Love the Al Franken vid. 

the goal in Iraq has always been to stay.

42...My tongue was planted in my cheek!

I'm so hoarse today I can't even croak out  a thing.  Will call my dem guv as soon as the voice reaches the *still hoarse and sounds sexy as hell* stage.  LOL 

Yes, Monica, stay forever and not lose.  LOL

It's clear putzco does not want any nation to be sovereign, even ours.

What do you spose is really going  on at the space station?  Making munitions perhaps?  Whatever happened to *Star Wars?* 

Well, the turn-about is fair play didn't take long, did it?

China has accused some United States exporters of supplying tainted soya bean crops.

Chinese officials said potentially harmful "weeds and contaminated dirt" had been found in the beans, but made no mention of any import restrictions.

China has recently been at the centre of concerns about the safety of some of its own exports, including toothpaste, pet food and, in the latest case, toys.

US soya bean exporters said China was trying to "balance things out".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6958492.stm 

Wow, don't you wonder how many trolls we have viewing this blog-or at least some freaks, NeoCons.

I have a bad comment on the petition sight for Al Gore, only I think twice in all the history that I've been tracking it, but for some reason, I posted that link on the other thread about reading comments and someone came along and posted rude comments many times under fake names, but they forgot to change the state and they all claim to be from MA.

HOWDY TROLL LURKERS....obviously they feel threatened.

(CA)The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) is a nationally recognized consumer group that has been fighting corrupt corporations and crooked politicians since 1985.

Watch the Pirates of the Health Care-ibbean video HERE: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthca...

47.

seashell :-)
Wed, 08/22/07
2:52 pm

It's clear putzco does not want any nation to be sovereign, even ours.
-----

...they never distinguished "ours" from not.

Oh God help us

In what the US military are calling one of the worst incidents of the Iraq war all 14 soldiers aboard a Black Hawk helicopter have been killed.

A helicopter has crashed in northern Iraq, killing all 14 US soldiers aboard.
The American military has described it as one of the worst incidents of its kind in the four-year war.

Source: news.sky.com

 

TheUH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was carrying four crew members and 10 passengers when it went down during a nighttime operation, according to a statement.

Source: foxnews.com

 

The military said initial indications showed the aircraft experienced a mechanical problem and there were no indications of hostile fire, but the cause was still under investigation.

The 14 soldiers killed were assigned to Task Force Lightning, the military said.

 

link

http://www.nowpublic.com/us-black-hawk-down-14-dead-iraq 

Read and comment about dogging the BLuedogs (Bush dogs)....you can help profile one too!

cross-posted on OpenLeft, where we will be running the campaign.

I'm hearing more and more frequently a sense of rage with the Democratic leadership in Congress.  From failing to stop the war to expanding Bush's wiretapping authority, the swing vote of conservative Democrats in the House are forming an effective conservative majority that is enabling Bush to govern as he wishes.  The polls show that this is a very bad political move for Democrats. 

 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/22/94647/5187

more info on Blackhawk Down

By HAMID AHMED, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 28 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - A Black Hawk helicopter went down Wednesday in northern Iraq, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said, the deadliest crash since January 2005.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, lashed out at American criticism a day after President Bush expressed frustration with the Iraqi government's inability to bridge political divisions.

"No one has the right to place timetables on the Iraq government. It was elected by its people," the Shiite leader said at a news conference in Damascus at the end of a three-day visit to Syria.

"Those who make such statements are bothered by our visit to Syria. We will pay no attention. We care for our people and our constitution and can find friends elsewhere," al-Maliki said.

The military said initial indications showed the UH-60 helicopter experienced a mechanical problem and was not brought down by hostile fire, but the cause of the crash was still under investigation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq 

Well, Jerry M, what say you now?

W hat is is gonna take? What?

I wanted to thank Joan*in*Fla for her update on Charlie.  I was at work and couldn't at the time.  I posted her link to the High Springs Herald article on HEP.

 I like the term "bushdog democrats" rather than blue dog.  Dogs are cute and those blue dog paintings are adorable.  Bushdogs are dawgs, and not in a good way.

53.

Indy Steve

2 more for Mr. Stoller's list

Cardoza(CA)
Baca(CA)

Thanks Donna,

I saw the link on HEP as well.

I just hope it isn't all hype and that Charlie will get our on bond next Tuesday and is actually feeling better and eating.

After such horrible treatment for so long in Redneck County, like torture victims they may say anything just to get free.

re: Blackhawk Down

Where is the TV media on this?

The Iraq Fix in certainly in tight. No news on cable TV about Iraq unless it contains something good or some nice little U.S. humanitarian story.

CNN and MS are all about weather, weather and more weather, day in, day out until evening comes and there is the everlasting election 2008. Trouble is, they don't know whice GOP candidate to start slobbering over since they're all so bad.

60. Stumble fingers. Darn Chinese keyboards.

59.

