Open Letter to Obama, and Moderate Dems & Repubs about War
“The people of England have been led in Iraq [Mesopotamia] into a trap from which it will be hard to escape with dignity and honor. They have been tricked into it by a steady withholding of information. The Baghdad communiques are belated, insincere, incomplete. Things have been far worse than we have been told, our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our imperial record, and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are today not far from a disaster.”
Written over 80 years ago by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, a British soldier renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18, and known throughout the world as Lawrence of Arabia. These words apply equally well to the current situation in present-day Iraq. It is intolerable that the United States maintain the occupation of Iraq one more day. While it is true that the United States is directly responsible for the deteriorated state of that country’s infrastructure, and for the destabilization of the country’s defenses, we cannot continue to occupy that country any longer. The United States, under President Obama’s leadership, must follow through quickly on his promise to withdraw our fighting forces from that country. It is one of the chief reasons that many people supported his candidacy. However, President Obama has not firmly committed to closing the permanent military bases that the previous administration sought to establish there.
The United States is responsible for dismantling the infrastructure of Iraq, through private contractors who basically looted that country, ruining its systems of water and electrical power distribution, and dismissing that country’s armed forces who were eager to help run their own country. It is for these reasons that the United States must help Iraq financially, and work closely with Iraq’s neighbors to insure that their borders are secure, and that aid will flow from those other countries into Iraq as well. But, we must withdraw all of our armed forces, and quickly, in order to finally end the bloodshed and restore order to that remote battleground for US political and financial interests.
In addition, it is clear to me that the pursuit of war in Afghanistan has no logical end, with no clear victory. A surge of troops there will neither destroy the Taliban influence, nor restore that country to it’s pre-invasion state. As in Iraq, the United States should pursue a course of working closely with other governments to stem the flow of money to terror groups and restrict the flow of weapons to the area. I believe that is it time for the United States of America to restore our commitment to world peace through diplomacy and cooperation, as was best demonstrated though our involvement in the establishment of an organization of United Nations. As terrible as the actions of terrorists are, and as horrible as the ideas of religious and political extremists are, they cannot be effectively countered, in the long run, through warfare. They must be met with an example of a better way. We cannot refuse to meet and talk with other countries based on their differing types of religious, economic or political structures. It is only though an acceptance of the right of all nations to self determination that we can establish the trust necessary for all nations to want to work together in our common interests.
Trade and diplomatic relations with all nations is a prerequisite for peace, and can help prevent the rise of misunderstandings, belligerent posturing, and the hopelessness that inspires peoples to acts of barbarism, either through small acts of terror, or large state-sponsored terror by way of invasions and retaliations. I call on President Obama, the United States Congress, and the real government of this country, its citizens, to end all occupations of other nations by this nation, to open diplomatic relations with all nations, and end all restrictions on trade and free commerce with any nation, as a first step toward a future of worldwide peace and economic prosperity.
Transcript Of Obama’s Address to Congress and Citizens
WE ARE NOT QUITTERS
02-24-09
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, and the first lady of the United States, who’s around here somewhere.
I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.
I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others, and rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has: a friend, a neighbor, a member of your family.
You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost, the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread, the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope.
The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere.
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and our universities, in our fields and our factories, in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth.
Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.
Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that for too long we have not always met these responsibilities, as a government or as a people. I say this not to lay blame or to look backwards, but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament.
The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank.
We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy, yet we import more oil today than ever before.
The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform.
Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for.
And though all of these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.
In other words, we have lived through an era where too often short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity, where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election.
A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations…
Regulations — regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.
Well, that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.
Now is the time to act boldly and wisely, to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.
Now is the time to jump-start job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that is what I’d like to talk to you about tonight.
It’s an agenda that begins with jobs. As soon…
As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by Presidents Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets, not because I believe in bigger government — I don’t — not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited — I am.
I called for action because the failure to do so would have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. In fact, a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years. And that’s why I pushed for quick action.
And tonight I am grateful that this Congress delivered and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law.
Over — over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector, jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges, constructing wind turbines and solar panels, laying broadband and expanding mass transit.
Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals can continue caring for our sick. There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis, [Minnesota] tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make.
Because of this plan, 95 percent of working households in America will receive a tax cut, a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1.
Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college.
And Americans — and Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm. Now I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work, and I understand that skepticism.
Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.
And that’s why I’ve asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort, because nobody messes with Joe.
I have told each of my Cabinet, as well as mayors and governors across the country, that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend.
I’ve appointed a proven and aggressive inspector general to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud.
And we have created a new Web site called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent.
So, the recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track, but it is just the first step, because even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our financial system.
I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight, because every American should know that it directly affects you and your family’s well-being. You should also know that the money you’ve deposited in banks across the country is safe, your insurance is secure. You can rely on the continued operation of our financial system; that’s not the source of concern.
The concern is that, if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins. You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education, how stores stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses make payroll.
But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto the books of too many banks. And with so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now fearful of lending out any more money to households, to businesses, or even to each other.
When there’s no lending, families can’t afford to buy homes or cars, so businesses are forced to make layoffs. Our economy suffers even more, and credit dries up even further.
That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to break this destructive cycle, to restore confidence, and restart lending.
And we will do so in several ways. First, we are creating a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever to help provide auto loans, college loans, and small-business loans to the consumers and entrepreneurs who keep this economy running.
Second — second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages.
It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values, Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped to bring about. In fact, the average family who refinances today can save nearly $2,000 per year on their mortgage.
Third, we will act with the full force of the federal government to ensure that the major banks that Americans depend on have enough confidence and enough money to lend even in more difficult times. And when we learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold accountable those responsible, force the necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a strong, viable institution that can serve our people and our economy.
Now, I understand that, on any given day, Wall Street may be more comforted by an approach that gives bank bailouts with no strings attached and that holds nobody accountable for their reckless decisions, but such an approach won’t solve the problem.
And our goal is to quicken the day when we restart lending to the American people and American business and end this crisis once and for all. And I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer.
This time — this time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks, or buy fancy drapes, or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over.
Still, this plan will require significant resources from the federal government and, yes, probably more than we’ve already set aside. But while the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade.
That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business, worse for you, and worse for the next generation. And I refuse to let that happen.
Now, I understand that when the last administration asked this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks, Democrats and Republicans alike were infuriated by the mismanagement and the results that followed. So were the American taxpayers; so was I.
So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you: I get it.
But I also know that, in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger or yield to the politics of the moment.
My job — our job — is to solve the problem. Our job is to govern with a sense of responsibility.
I will not send — I will not spend a single penny for the purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I will do whatever it takes to help the small business that can’t pay its workers or the family that has saved and still can’t get a mortgage.
That’s what this is about. It’s not about helping banks; it’s about helping people.
