AUSTIN, Texas -- It is clear we will need to practice hard on our credulity in the future just to get a grasp on how dumbfounding the entire Iraq War is. We need credulity up to the Wonderland White Queen's standards, believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast every day -- practice, practice, practice.

For starters, we find the Pentagon investigating itself over the secret military practice of paying to plant news stories in Iraqi papers. Now, since it's a secret practice, I don't know if the Pentagon will be able to find out much, but the way it works is U.S. military personnel, also known as soldiers, write "news" stories full of reassuring news.

National Public Radio reports that stories are filled with hyperbole and pro-U.S. rhetoric. One story written by the military and obtained by NPR dated Nov. 22 says military leaders are succeeding in stopping terrorists. It continues, "They have proven this as quiet slowly begins again to settle on the streets of western Iraq. " At the time, insurgents were staging over 700 attacks per week -- up from 150 a week the previous year.

Last night, the Executive Committee of the Ohio Democratic Party elected Chris Redfern chair.  Chris Redfern is on the record as accepting contributions from Wal-Mart.  He also will continue to hold his seat in the House of Reps., which makes him a part-time chair.  The issue came down to process, as interim chair Rhine McLin was shouted down when her process for the election -- written ballots -- was approved by voice vote.  Instead, a roll call was taken to both reject her process and then to accept a process of voting by standing.  

As Stephanie Tubbs Jones stated, the paper ballots were critical because questions had been raised that some members of the Executive Committee had been intimidated or their jobs threatened.  She was seconded by a woman who has served for many years on the rules committee of the National Democratic Party, who said that a paper ballot was not contrary to the rules and was not a secret ballot.  The roll call put the members on the spot.

Christopher Redfern (Ohio Rep.-D), who defended both fired Bernadette Noe and indicted Tom Noe (both GOP operatives), just won the highest seat in the Ohio Democratic Party.  After much procedural wrangling between candidate Dennis Lieberman supporters and Redfern supporters, the Ohio Democratic Party held the election of ODP Chair tonight, immediately prior to the annual holiday party.

Procedural controversy erupted at the ODP election because Lieberman supporters wanted a paper ballot (and, thus, a secret vote).  US Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones supported this procedure, and former US Rep Mary Rose Oakar commented, "There's a lot of intimidation in this room."  Other Central Committee members stood and reported having received office calls from gubernatorial candidate,Ted Strickland, who endorsed Redfern. 

The majority, including Franklin County Commissioner and Congressional candidate Mary Jo Kilroy, overturned the paper ballots idea and required voting members to physically stand for their candidate.  The majority also decided to hold the election quickly, without grassroots input. 

"The road has potholes but equality is on the horizon," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

WASHINGTON - Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Americans scored big wins in 2005, according to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign. The report - "Equality from State to State: GLBT Americans and State Legislation 2005" - details record-setting and historic state legislation affecting the GLBT community over the past year.

"The road has potholes but equality is on the horizon," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "This report proves that as the national conversation over equality continues, Americans come down on the side of fairness. When the fog of divisive politics recedes, the real stories emerge of hard-working GLBT Americans seeking equality wins."

More state anti-discrimination bills passed in 2005 than in any other year. Eleven bills were passed in state legislatures that established or strengthened statewide anti-discrimination protections for the GLBT community.

While last year, 13 states amended their constitutions to

White flags on top of houses and cars, plenty of American and Iraqi military vehicles, too many check points and blocks on the road, many frightening walking patrols, curfew after sunset, heaps and heaps of destroyed houses, shops, offices, the only bridge, hospitals and medical care centers, walls covered with bullets shots, and election posters…empty faces with bleak looks wandering in the streets. This is the picture of Al-Qa’im after the “Steel Curtain” military operation which began on November 5, 2005 with 3,000 American and Iraqi troops participating in it.