The Winter Soldier is always quiet

…. quiet… or should I say quieted. It is amazing how ‘not-covered’ by the media this was– much less how much hype n’ hush there was for the first Winter Soldier regarding the nam War!! Well it’s time for them to get passed around the web… and be listened to. Then maybe, just maybe all of us non-irag veterans… us veterans of U.S. Citizenship can be brave too and stand up and demand the end to this insane war! Yes– it is hard to listen to, but hell– they lived through it and just need us to listen. And more than listen– they need us to ‘hear’ them. I think THESE people are heros!

Half a Decade of War: Five Years After Iraq Invasion, Soldiers Testify at Winter Soldier Hearings
Five years ago tonight, on March 19, 2003, the US launched the invasion of Iraq. Half a decade later, as the occupation continues with no end in sight, some of the most powerful voices against the war have been the men and women who have fought in it. For four days this past weekend, soldiers convened at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland for Winter Soldier, an eyewitness account of the war and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We broadcast their voices

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l61VGHuOlhI

2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8l7i_SfDXU

3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JimcrhC_wmE

4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epECbwvQshM

5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTilaMpYOWM

Winter Soldier CONT’D: US Vets, Active-Duty Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan Testify About the Horrors of War. As we mark the five-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq this week, we continue to bring you the voices of US veterans and active-duty soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan testifying about the horrors of war. For four days, soldiers convened at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland for Winter Soldier, an eyewitness indictment of atrocities committed by US troops during the ongoing occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, the event was modeled after the historic 1971 Winter Soldier hearings held during the Vietnam War.

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0NJPE3xFT0

2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRrN20aJn2M

3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOWCMLmA5e0

4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4bWwi7sn5k

5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRBPmCJN_Y0

Tanya Austin was an Arab linguist in military intelligence serving with the U.S. Army. Describing the situation in Iraq, she said “It’s not a war anymore, its an occupation.” She is a student at Illinois State University pursuing a degree in Middle Eastern studies.
She served from 2002-2004 and testified at the recent Winter Soldier hearings in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Iowa City chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War hosted a local version of the Winter Soldier hearings Wednesday. Four Iraq veterans discussed their opposition to the war at a panel at the University of Iowa before a crowd of over fifty people, including some Vietnam veterans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-oh7rRxRHQ

The Audacity of Impeachment

I am sick to death of people who claim that Bush has either done no wrong (these are idiotic maniacs) or that Bush has made a few mistakes (these are likely Republican water-carriers who feel they must protect their party from the most horrendous evils) or even the very few that say “I don’t know.”

The ones who need their asses whipped most are those who feel like it should be done, but would either be a waste of time or a detriment to the Democratic party. I have zero patience for these people because they show their true self when it comes to the Constitution and the rule of law. It isn’t about even stopping this criminal cabal, for they are willing to allow anything to happen without even a cursory investigation. I have lost a friend over this very point (and the attitude that my view of Constitutionality is unimportant and tin-foil hattish).

But the fact is that an impeachment, according to ‘The People’ would be a slam-dunk and a sure way to insure even more Democratic seats in congress next election. For as the republicans in office continue to back the Maniac-in-Chief, they will lose most of their constituency. Not only will it bolster Democratic wins, but it may be the end of the GOP (I am not saying that is entirely a good thing).

Michael Collins has a post up with this graphic showing the point from MSNBC and Zobgy polls, representing the difference a few years (and corrupt, illegal and maniacal assaults on our liberties and Constitution) makes.

Are they REALLY gonna do it– or are they appeasing the masses?

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

Dear Supporter,

The campaign to Send Karl Rove to Jail  just took a huge step forward! In a stunning action just minutes ago, the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Rove in contempt. Brave New Films and our partners have been working steadily to maximize the impact of the petition. And we want to continue this fight, so please contribute so we can. Let’s take a look at the campaign so far: Send Rove to Jail Petition Delivery12 Days Ago:

We launched Send Rove to Jail . You immediately recognized a crucial chance to hold Rove accountable for flagrantly breaking the law and you seized it, raising over 40,000 signatures in 24 hours!9 Days Ago: CREDO Mobile took note of your efforts. They hopped on board and sent the petition to their subscribers, garnering tens of thousands more signatures.

5 Days Ago: We hit the 100,000 signature milestone, causing even more progressive groups to get involved, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, The Nation, Campaign for America’s Future, Progress Now, and People for the American Way, the last of whom alone generated another 15,000 signatures.

Yesterday: Brave New Films Editorial Director ZP Heller hand delivered three petition boxes containing over 127,000 signatures to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C. Together with our partners, we took our message directly to HJC member Linda Sanchez (D-CA), who was impressed by the sheer number of signatures. “I think it’s ridiculous that Karl Rove thinks that he doesn’t have to follow the law,” Sanchez said. “And nobody in this country should be above the law.”