It’s not about helping banks; it’s about helping people. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home. And then some company will hire workers to build it. And then those workers will have money to spend. And if they can get a loan, too, maybe they’ll finally buy that car or open their own business.
Investors will return to the market, and American families will see their retirement secured once more. Slowly, but surely, confidence will return, and our economy will recover.
So — so I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary, because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession. And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system.
It is time. It is time.
It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation and punishes shortcuts and abuse.
The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short term, but the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world.
The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care, the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility.
In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we’ve come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or a laundry list of programs.
I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America, as a blueprint for our future.
My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited: a trillion-dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession.
Given these realities, everyone in this chamber — Democrats and Republicans — will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars, and that includes me.
But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges.
I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves, that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity, for history tells a different story.
History reminds us that, at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas.
In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry.
From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age.
In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history.
And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.
In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive.
We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again.
That is why, even as it cuts back on programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education.
It begins with energy.
We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.
Well, I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders, and I know you don’t, either. It is time for America to lead again.
Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We’ve also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history, an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, in science and technology.
We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills.
But to truly transform our economy, to protect our security and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.
So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. That’s what we need.
And to support — to support that innovation, we will invest $15 billion a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power, advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more efficient cars and trucks built right here in America.
Speaking of our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not and will not protect them from their own bad practices.
But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it; scores of communities depend on it; and I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.
Now, none of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy. But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what’s necessary to move this country forward.
And for that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care.
This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, 1 million more Americans have lost their health insurance.
It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it is one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget.
Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. We can’t afford to do it.
It’s time.
Already, we’ve done more to advance the cause of health care reform in the last 30 days than we’ve done in the last decade. When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for 11 million American children whose parents work full-time.
Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives.
It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American, including me, by seeking a cure for cancer in our time.
And — and it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that’s one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.
This budget builds on these reforms. It includes a historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform, a down payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American. It’s a commitment
It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue, and it’s a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come.
Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform. That’s why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and health care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week.
I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. Once again, it will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and our conscience long enough.
So let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.
The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America.
In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity. It is a prerequisite.
Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma, and yet just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation, and half of the students who begin college never finish.
This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education, from the day they are born to the day they begin a career. That is a promise we have to make to the children of America.
Already, we’ve made a historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We’ve dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life.
We’ve made college affordable for nearly 7 million more students, 7 million. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress.
But we know that our schools don’t just need more resources; they need more reform. And that is why…
That is why this budget creates new teachers — new incentives for teacher performance, pathways for advancement, and rewards for success. We’ll invest — we’ll invest in innovative programs that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps. And we will expand our commitment to charter schools.
It is…It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work, but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it.
So tonight I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be a community college or a four-year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.
And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself; it’s quitting on your country. And this country needs and values the talents of every American.
That’s why — that’s why we will support — we will provide the support necessary for all young Americans to complete college and meet a new goal: By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. That is a goal we can meet.
That’s a goal we can meet.
Now — now, I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why, if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education.
And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Sen. Orrin Hatch, as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country, Sen. Edward Kennedy.
These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children, but it is up to us to ensure they walk through them.
In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a parent, for a mother or father who will attend those parent-teacher conferences, or help with homework, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, read to their child.
I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father, when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home. That is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. That’s an American issue.
And there is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children, and that’s the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. That is critical.
I agree, absolutely.
See, I know we can get some consensus in here.
With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that, as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down. That is critical.
Now, I’m proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities.
And yesterday, I — I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs.
As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time, but we have already identified $2 trillion in savings over the next decade.
In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them.
We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq and — and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use.
We will root out — we will root out the waste and fraud and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier. We will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.
In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
Now, let me be clear. Let me be absolutely clear, because I know you’ll end up hearing some of the same claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people. If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, a quarter-million dollars a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime.
In fact — not a dime.
In fact — in fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut — that’s right, a tax cut — for 95 percent of working families. And, by the way, these checks are on the way.
Now, to preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing cost in Medicare and Social Security. Comprehensive health care reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come, and we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.
Finally, because we’re also suffering from a deficit of trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and accountability to our budget. That is why this budget looks ahead 10 years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules and, for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For seven years, we’ve been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price.
Along with our outstanding national security team, I am now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war.
And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism, because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens halfway around the world. We will not allow it.
As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: We honor your service; we are inspired by your sacrifice; and you have our unyielding support.
To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned.
To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend, because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. And that is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists, because living our values doesn’t make us weaker. It makes us safer, and it makes us stronger.
And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture. We can make that commitment here tonight.
In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun, for we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without America.
We cannot shun the negotiating table nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand.
To seek progress towards a secure and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an envoy to sustain our effort. To meet the challenges of the 21st century — from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, from pandemic disease to cyber threats to crushing poverty — we will strengthen old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our national power.
And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 to restore confidence in our financial system, avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and spur demand for American goods in markets across the globe, for the world depends on us having a strong economy, just as our economy depends on the strength of the world’s.
As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us, watching to see what we do with this moment, waiting for us to lead.
Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege, one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans, for in our hands lies the ability to shape our world, for good or for ill.
I know that it’s easy to lose sight of this truth, to become cynical and doubtful, consumed with the petty and the trivial.
But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places, that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of ordinary Americans who are anything but ordinary.
I think of Leonard Abess, a bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, “I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.”
I think about — I think about Greensburg — Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community, how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay.
“The tragedy was terrible,” said one of the men who helped them rebuild. “But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.”
I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina, a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom.
She had been told that her school is hopeless. But the other day after class, she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this chamber. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.
The letter asks us for help and says, “We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself, and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina, but also the world. We are not quitters.”
That’s what she said: “We are not quitters.”
These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that, even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres, a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.
Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us.
I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far.
There are surely times in the future where we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed.
I know that.
That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.
And if we do, if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis, if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity, if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then some day, years from now, our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, “something worthy to be remembered.”
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
We Have A New President!
I haven’t watched Obama’s acceptance speech yet, but I read it. Over 2 million people watched it firsthand in D.C. I don’t know exactly what it felt like to hear, but I know I was impressed. Obama spoke of reality and hard work and sacrifice, not the empty platitudes we are used to hearing. Is hope a platitude? I don’t know. I do know that that was what I felt as I read his words. President Obama, and how sweet it is to write those words, had this to say:
“In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: “Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].“
He never once said: “Yes, we can.” He didn’t have to. He said:
“With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.“
This is a leader. I have often spoke of the despair I felt at the inevitable decline of the ideals of the American United States. Obama recognized this:
“These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.“
Nailed me there. But, he went on:
“The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.“
All of this could be brushed off as empty words, except that President Obama recognizes the struggle ahead and will take action, with us, to make things right.