Joan* In*Florida
Wed, 08/22/07
3:33 pm

After such horrible treatment for so long in Redneck County, like torture victims they may say anything just to get free.
========
I don't think we mean to torture people we're just not real bright. Usually I never leave home but today I had to go to G'ville and Wallyworld. There were two (2) checkers in the whole place. Also, went to get gas at my usual station -- couldn't get the clerk to turn the pump on -- went in and asked -- she said she couldn't right then she was too busy.
===========
===========
And speaking of busy, RANT RANT to the State Department. I heard at PO today (hearsay I admit) it was taking TWELVE WEEKS TO GET AN EXPEDITED PASSPORT.

How about Pit Bull Dems or does that give pit bulls a bad name?

Nada on cable about the Black Hawk.  It's maddening.

Gore/?

bbl

62.

Anni

I was actually referring to the police department and those who have been physically attacking Charlie Grapski. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that. Surely the citizens of Alachua are generally good people.

In Iraq Democracy is working, but msm has not shown it yet. Tens of thousands were in the streets protesting the occupation. Wow, if we get occupied, maybe we could protest in the streets in large numbers rather than be on a keyboard.

Where is the TV media on this?

>

Saw that in the AM.  Don't recall which channels (<did you get that?  Plural!)

Found this on Salon...
This refers to Hillary's declaration that the surge in Al Anbar is working...
She is still one of the most clueless people ever to run for any office.
[snip]
Damnit! I swear if another idiot claims
Al Anbar as a sign that the surge is working I will wring their chicken necks! There has been NO troop surge in Al Anbar. No surge. Since Al Anbar has NOT seen a troop surge, any "progress" there CANNOT be due to the surge "working". Get it? This needs to be thrown right back at any and all who spout off about the surge working. That line is a LIE.

The "progress" in Al Anbar is ENTIRELY internally driven and independent of US troops. It is ONLY Sunni insurgent groups getting sick and tired of the self-destructive acts of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Do NOT allow the pundits and politicos to get away with their lies. Call them on the Al Anbar/surge working lie. Ask them how many troops from the surge have been stationed in Al Anbar. Ask them to specify exactly where in Iraq the troop surge has physically taken place.

If you're referring to the fact that this country started out by committing genocide and that the rich and powerful have always been in charge, and that Clinton is just another in a  long line of sell-outs...

>

I think people need to take a deep breath, and visit Phil.  THen just relax and see what the locals do.

I told the Edwards staffer I met with that I was leaning his way, but not to get too crazy with that because if Gore jumped in I would be gone. He has heard that before. It doesn't rattle the Edwards team like it does some people because it is their plan to be everyones second choice. I think what that means is he will be just fine with Obama and Hillary going after each other. If there was IRV he would come out on top.

Another Anbar view
http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/00...

Here is what they wrote about Ramadi:
Early in 2006, the U.S. military command withdrew the additional forces introduced to support the elections, and thereafter resisted all suggestions of a more active posture or a larger American presence. In 2006 the focus was on training the Iraqi military and transitioning responsibility for security to the Iraqis. It was hoped that the results of the 2005 elections would lead to the political progress that was seen as the key to reducing violence, and Generals John Abizaid and George Casey believed that an active American presence was an irritant that caused more trouble than it cured. They also feared that American forces conducting counterinsurgency operations would allow the Iraqi forces to lie back and become dependent on the Coalition. The overall U.S. posture in the first half of 2006, therefore, remained largely defensive and reactive, and the military command aimed to reduce the number of American forces in Iraq as rapidly as possible.
In the meantime, the situation was deteriorating dramatically. Al Qaeda terrorists destroyed the Golden Dome of the al-Askariya Mosque in Samarra (a Shiite shrine in the predominantly Sunni Arab province of Salahuddin), and a wave of sectarian violence swept Iraq. Within days more than 30 mosques had been bombed, and death squads began executing civilians across the country in large numbers in tit-for-tat sectarian murders.

The failure to follow up either on the successes in Falluja in 2004 or on the beginnings of clearing operations in the Upper Euphrates in 2005 allowed Anbar Province to sink deeper into the control of Sunni insurgents and al Qaeda terrorists. As late as August 2006, the Marine intelligence officer for the province declared that it was irretrievably lost to the enemy.

Nevertheless, the Marines and Army units in Anbar began a series of quiet efforts to regain control that ultimately led to spectacular and unexpected success. They began to engage local leaders in talks, particularly after al Qaeda committed a series of assassinations and other atrocities against tribal leaders and local civilians as part of an effort to enforce their extreme and distorted vision of Islamic law. U.S. forces under the command of Colonel Sean MacFarland also began a quiet effort to apply the clearing principles honed through operations in Falluja, Sadr City, and Tal Afar to Ramadi. There were never enough forces to undertake such operations rapidly or decisively, and success never appeared likely, at least to outside observers, who focused excessively on the force ratios.

