The making of another Iraq

A new front in the “global war on terror” has emerged with its center in war-torn Somalia. The target of the new front, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), both brought back normalcy to seemingly untamable southern Somalia and anxiously legislated morality to the point of social suffocation. According to the U.S. State Department, its greatest sin was its purported link to al-Qaida.

The military action to crush these “Islamic extremists” is already underway. Washington-supported Ethiopian troops carried out a preemptive attack against Somalia at the end of December. Ethiopian tanks roared all the way to the capital Mogadishu and then on to Kismayo near the Kenyan border. The invasion proved easier than expected. The comparatively more powerful Ethiopian army teamed up with a militia loyal to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to achieve their objective of regime change with an ease ominously reminiscent of the entry into Baghdad of the “coalition of the willing.”

D.C. demonstration

On Saturday, I was thrilled to join hundreds of thousands of protesters in Washington, D.C., including my good friends at Progressive Democrats of America and Code Pink, in protesting the Iraq War and demanding a cut-off in funds to the immoral war in Iraq.  As one who has been part of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements in the 60’s, I can say that the energy and enthusiasm I saw today is entirely comparable.

At the Rally

"George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing," [Conyers] said, looking out at the masses. "He can't fire you." Referring to Congress, the Michigan Democrat added: "He can't fire us." 
- Associated Press

One of the points I made in my speech was that "George Bush has a habit of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing."  The White House wasted no time in responding, with spokesman Trey Bohn claiming that that Conyers "needs to learn the difference between fact and fable, between a soundbite and a slur, [Conyers'] assertion that the president fires generals with whom he disagrees is flat wrong."

US military kept hostage to political abuse of power

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President, International Association of Educators for World Peace
Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,
Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament
Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University

In spite of its manifold problems, the United States remains a good country to live in. The greatest asset of this nation lies in its people who came from all over the world. There is hardly a major culture and language which is not found in the USA. This explains why President John F. Kennedy referred to this country as a “conglomeration of nations.” With the exception of a tiny minority of Native Americans, all citizens are immigrants or their descendants. This explains why we have Irish or Italian or Korean Americans and so on.

Capitalistic System in Perspective

An interview with Jason Miller

A few months ago I began receiving emails with a subject line “Submission For Linking” from Jason Miller. I’m not sure how he discovered me or my website, but as began reading the barrage of articles that Jason sent me for linking, I became increasingly impressed with his blogspot and with the person managing it. Upon noticing that Jason occasionally interviewed other progressive bloggers, I requested that he interview me, and the results have been extraordinary, in part, because of the nature of the questions that Jason asks. As a result, I asked Jason if I could interview him, not only to return a favor, but because I am genuinely curious about who this man is and what drives his passion to maintain and manage Thomas Paine’s Corner, aka, Civil Libertarian Blogspot.

Jason, I take it that you are not the actor, Jason Miller, who played the Father Damien Karras in “The Exorcist.” So having established that, I have some questions for you:

Chairman Conyers puts Bush abuse of power `On the table'

Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have taken impeachment "off the table," but House Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI) is about to put it back on the menu.

Conyers may have been blocked by a timid Pelosi from initiating impeachment hearings immediately into President Bush's crimes against the Constitution, but he's taken the first step anyway, with the anouncement of plans to hold hearings into what is surely the President's gravest abuse of power.

The congressman, a veteran of the Nixon impeachment hearings who recently published a book on Bush's crimes, today announced plans to have his Judiciary Committee hold hearings on Bush's rampant use of so-called "signing statements." These are the documents the president has claimed give him the power, as a commander-in-chief, to ignore laws duly passed by the Congress.

Backbone Brigade captured on C-Span delivering giant spine to Congress for peace & accountability

The Backbone Campaign sent a crew of six to DC from Seattle, Tacoma, and Vashon thanks to the generosity of a couple supporters who provided the tickets and funds for tickets to transport our volunteer team. Doug Skove of Vashon leads the team, with Evan Simmons (Vashon) directing the Chain Gang, Barbara Luecke (Seattle) providing artistic direction, Nicki Vance and Charlie Bevis of SDS Tacoma directing outreach, and Tom Harrigan (Vashon) providing logistical support. These folks were met by Backbone Campaign members from Seattle to DC, Chicago to Michigan and generously hosted by Coralie Farlee and Robert Alexander.



Reports back were of enthusiastic support and an energizing day in a march much larger than the "tens of thousands" circulating in the press. On Monday Barbara, Nicki and Charlie will join up with DC area members Diane Wittner, Jay Marx, Robert Alexander and some friends from Democracy Cell Project and Liberty News TV to walk the halls of Congress as the Backbone Patrol delivering Spine Thank You cards and a couple Spineless Citations as well.

Laughable. Totally laughable.

I'm not surprised that the stolen-elction crackpots jumped all over these recent convictions in Ohio as validation of their conspiracy theories. But here's a dose of reality: These election workers impacted a tiny sliver of votes in one county. This poves [sic] nothing. And you know it.

This hot air about President Bush stealing the election is a bald-faced lie. That's why people are ignoring this garbage, just like they ignored the dead-bodies-in-Arkansas theories back when Bill Clinton was in office. Bush won. Kerry lost. That is the truth. That is the fact.

Scott Amos

Small thinking is cozy because it gives us control over large scary things

Folks,

I am confused about the articles that mention Federal Way, Washington Kay Walls a science teacher, of all things, could not find balance regarding Gore's so called documentary on global warming.

Don't get me wrong, I believe global warming exists.  But the ego of Gore and others that blame it solely on man, particularly American man, is to blame is kind of ridiculous.  And a science teacher who can't come up with some facts is not much of a science teacher at all.

Do a global internet search on Google about "ice age".  Easily, many results come up showing that Ice Ages occur about every 80,000 to 100,000 years apart - 100,000 average. 

Think about that.  If Ice ages are 100,000 years apart, then dead in the middle is the peak of a global warming phase.  And there is much scientific proof that this is a repeating cycle.  Should be easy for a so called science teacher to locate.

Don't fear a filibuster

With the federal minimum wage now 28 percent lower, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than it was fifty years ago, Senate Republicans are nonetheless threatening to filibuster its increase. This leaves the Democrats with a choice, which will set the tone for future legislation. They can cave to Republican demands to add questionable business tax breaks, a response Montana Democrat Max Baucus embraces. Or they can use their time, while the debate goes on, to highlight the fundamental issues at stake, hammering the Republicans with their opposition to this most modest step toward helping low-income  working Americans. Ted Kennedy did this when he challenged the $200 billion of amendments offered in an attempt to derail the bill, and then asked "When does the greed stop?” 

We love you, Molly

Our beloved sister Molly Ivins is fighting for her life against cancer, and all we can do is try to send her even a fraction of the brillliance, joy and love she has given us for so many incomparable years. This genius daughter of Texas turmoil has stood alone for so long as a voice of clarity, wit, common sense and plain-spoken conscience that it’s hard to know even where to start.

Perhaps most important to remember is that she has not been just a writer. From her modest but gracious home in the heart of Austin, she has done anything but sit back and snipe with that unique penetrating wit of hers. She could have done it. She could have just gone to that keyboard every day, blown them all away, and built her national reputation from the sheer genius of an insulated ivory tower.

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