He also spoke of war, a tattered economy, and of the petty grievances and false promises, recriminations, and worn out dogmas that for far too long have strangled us. And he spoke of doing something about it:
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.“
Obama promises to be a man of action. But actions without goals are meaningless. We cannot abandon the goals of this country, and those goals have much more to do with freedom, democracy, and respect for all humanity, than they have to do with simply nationalistic defense. Many of us picked up the torch of freedom, of fighting for all people, of ending war, and creating the nation that we could be. We have faltered, weary in our pursuit of ideals that were abandoned in our first brush with the violence raging in other parts of the world. President Obama wants to revise that spirit.
“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.“
Yes, these are the things we must do. Can we? I’m beginning to remember what it felt like to believe we, the people, can. 
Man insults Bush with shoes
Iraqi journalist Muntathar al Zaidi said, as he threw the shoes: “This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.” After he was knocked to the ground he continued saying: “Killer of Iraqis, killer of children.”
Afterwards, Bush said, “It didn’t bother me, and if you want the facts it was a size 10 shoe he threw at me.”
President Bush also said authorities shouldn’t overact. He called the incident an interesting form of expression and added that it’s part of the free society emerging in Iraq.
FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty: What’s the appropriate punishment for the man who threw his shoes at President Bush?
Answer on Cafferty’s web page: by Paula from Albuquerque, New Mexico:
He should receive the highest decorations of the sovereign nation of Iraq, and have a statue erected in his honor. A broad and well-traveled boulevard should be named for him, as well as the premier hospital facility in Baghdad. A school or two should bear his name, and his likeness should adorn Iraqi postage stamps. He is a man of courage.
From the NYTimes 12/20/08:
ISTANBUL — When a pair of black leather oxfords hurled at President Bush in Baghdad produced a gasp heard around the world, a Turkish cobbler had a different reaction: They were his shoes.
“We have been producing that specific style, which I personally designed, for 10 years, so I couldn’t have missed it, no way,” said Ramazan Baydan, a shoemaker in Istanbul. “As a shoemaker, you understand.”
Although his assertion has been impossible to verify — cobblers from Lebanon, China and Iraq have also staked claims to what is quickly becoming some of the most famous footwear in the world — orders for Mr. Baydan’s shoes, formerly known as Ducati Model 271 and since renamed “The Bush Shoe,” have poured in from around the world.
A new run of 15,000 pairs, destined for Iraq, went into production on Thursday, he said. A British distributor has asked to become the Baydan Shoe Company’s European sales representative, with a first order of 95,000 pairs, and an American company has placed an order for 18,000 pairs. Four distributors are competing to represent the company in Iraq, where Baydan sold 19,000 pairs of this model for about $40 each last year.
A letter from someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992
This is a REPOST of ‘MY 2 BUCK$’ found here:
http://my2bucks.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/a-letter-from-someone-who-has-known-sarah-palin-since-1992/
Anne is from Wasilla, Alaska.
I found this on the Washington Post comment board and have posted it exactly as I found it.
Amazing Letter From a Local Wasillian Who Knows Sarah Palin Well.
From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate
Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008
A note to all by {the Author}
Dear friends,
So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .
Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.
You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .
[ This was already posted on Washington Independent comments area,
with a controllable hotmail account, and was obviously meant by the
author to be read. ]
Thanks,
Anne
ABOUT SARAH PALIN
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.
She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.
It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.
She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.
She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.
She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.
Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.
Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.
She’s smart.
Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.
These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.
In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.
She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).
As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.
She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.
Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.
When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.
Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.
McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.
There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.
However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.
CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.
Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.
CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.
You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.
August 31, 2008
Articles of Impeachment – A Must Read
see – http://www.democrats.com/files/amomentoftruth.pdf or http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftruth.pdf
Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio
In the United States House of Representatives
Monday, June 9th, 2008
A Resolution
Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq.
Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With
Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of
Aggression.
Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.
Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.
Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.
Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114.
Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.
Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.
Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor
Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes
Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural Resources
Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries
Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency
Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq
Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors
Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives
Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy
Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to “Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture
Article XX
Imprisoning Children
Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government
Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws
Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act
Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment
Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens
Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements
Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply
Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice
Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare
Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency
Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change
Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.
Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001
Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders
____________
See links at the top of this post for details of each article.
IMPEACH NOW! Try for war crimes! Hang when guilt is legally established.
End these god-damned, insane occupations NOW!
Letter from Bill Richardson – his endorsement for President
 |
||
| During the last year, I have shared with you my vision and hopes for this nation as we look to repair the damage of the last seven years. And you have shared your support, your ideas and your encouragement to my campaign. We have been through a lot together and that is why I wanted to tell you that, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a decision to endorse Barack Obama for President.We are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats running for President. My affection and admiration for Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver. It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we will face against John McCain in the fall. The 1990’s were a decade of peace and prosperity because of the competent and enlightened leadership of the Clinton administration, but it is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward. Barack Obama will be a historic and a great President, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.Earlier this week, Senator Barack Obama gave an historic speech. that addressed the issue of race with the eloquence, sincerity, and optimism we have come to expect of him. He inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility. He asked us to rise above our racially divided past, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward the work of many patriots of all races, who struggled and died to bring us together.
As a Hispanic, I was particularly touched by his words. I have been troubled by the demonization of immigrants–specifically Hispanics– by too many in this country. Hate crimes against Hispanics are rising as a direct result and now, in tough economic times, people look for scapegoats and I fear that people will continue to exploit our racial differences–and place blame on others not like them . We all know the real culprit — the disastrous economic policies of the Bush Administration! Senator Obama has started a discussion in this country long overdue and rejects the politics of pitting race against race. He understands clearly that only by bringing people together, only by bridging our differences can we all succeed together as Americans. His words are those of a courageous, thoughtful and inspiring leader, who understands that a house divided against itself cannot stand. And, after nearly eight years of George W. Bush, we desperately need such a leader. To reverse the disastrous policies of the last seven years, rebuild our economy, address the housing and mortgage crisis, bring our troops home from Iraq and restore America’s international standing, we need a President who can bring us together as a nation so we can confront our urgent challenges at home and abroad. During the past year, I got to know Senator Obama as we campaigned against each other for the Presidency, and I felt a kinship with him because we both grew up between worlds, in a sense, living both abroad and here in America. In part because of these experiences, Barack and I share a deep sense of our nation’s special responsibilities in the world. So, once again, thank you for all you have done for me and my campaign. I wanted to make sure you understood my reasons for my endorsement of Senator Obama. I know that you, no matter what your choice, will do so with the best interests of this nation, in your heart. Sincerely, Bill Richardson |
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Explain this, you Republican demogogues and apologists!
Every time someone points out how well things were under Clinton, the brain dead among us have this mantra they like to repeat endlessly: if takes awhile for a President’s policies to have an effect; Clinton benefited from the policies of GHWB. Then, when the disaster that is our economy now is pointed out, it is not GWB’s fault; it is Clinton’s! So how come, after Clinton’s first four years in office, jobs continued to increase, 
unemployment continued to go down,
and, 
the deficit changed to a surplus?