But the effort was successful beyond all expectations. The tribal leaders in Anbar came together to negotiate an accord that ultimately produced the Anbar Awakening, an association of Anbar tribes dedicated to fighting al Qaeda. Recruiting for the Iraqi Security Forces in Anbar increased from virtually zero through 2006 to more than 14,000 by mid-2007. As the 2007 surge forces augmented U.S. troops in Anbar and began to change the political dynamic in Iraq, efforts to clear Ramadi and bring overall violence in the province under control also peaked. As New York Times reporter John Burns noted after a recent visit to Ramadi, Anbar's capital has "gone from being the most dangerous place in Iraq, with the help of the tribal sheikhs, to being one of the least dangerous places." And the Anbar Awakening movement has spread to Sunni tribes in neighboring areas. Parallel organizations have developed in Babil, Salahuddin, and Diyala provinces, and even in Baghdad. As the new strategy of 2007 took hold, U.S. forces found that they could even negotiate and work with some of their most determined former foes in the Sunni Arab insurgency--groups like the Baathist 1920s Brigades that once focused on killing Americans and now are increasingly working with Americans to kill al Qaeda fighters. Coalition operations in Anbar, which looked hopeless for years, have accomplished extraordinary successes that are deepening and spreading.
Just about anything can happen in Iraq. The Anbar Awakening may not last. Empowered Sunnis in that province may end up gunning for the Shia for all anyone knows.

Iraq is a political failure.  That's the point - not the military.  It is a no-brainer that the more boots on the ground and the more the tempo the better the military will be at surpressing the communities they focus on.

BFD.  Out, now.  Not another dime!

paine

I do think the movement to jump the calendar is being pushed by Clinton people, and I take that to mean they don't like current Iowa polling. If Michigan jumps MI needs to lose their delegates just like Florida.

Col Smith is impressed with Anbar. We are not going around killing folks.

http://quakerscolonel.blogspot.com/2007/...

[snip]
But in al-Anbar, more desert and presumably nomadic than many other areas of Iraq, U.S. forces seem to have finally stumbled on the nexus of effective counter-insurgency: identify the sociological level that the population has identified as the one that best provides physical and mental security – and work with the elders and other authority figures recognized as the leaders of the group.

In al- Anbar, the power level is not religious sectarianism but the tribal structure, the town or village mayor who is the local sheik and the police chief who is a member of the sheik’s family and the police force and other security forces who are from other families in the bloodline.

phil

I assume you're speaking about the sequence of primary vote days?  Gotta tell ya, I am not up on what the DNC is to do about penalizing states at the convention.  It's interesting, and i am curious to see w/not those in power will discipline anystate.

So it's Edwards phil? 

What are the odds that  some tempoary faction will attack that as a wasted vote?

BTW  WtheF is my spellcheck lol

the movement to jump the calendar

>

I am agnostis.  I don't know how it began.  Thought it was grassroot and about time. 

I like Iowa first,  at least it doesn't bother me, but I think that a state like California moving closer to her is good for the country. 

Anbar is quiet because we quit the suppression of the Sunnis that has been going on for years after the bosses in Saudi Arabia laid down the law to Cheney on his visit.

Hillary couldn't get the nomination if it started Iowa, Jan. 14th New Hampshire the traditional eight days later, Nevada and South Carolina followed by super Tuesday, the way things stand right now.

a compressed calendar favors money

"If they (US troops) take the initiative on the ground" ~ W today at the VFW

>

What a bozo!

He calls it a "free Iraq"

I gather a "free Iraq" includes a US troop presence.

W gots that ol' southern drawl on thick at the VFW.  What a fockin' f@ggit.  I mean it.  Anyone do pull that shit with anyone else at a bar and ...fockin' f@ggit.

There is no such thing as a wasted vote if you are registering your views with your action.

Imn2Paine
Wed, 08/22/07
5:38 pm

hey, I realize W got you riled up, but did you really mean to use the f word? I hope not.....

Indy Steve
Wed, 08/22/07
5:47 pm

Not in the way you, and I, might often interpret the word.   We might agree that THE F-word can have multiple meanings.  When I used the "word" in the post in question I was using it in a fight-or-flight manner.  I used it to fight, not to disparage a group of people.

Imn2Paine
Wed, 08/22/07
5:55 pm

Huh? Like the n word, I don't think you can get away with it...it is derogatory.

registering your views with your action

phil

I bet you and others actually do that, and I applaud you (all).

Like the n word, I don't think you can get away with it

Indy

Of course you are right:  my boner mistake to think I could.  Forgive me?;)

New Thread

64. Joan you were clear and there was no offense taken -- I just find us r*dnecks pretty slow most days. Today was especially so.

----

Paine and his f word -- I used to get in a snit when my students used the word 'gay' as an adjective -- I thought it was derogatory to gay people -- as in 'how gay is that'. I think young folk (don't know about gay folks) are kind of post-uptight about the gay thing. Maybe Paine's word is that way -- I wouldn't know but he is a good guy so I forgive him. Except when I click on your f word Paine (it's blue) it brings up my email. Is it someone's email addy?

-----

No one cares but me and maybe Seashell in 1854 bandoneon invented in Germany for church services and it spread quickly to the wh*rehouses of Argentina lol per Piazzolla himself. Also Piazzolla was born in Argentina and raised in NY the son of Italian parents -- no wonder he sounds like Puccini :~) and apparently spoke (died in '89) all 3 languages fluently (just got CD Live at Central Park).

 your f word Paine (it's blue)

>

Not by any intention on my part. If one includes @ as a character within a word, the word becomes blue...as far as I know.