Today: Sanchez led the HJC in a vote of contempt for Rove!

In just 12 days, your ability to sign and spread our petition led us from merely pointing out Rove’s lawbreaking hubris to helping convince the HJC to vote him in contempt.

 

Tell the House Judiciary Committee to hold Karl Rove in contempt and send him to jail.133,392 signers so far!

 

We call on the House Judiciary Committee to cite Rove with contempt for failing to comply with a Congressional subpoena. Since Rove regards the law with such contempt, it’s high time the law and Congress hold him in contempt as well. We demand the HJC let Rove know he can’t decide which subpoenas he obeys and which he ignores.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1463341016/bctid1701198831

Intro – 7/29/08 | The Colbert Report | Comedy Central

LOL

more about “Intro – 7/29/08 | The Colbert Report …“, posted with vodpod

For All You Cat Lovers

How to Get a Job By Shooting Up a Church

David Swanson (who became somewhat of a hero to me when he co-founded AfterDowningStreet.org) wonders out loud what I have asked many times… how can you think that I, a liberal, am bad or wrong for this country, if you are experiencing and seeing the same shit I see and I want the same things you want?

Brainwashing, plain and simple.

How to Get a Job By Shooting Up a Church

Imagine being so angry that you couldn’t find a job that you were able to decide, as a man in Tennessee just did, that the way to solve your problems was to attack liberals – the people who support (albeit ineffectively) workers’ rights, union rights, and fair trade, who oppose NAFTA, oppose tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, support investing in job creation at home rather than wars abroad, and want to tax corporations and the super-rich rather than small businesses and working people.

And imagine deciding that the way to attack the people who stand for everything that might help you is to go shoot up a bunch of men, women, and children. And then imagine telling those damn liberals: “You see, you were wrong at least about gun policies, because if angry desperate people who believe everything they hear on the radio weren’t allowed to get mad and go buy guns I never could have shot up your children’s play! And why are you showing a dumb play about poor kids, anyway? You never put on plays about people like me, potential billionaires down on their luck who’ve been threatened by Muslim terorists and mistreated by blacks and gays and women and liberals!”

And imagine the Associated Press report completely playing along with your delusion, and writing:

“Although individual Unitarian churches can vary dramatically in outlooks, most congregations retain a deep commitment to social justice, which has led many to embrace liberal stances on the ordination of women, civil rights and gay rights.”

What if labor rights had been mentioned?

And then imagine that the Knoxville News Sentinel gives your heros credit for deranging your mind and filling you up with bizarrely misdirected rage:

“Inside the house, officers found ‘Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder’ by radio talk show host Michael Savage, ‘Let Freedom Ring’ by talk show host Sean Hannity, and ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ by television talk show host Bill O’Reilly.”

And what if you were then given decades behind bars, without ever a word of thanks from your heros, to think about what in the world you might have been thinking? What would your advice end up being for others in the same sort of trouble you were in?

I like to think you’d eventually recommend selling your radio and television and spending some time talking to real people.

Speaking as a liberal who supports a sustainable full-employment economy with guaranteed education, income, and health care, I’m sorry that we have failed you and so many others so drastically, in fact failed so badly that you don’t even have the slightest idea who we are. I suspect that if you knew us you would find us to have goals you approve of but to be grotesquely and despicably timid, hesitant, and easily compromised in how we go about trying to accomplish anything. And you’d be right.

We’ll tell your story, for a week or so, both as an example of the effect of hatemongering propaganda and as an example of desperate economic stress and lack of community. But will we DO anything to improve those situations? I seriously doubt it. This is an election year, after all.

what is a billion?

How many zeros in a billion?

The next time you hear a politician use the
word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending
YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
but one advertising agency did a good job of
putting that figure into some perspective in
one of it’s releases.
A.

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B.

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were
living in the Stone Age.
D.

A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E.

A billion dollars ago was only

8 hours and 20 minutes,

at the rate our government

is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain…

let’s take a look at New Orleans …

It’s amazing what you can learn with some simple division.
Louisiana Senator,

Mary Landrieu (D)

is presently asking Congress for

250 BILLION DOLLARS

to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number…

what does it mean?
A.

Well… if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans

(every man, woman, and child)

you each get $516,528.
B.

Or… if you have one of the 188,251 homes in
New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C.

Or… if you are a family of four…

your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington, D. C

< HELLO! >

Are all your calculators broken??

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago…
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt…

We had the largest middle class in the world…

and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened?

Can you spell ‘politicians!’
And I still have to

press ‘1′

for English.
What the heck happened?????