Sure, Congress had a hand in it, but Clinton and Congress worked jointly on problems to fix them then. No, now, year after year, day after day, things get worse. When are these polices suposed to kick in? In 2100? The facts, courtesy of our own governement, show that these have all been lies. (see house.gov for example)
This Congress certainly shares the blame with Bush, but they have all done nothing more than conspire to implement a radical agenda to transform the United States into a vision of a Conservative utopia, and they failed miserably. Their ideas sucked, big time. Aren’t these the same people who told us that imposition of ideas from the top down, against the will of the people, was wrong? These idiots in the Bush administration, and their Congressional lackeys have ruined this country’s economy, our standing in the world, our balance of trade, and put us into debt for the next hundred years, with economic control given to foreign governments who have loaned us the money. These are the acts of traitors to this country, men and women who have sold us out for a vision that they had no idea how to implement, except to bankrupt the government in hopes of eliminating all those crazy social programs. At the same time, they illegally invaded two countries, caused the deaths of thousands of US soldiers and many tens of thousands of people in the countries we currently occupy, and practiced torture, against all treaties the US had signed, and all honorable past military practice. They have practiced corruption on a grand scale, spending the US even further into debt, while their friends and family members benefit from fat, no-bid contracts and oil deals. These were not men and women of vision, but assholes who should be impeached, tried and jailed, for treason, corruption, and murder. It is only fair. Hang them all, I say. Hang them by their toes and skin them alive.
Insight, sort of
You know, the first step in overcoming paranoia is realizing that “they” are not out to get you, at least to my understanding. When you see someone behind you for awhile, is it reasonable to assume they are following you? or is that paranoia? Self-preservation demands that we be vigilant. Sometimes people do follow us. Sometimes they want our wallet or purse. Sure. Be aware of our surroundings; be aware of where we are, what we see, who we see. Self-preservation. Useful. Sometimes people are only going the same way too.
Conspiracy theories. Useful? or not? I don’t think they are useful. There are no vast government conspiracies, no world bank conspiracies, no religious conspiracies, no capitalist or socialist or communist conspiracies, and no plan by a single person or group to control us or the world. Understanding that is key to self-preservation. If we think there is a conspiracy, we might lash out at a religion, an economic theory, a single government, a single country, even a single person, and think we’re right. We might target multiple things. Useless. 
And, we are easily manipulated in such a state.
We might think we can wipe out a government, or at least uncover its machinations, expose it to the world, but that is the error of such thinking: it misdirects us. Vigilance is always key. Awareness of what’s going on around us, where we are, who we are. There are no enemies to defeat, no conspiracies to uncover. We control, we direct, we lead, we follow. We will get what we deserve. We can have whatever we want, anyway we want it. There is no other, no saviour, no enemy. At the root of paranoia is oneself. At the root of all of the problems we have, and sometimes only think we have, is ourselves. We can solve every problem that needs solving, and recognise that some things are not even problems.
But first, we have to discard the idea that “they” are out to get us. “They” is us. We are “them”. The sooner we recognize that, the sooner we simply open our awareness of all that is around us, who we are, what we are, and perhaps, how we are, the easier we will find our world to be. There are cultures on the Earth that have sayings, teachings, proverbs, holy scripts, whatever, that say: “All things come to he who waits,” or something close to that. Why is that? Perhaps it is because the waiter observes, is vigilant, is aware of all around him. Being aware means you can be at the right place at the right time, for example. It is the philosophy of the inside trader. Be there when the stock splits, the company grows, or be there just before the company folds. Inside traders are driven by greed, however, not self preservation. They actually wish to take advantage of their awareness of unfolding events in order to have an advantage over other people, for the sole propose of enriching themselves monetarily. That’s just greed.
We can, however, take that as a sort of philosophy. Be aware of things that are happening, things unfolding, things unraveling in the world. Be aware of who we are, who we are becoming. How do we think? What is it we think about? Why? What do we want? Why? What do we want? Why?
We might just survive, if we can couple our basic human curiosity with awareness, not fear, not judgement, not power over others. Who are we all? What do we want? What is happening? Where? Why? Are there patterns? Are there vortexes of activity or inactivity? Where? Why? How?
What is being created? What is being destroyed? What is simply changing? What is growing? What is dying? Why? Where? How?
Somehow, I think we can survive if we do not feel fear. If we feel wonder at our understandings, if we feel wonder at all that occurs, and try to understand it all, even one thing at a time, I think we will like the world that results. Conspiracy be damned. It is us, always was and will be.
Hillary Committed?
During the 2000 and 2004 Presidential campaigns, Democrats expressed outrage that no one was allowed to attent rallies or other events given by the Bush campaign unless they signed a pledge to vote for Bush. I too felt this was wrong. If a candidate comes to town, everyone should be allowed in. Not doing so seemed very undemocratic, and made it seem that crowds everywhere supported Bush, without question or opposition.
However, as wrong as that seems, I was similarly taken aback when I was handed this, in order to attend a rally where Bill Clinton was the headline speaker in support of Hillary:
We were handed these and told to fill them out so that we could get into our own gym at the University where I work. We were told that it was our entry ticket. Now, I fail to see the difference between this and the pledges people had to make to attend Bush rallies and speeches. Of course, there is nothing preventing someone from signing and not being a supporter, but it feels very dishonest to do so. Does this mean that both parties are simply amoral? that all their rhetoric is simply partisan politics? Seems like it to me.
George Bush’s Resumé, err, indictment charges
Accomplishments As President:
“· I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
· I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.
· I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.
· I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
· In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues.
· I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States Government
· I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack on, and the military occupation of, a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. Citizens and the world community.
· I have cut health care benefits for war veterans, and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.
· I’ve broken more international treaties than any President in U.S history.
· I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
· I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
Records And References:
· All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father’s library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
· All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed and unavailable for public view.
· All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed and unavailable for public review. I specified that my sealed documents will not be available for 50 years.”
The real reason we invaded Iraq
Corporate Profits, Iraq War, and George Bush
Posted by pennyronning on February 3, 2008
Guest author, retired MAD Magazine editor, Al Feldstein writes:
Nearly 4000 innocent American G.I.’s have died… over 29,000 American G.I.’s have been wounded and maimed… and over a million Iraqis have been slaughtered, wounded or maimed in the Bush Administration/PNAC/NeoilCon’s “War In Iraq”…which was started in order to stop Saddam Hussein, with the help of the French, the Germans, the Russians and the Chinese, from extracting Iraq’s oil and marketing it outside of the control of OPEC and America’s “Big Oil” Companies.
Here are this Quarter’s results:
Exxon shatters profit records: Oil giant makes corporate history by booking $11.7 billion in quarterly profit; earns $1,300 a second in 2007.
http://snipurl.com/1ys6vChevron 4th-Quarter Profit Rises on Record Oil Prices : Fourth-quarter revenue climbed 29 percent to $61.4 billion, Chevron said. Price gains more than made up for a 1.6 percent decline in oil and natural-gas production.
http://snipurl.com/1ys6yShell Rakes in $8.5 Billion in Three Months: Royal Dutch Shell, the world’s second-largest publicly traded oil company, today reported net income up 60 percent last quarter to a record $8.47 billion
http://snipurl.com/1ys70
In contrast…When America was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor in 1941…and the U.S. declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy… President Roosevelt announced that no one was going to make any money out of that war!
He asked the Congress to pass two bills to fund that war: the “Corporate Excess Profits Tax” (which set 1940 as a benchmark and taxed all Corporate profits above that amount at hugely increasing tax rates…and the “Individual Progressive Income Tax” (which taxed individual incomes progressively over a base amount…increasing up to 95%.
There were no obscene Corporate Profits like those above… and no Corporate executives… no movie stars or sports figures keeping a major portion of their multi-million dollar salaries… as they do today.
Every Corporation and every Individual contributed to the funding of America’s participation in World War II.
Not like today.
Today…our Treasury has been ransacked…our National Debt has rocketed sky high…and the ordinary citizen is paying for this “Iraq War” and the War on Terrorism… while America’s millionaires and America’s Big Corporations are raking it in, enjoying their low taxes and stuffing their pockets.
How are you doing financially? Are you
?
Incidentally, gasoline was about $1.00 a gallon in 2000…shortly before Bush entered office.
MAD-ly yours,
Al Feldstein
Letter from Governor Richardson to supporters 1/22/08
“These last couple of weeks have been blessedly peaceful.
After living inside the tornado of a presidential campaign for 11 months, it has been so good to get back to New Mexico and the business of running this wonderful state I call home.
I’ve had a lot of calls from the media asking me which of the remaining Democratic candidates I’m going to endorse. And I thought you should be the first to hear my answer.
I’m not endorsing any of them — at least not for now.
But I am endorsing the issues and priorities that were first raised by my campaign and which are now an accepted part of the discussion.
Watching the candidates debate in South Carolina last night, I couldn’t help but be struck by how much their positions have come around to the positions that you and I hold dear.
It is now clear that ending this war and bringing our troops home will be a priority for any Democratic President. As will energy independence and universal health care — issues we led the way on here in New Mexico.
And now all of them are talking about improving education and providing scholarships for public service.
It was like I was still in the debate!
So while we may not have been successful in electing me the Democratic candidate for President, we were very successful in influencing the Democratic platform in important ways.
I’m proud of that accomplishment. And you should be, too.“
Romney in 1967, Vietnam, Peace, McCarthy and LBJ.
While I was in high school, trying to prepare for my future job, and trying to figure women out, there were so many other things going on. Those were very interesting times. According to Wikipedia: May you live in interesting times is reputed to be the English translation of an ancient Chinese proverb and curse. It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being: May you come to the attention of those in authority, and May you find what you are looking for.
I’ve certainly experienced the first two, but I don’t know that I’m looking for anything anymore.
I read everything I could while growing up. I spent a good part of every summer taking books out of the library, and I’m one of those weird kids that actually like having assigned books to read. I used to read cereal boxes if I was eating breakfast; I read packages while shopping; I read comics and novels and newspapers. In high school I read a lot about the war going on in Vietnam. 
I was very impressionable, and gathered at the time that the U.S. was helping to fight Communism spreading through the world by fighting the North Vietnamese. It seemed from what I read that Communism was pretty evil, and that the North Vietnamese were puppets of the Soviet Union, which was trying to take over the world the way that Hitler had. As things went on and on, I heard that a lot of U.S. soldiers were getting killed. Then we began seeing scenes of war on the nightly TV news as well. From my perspective, and from what I was reading, it seemed the U.S. needed to end that war, and it was very difficult to win by conventional methods. I decided, and I had read something along those lines somewhere, that we, the United States, should just drop a nuclear bomb on them and get it all over with. It made sense to me. Why keep wasting our soldiers on a war that seemed to never end?
I don’t know what made me change my mind. There was very little in the newspapers about opposition to the war for the sake of peace. From everything I’d been taught, the United States was the greatest defender of freedom and democracy on the planet, and had helped in large part to end both World Wars and to protect South Korea from being taken over by Communists. It was hard to imagine that we might be doing the wrong thing. I remember two things that upset my worldview. One was hearing about a Republican candidate for President who was against continuing the war. His name was George W. Romney. Not George W. Bush 
– that would be over 30 years later. And not 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney 
either – George W. Romney was his father! Anyway, George W., the Romney, not the Bush, said that he didn’t believe it was necessary to be involved in Vietnam to stop Communism. He called for peace in Vietnam. That made sense to me. I began following anything written about him, hoping he would be the next President, but he suddenly dropped out of the race.
About this time, two Catholic Jesuit priests staged a protest against the war and the killings, but most especially the drafting of all of the young guys graduating from high school. They did so by pouring blood on draft files that they had taken out of an induction center. This was big news to me! Having been brought up very strictly, and having been an altar boy as well, I had always looked up to priests. That a priest would do something like that to make a statement! I was amazed. Then after being released, they did it again, this time creating homemade napalm out of Ivory Snow and gasoline, and pouring that on draft files right near me, in Catonsville, Maryland.
That was it for me. My opposition to the war was clear and never shaken again. I knew it was wrong, and I knew that going to fight there was a lost cause, and a waste of one’s life. I wasn’t going to go. Another candidate for President suddenly emerged. 
This time it was a Democrat, Eugene McCarthy, and he was strongly against continuing the war. He was an intellectual, a writer, and a teacher. He challenged LBJ, something no one else in the Democratic party, including Robert Kennedy, would do. That was the kind of person I could admire over all else. Later, after McCarthy did extremely well in the New Hampshire primary, LBJ was seen as vulnerable, and Robert Kennedy announced he would also run against Johnson. 
LBJ then announced he was not going to seek the nomination to run again. Hubert Humphrey announced that he would run. Following that, McCarthy won in Wisconsin and Oregon. Kennedy was trailing, having gotten a late start. Most young people were not interested in Humphrey, who was not coming off as being strongly opposed to the war. I was not impressed by Kennedy. 
Kennedy, however, won the important California primary. It could have become a very interesting contest, between McCarthy, seen as courageous for taking on Johnson, and Kennedy, with his youth and Kennedy sheen. However, Robert Kennedy was assassinated moments after his victory speech.
Letter to the New York Times regarding its limiting of our choices for a president
To the Editor, Magazine, NYT: 01-14-08
I agree with Noah Feldman, in Vanishing Act (1.13.08 – The Way We Live Now): Iraq has dropped off most political radar screens, however, it is not because the candidates don’t discuss it, but because the news media from which we base our opinions are focusing almost entirely on three Democratic candidates and only certain Republicans. To wit: “At this point, none of the candidates have given detailed, substantive answers to the looming, decisive questions about Iraq that will face the next president the moment he or she takes office.” Elsewhere he discusses the positions of “plausible front runners”, the “absence of disagreement” and yet also offers the possibly opposing answers of two of the candidates on returning troops to Iraq.
There is disagreement among the candidates on what to do in Iraq. Ron Paul wants us out now, Mike Gravel wants us out now, Dennis Kucinich never wanted us to go in, and my favorite candidate, Bill Richardson, actually has said he will bring all the troops home within a year, including those from those permanent military bases the US has been establishing. He wants to begin working on a multinational reconstruction of Iraq. He does not say this lightly, as he has solid diplomatic credentials, is a skilled negotiator and is respected world wide.
This is the essence of the problem: it is the focus of the media, including writers like Feldman, who focus all of our attention on just a few candidates that gets us into a situation where there is “an unacknowledged consensus between the two parties on the most important question of foreign policy facing the United States.” That consensus is only among the candidates with the most money.
The newspapers of this country used to help shape opinion in times like this, creating furor over policy decisions and actually forcing their favorite candidates into the limelight. It seems now that only the most newsworthy candidates get any attention. Debates often exclude people like Kucinich especially, and even when other candidates are included they are not asked any questions. I think our media has become far too cowardly in promoting issues or candidates, waiting to see who is most likely to win, while at the same time restricting the discussion to a few candidates whose positions would not likely reflect badly on the media outlet itself.
Yes to Noah’s assertion that “The presidential election is our one chance (as citizens) to put these issues to a democratic test.” However, by focusing only on certain candidates before any votes had even been cast, by speaking of the top candidates, or the front runners, or the major candidates, we are left with little insight into the major sources of differing opinion among many of the other candidates.
If a little more attention had been paid to Gravel, Kucinich, Paul or Richardson, and the news media had exposed their ideas for getting us out of this messy occupation of Iraq, we might have had a better chance to put these issues to the test.
No I don’t think we will get the foreign “policy we deserve”; I think we will get the only foreign policy that our news sources have allowed the majority of citizens to ponder at all.
And that is the policy that is solely determined among those who can raise the most money.
Richardson bows out
I was surprised. He had repeatedly said he was in this race for the long haul, and regardless of what happened in Iowa and New Hampshire, we all thought we still had a lot of work to do for ‘Super Tuesday” when 21 states would have primaries. That would have been the best indicator of how Richardson was doing, and we would have had a chance to show what support he has in New Mexico too. Out of money is what he said was the main reason. He was getting his message out: start bringing ALL the troops home now, including the ones in the “permanent” bases that the US has been setting up, and do it within a year. None of the top-ranked Democrats were saying anything like that, which is why I threw my support to Richardson so early on. I hear that Obama and Edwards are now willing to claim they will bring the troops home in 18 months, but all Hillary Clinton will say is that she’ll start to bring them home right away, but she won’t commit to bringing them home in any time frame, or even before 2013! Unacceptable. She doesn’t even mention closing the military bases, which Richardson pointed out is a prerequisite for peace. He has the negotiating skills, the experience, and a plan for stabilizing the region, and bringing it closer to peace. Clinton does not. She is still trying to look like a fierce warrior, ready to battle the terrorists as long as it takes, just like Bush. They both have their heads up their asses.
Here is the letter that Governor Richardson sent to his supporters:
“It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for President of the United States. It was my hope that all of you would first hear this news from me and not a news organization. But unfortunately, as with too many things in our world today, it’s the ending of something that garners the most intense interest and speculation.
I knew from the beginning that this would be an uphill climb. When I entered the campaign, it was clear that we, as Democrats, had the most talented field of candidates in my lifetime running to change the direction of our country. And in the end, one of them will.
Despite overwhelming financial and political odds, I am proud of the campaign we waged and the influence we had on the issues that matter most to the future of this country.
A year ago, we were the only major campaign calling for the removal of all of our troops within a year’s time from Iraq. We were the only campaign calling for a complete reform of education in this country, including the scrapping of No Child Left Behind. And we were the campaign with the most aggressive clean energy plan and the most ambitious standards for reducing global warming.
Now, all of the remaining candidates are coming to our point of view. I am confident that the next President of the United States will implement much of what we’ve been urging for the last twelve months, and our nation and world will be the better for it.
There are so many of you who gave so much to this campaign. For that, I will be forever grateful. Running for president has been, at times, humbling and at other times, exhilarating. I have grown and learned a great deal from the experience, and I am a better person for it.
Also, because of your close friendship and support throughout the ups and downs of what is a very grueling and demanding process, I have never felt alone.
Running for president brings out the best in everyone who graces the stage, and I have learned much from the other candidates running. They have all brought great talents and abilities to the campaign.
Senator Biden’s passion and intellect are remarkable.
Senator Dodd is the epitome of selfless dedication to public service and the Democratic Party.
Senator Edwards is a singular voice for the most downtrodden and forgotten among us.
Senator Obama is a bright light of hope and optimism at a time of great national unease, yet he is also grounded in thoughtful wisdom beyond his years.
Senator Clinton’s poise in the face of adversity is matched only by her lifetime of achievement and deep understanding of the challenges we face.
Representative Kucinich is a man of great decency and dedication who will faithfully soldier on no matter how great the odds.
And all of us in the Democratic Party owe Senator Mike Gravel our appreciation for his leadership during the national turmoil of Vietnam.
I am honored to have shared the stage with each of these Democrats. And I am enormously grateful to all of my supporters who chose to stand with me despite so many other candidates of accomplishment and potential.
Now that my time in this national campaign has come to an end, I would urge those who supported my candidacy to take a long and thoughtful look at the remaining Democrats. They are all strong contenders who each, in their own way, would bring desperately needed change to our country. All I ask is that you make your own independent choice with the same care and dedication to this country that you honored me with during this campaign. At this time, I will not endorse any candidate.
Now I am returning to a job that I love, serving a state that I cherish and doing the work of the people I was elected to serve. As I have always said, I am the luckiest man I know. I am married to my high school sweetheart. I live in a place called the Land of Enchantment. I have the best job in the world. And I just got to run for president of the United States.
It doesn’t get any better than that.
With my deepest appreciation for all that you have done,
”
Home Again; I’m finally home!
What a trip this was! Finally got back into Albuquerque at 4 am this morning. It’s one hell of a drive from Northeast Iowa, and I probably won’t do that again. We left Waterloo, Iowa about 6:30 am yesterday.
I added my personal view of the the Iowa caucuses to my Jan. 3 entry below, along with my analysis of the results.
Photos are from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. (http://www.wcfcourier.com):
Notice the piles of sandwiches in the 4th photo. All three of the biggest vote-getters provided food for all of the caucus locations. Richardson’s campaign did not have that kind of money. Money talks.
Here’s a card I was given by the staff at Richardson headquarters in Waterloo:
It was a privilege to work with such hardworking and dedicated people. They kept me busy too. Thanks to Katherine, Taylor, Justin, Mansoor, Maggie, Kyrstan, and Taft for enriching my experience!
It’s Caucus Day!
2,798 volunteers going strong!
There are 1,250 precinct captains in place and more than 21,000 caucus-goers have pledged to attend their caucuses on the Governor’s behalf.
Still putting out door hangers last night. Finished two more Cedar Falls precincts, and tried to do another, but it was already dark, besides being cold. It just gets too hard to see the numbers. We quit for the night, but the people at Richardson headquarters stayed at it all night to make sure Waterloo was covered. They got most of it! They even went to a private island in the Cedar River. A couple precincts were left by morning. One team, including a Roadrunner, got stuck in the snow and had to call AAA. It was 3 am before they got home! We headed out this morning again, with help from our home-stay host. The sun is out, but unlike New Mexico, it doesn’t seem to warm things up much. We’ll break for lunch before going out again. It’s hard to believe we can accomplish much at this point, but we keep going! Based on the polls, it looks like the outcome could be Obama, Edwards, Clinton, and Richardson. 
It would be great to have Richardson break into the top three, especially since that’s all that most people hear about. We all want to see Clinton knocked out of the race. Why vote for someone who has the same plan to bring the troops home as George W. Bush? At least Edwards and Obama have plans now to bring the troops home soon. If Hillary gets the Democratic nomination, I’m going to have to hope that someone like Ron Paul gets the Republican nomination so I have someone to vote for. She’s not so bad on some issues, but she won’t admit doing anything wrong in voting to give Bush unlimited powers, and then continuing to fund the war in Iraq, and voting for more Patriot Act shit. I’m so disappointed in our elected officials in DC. The elected Democrats seem like such cowards. We need a new Congress more than we need a new President. Edwards, and Clinton have lousy records on voting for war, war funding, and against basic civil liberties for U.S. citizens.
Ran some more door hangers around this morning. Had a great lunch with staff and volunteers here at Richardson headquarters in Waterloo. We’re still calling people to make sure they know where their caucus is tonight. A few people hung up, several were glad to have the information. One woman said she and her husband were so sick of phone calls from all the candidates that they are soured on the whole caucus now, and may not go! She did let me give her the location.
The caucus I attended was fascinating. First of all, twice as many people showed up as expected, statewide, and the precinct I helped with was no exception. There were four precincts set up to caucus in one large room at an elementary school, but they had to take two precincts out to make room. I went up with ‘my’ precinct to a classroom, which was immediately full, with people lined up down the hall waiting to sign in still! Then, caucus attendees were split up again, with half of the group going to another classroom, all of them Obama supporters. Again, it wasn’t enough. Richardson, Dodd, Biden and undecideds had to caucus in the hallway. Then the fun began. Immediately, supporters of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards began asking the smaller groups to join them. In Iowa, the caucus chair decides how many people are needed in support of a particular candidate in order for that candidate to be considered viable, in terms of the minimum number of attendees needed to elect delegates to the county convention. It was determined that that number was 23. We had 5 Richardson people, 1 Dodd person (the caucus chair), and no Biden or Kucinich people. Even with the undecideds added in we didn’t have 23 people! None of us were viable, and our lack of numbers prevented us from bargaining with other preference groups for more people. There is a kind of horse trading that goes on, with preference groups trading people in order to be viable, or to help another group be viable in order to hurt another candidate. It’s like nothing I had ever seen. One of the Richardson people went with the Obama people, after being promised he’d be a delegate to the county convention. I lost track of the others, and one Richardson supporter said she would never support or vote for Obama, even if he is the Party nominee. I don’t know where she ended up. Once all that was over, people were counted to verify viability, and number of delegates for the convention determined. At that point, the Roadrunners from New Mexico left for L’J’s Bar & Grill to watch the numbers come in. 
It was great to see CNN’s pie chart, showing the top three, who dominated everything, but also a section of the pie for Richardson!
Final analysis? The people of Iowa did good! Doubling the number of people caucusing is impressive. Much of that could be attributed to massive spending by the top three candidates, including paid staff, newspaper, radio and TV ads, phone calls, and door-to-door work. Obama left cookies on peoples doors! What of all the work by Richardson volunteers, and the ubiquitous Roadrunners? We won too. Previous to Richardson’s message getting out, none of the top three would commit to getting our troops home, even before 2013! Unbelievable! Now, both Obama and Edwards say they will have the troops home between a year and 18 months. Victory! Of course, we still believe Richardson is the best qualified for the job of President, and for actually getting out troops home. His plans involves working with other nations to help Iraq rebuild, not abandoning them to to the wolves. I believe he can do it. And Iowa? It was a straw poll vote. They still have to hold their convention. Richardson is now part of a group of the top four, and will be part of the debate from now on. No longer is it just three. Edwards did well in Iowa because he still had a residual campaign in Iowa from four years ago. His strength in New Hampshire is not as good. Richardson could still do well there. It’s not over yet. 
Happy New Year from Iowa!
Drove to Des Moines last night after knocking on doors all day. It was about 21 F all day, but without the wind. The temperature dropped to 7 F after dark, with a wind chill of -8 F. Big party in Des Moines, and Governor Richardson spoke to us, offering a long toast, concluding with, “to victory!” The enthusiastic crowd yelled back, “Victory!” We stayed the night, and watched the Governor speak on TV this morning. Colder this morning, at -15 F to -20 F with the wind chill. Roads were often covered with blowing snow, rippling across the highway like water. Normal weather here. No fog today (it’s far too cold!), but the blowing snow sometimes got whipped up into the air, making the horizon disappear. Stopped for gas in the middle of the plains on the way back, and the wind had a bitter, deathlike chill to it as I pumped gas. Talked to a cashier who said she doesn’t have cable so she hasn’t been following things – gave her a Richardson leaflet. Another Hillary worker there, and the two women had been talking about how you cannot make a decision based solely on a candidate’s sex. I agreed, saying that the reason I wouldn’t vote for Hillary is because her position on the war is the same as Bush’s. Drove back to Waterloo, and everyone is very busy here. People are getting packets ready for more precinct captains, and putting out door hangers. Some people are phone calling, but people are hanging up. I think it’s a bit early for New Year’s Day. Be going out into the cold later. It’s still pretty damn cold, but the sun is shining! It hasn’t done that much around here.
This is the official weather today: Low zero to 5 below. Northwest wind 10 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Wind chill readings 15 to 20 below.
Went out on the street today, putting out door hangers with caucus locations, which also happen to say that if you want to end this war, and restore our democracy, our economy and health care system, then Bill Richardson is the guy to caucus for. We spent a lot of time getting the drops ready, so it was afternoon by the time we hit it. We stayed out way after dark. We tried to finish a precinct, but the house numbers got hard to see, and not only were the mailboxes not always numbered, but it wasn’t clear which houses they were for. (Our list was specifically targeted.) Man! it was cold. The wind picked up more and more the later it got. It got so bitterly, biting cold 
that my coat wasn’t any good unless it was completely buttoned up tight. My cap was pulled down tight, and I had to wear gloves. There is weather worse than this, but not that I’m used to. It’s hard to imagine living here. My hat is off (for microsecond) to the hardy Iowans who take this weather in stride. Give me that New Mexico sunshine!
We were hoping to sleep in tomorrow, but there is a conference call for everyone involved in the campaign at 8:30am.
Busy Roadrunners
Dec. 30, 2007
Our van died yesterday, and the rental place drove another up from Kansas City. Unfortunately, the rental place sent us a minivan, 
but we’d never be able to take 6 people and their luggage, so they sent another full-sized one up, and we stayed up ’till 11pm waiting for it. Had the van back today when we hit the road. 
It’s Sunday, so we didn’t go into the office until 12. Headed out for Cedar Falls again, and continued canvassing. We were prepared for the cold today. Felt much warmer today at 28 F without the wind. talked to many more people, mostly some who wouldn’t say who they would vote for, and Edwards and Obama people. We find Richardson people and they are incredibly enthusiastic about him. A week ago, 40% of voters here were still undecided, so we’re all very optimistic. A couple today spoke of their admiration for Richardson’s platform, and his integrity, and spend a lot of time talking with us. Like a few others today and yesterday, they are going into these caucuses to support Richardson and try to sway others to look at his record and platform.
We went back to headquarters for pizza, and then drove an hour and 20 minutes to West Union to the office there, to deliver door hangers – they needed them right away, so we dropped ‘em off, and stayed a bit to add stickers with the caucus site on about 150 of ‘em. Then we drove back. I am so tired.
We have lots more work to do. Tomorrow we’re due back in the headquarters by 9:45. I don’t know how long we will work, as there will be a party with Governor Richardson in Des Moines – another long drive – tomorrow night. Happy New Year!
It does snow in Iowa
Got some sleep last night, so we’re ready to stump for Richardson today. No phone calls in the morning, so we’re going out on the street today. IT’S SNOWING. We’re not used to driving on snow in Albuquerque, but I’m getting into it. Packed snow on the side streets last night, but it’s coming down steadily now. I’m going to put on my heavy coat and the boots I brought. Good thing I oiled ‘em up for this. You’ve got to be really dedicated or nutty to do this, but here we are, and we’re ready. More later. 
Before we go out today, I’m labeling and stuffing information packets for all the caucuses. Some people are phone banking, typing in addresses, and shoveling snow! It’s still snowing, and we need to get out of this office to go door to door! We ordered lunch in. A local NBC TV station came by and interviewed Don, a volunteer from Santa Fe. People are curious why so many of us are here. We’re here because we know this guy, we believe in him, and he is really qualified to do the job. It’s about time we had a statesman President. 
We slogged through snow in Waterloo today. Talked to people in one precinct who were undecided or hadn’t been contacted yet. Met a lot of Edwards and a few Obama supporters. People are incredibly friendly and willing to talk. Many people have Richardson as their 2nd choice. The caucus system here depends a lot on the viability of candidates, something that can change during the caucusing. People can actually help their favorite candidate by voting for another candidate at certain points in the process. I’m still learning how it all works, but people sometimes end up voting for their 2nd choice, so it’s important for us to know. Met some people, accidentally, who are supporting Richardson, and that was nice – we told them we’d driven out from New Mexico. That surprised a lot of people. After campaign work was over, we dropped Chuck off at his hotel, and went for dinner at Diamond Dave’s in Cedar Falls. Me, Ester, and Don are staying with the Zeitzes in Cedar Falls. Very nice people. Their son works for the Richardson campaign elsewhere in Iowa.
It never seems to stop snowing around here, but the streets are much clearer now that they were yesterday or this morning. Driving is still interesting. 
We made it to Iowa!
We hit the road at 10:30am with 10 vans full of people, water, snacks, notes on Iowa caucuses, and everything else we might need on the road or in Iowa. It was a cold morning, but we were well bundled for a cold, possibly snowy 8 days in Iowa. The trip was well planned, with printed directions, planned stops, and lists of phone numbers. We all agreed to try to stay in sight of at least one other van, but that didn’t happen. I started out driving #5 van for Waterloo. We hit snowpack on the road by Clines Corners. We passed a few cars that had spun off the road, and one overturned semi. We didn’t see another van for a long time. I drove to Oklahoma City and Chuck took over then. We drove through the night, on to Kansas City, and then on to Des Moines. We hit some fog and there was ice on the road in the other lane, but we were going to get to Des Moines by morning. I tried to nap, but never got any real sleep. I finished up the last 70 miles or so. We became part of about 375 New Mexicans in Iowa for these caucuses! 
Pretty cool!
We picked up two people there in Des Moines and headed off immediately for Waterloo, another two hours away!
After a great lunch at Pepper’s we went back to headquarters and got a thorough briefing in Iowa politics. It was getting hard to focus. At one point I was taking notes, fell into a dream about taking notes, and nodded off, jerking my head up quick! We finally decided that 26 hours of driving was just a bit too much. I’m still having trouble focusing after a nap. People are squared away in home-stays or hotels, and we’ve a lot of work to do tomorrow – phone calls, canvassing, entering data.
Saw a few Ron Paul signs along the way, and some Huckabee signs too. Iowa is an interesting state! We told a waitress along the way who we were, and why we going to Iowa, but she had never heard of Richardson, so we have a lot of work to do. We all want this war to be over soon. We want our troops home, and we want then all home now, not in five or ten years! Now, damn it. Richardson is the one Democrat saying that, so we must support him. He’s a good man. We fight the good fight here. 
More later; my brain is reeling, and my head is heavy.
IOWA! Statesmanship! Leadership. Courage.
Wierd. I never thought about going to Iowa, although I once hitchhiked/walked across Ohio with a guy from there. I’ve signed on to the Richardson for President campaign. 
He’s a Democrat, but I’ve decided not to hold it against him for now. The thing that impressed me the most about him was that he not only called for bringing all the troops home now, but for closing the military bases in Iraq. The main reason the U.S. went in there was to establish those bases, and we couldn’t do it under Saddam Hussein. He had to go before we could go in there. I always find it sadly funny that this Bush administration declares that we went in to overthrow a dictator who was imprisoning, torturing, and killing his own people, but our invasion has not only resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands (no exaggeration) of Iraqis – more than Saddam is supposed to have killed – but the US has condoned, supported and encouraged torture! We have also imprisoned Iraqis picked up off the streets of their own country, with any proof that they were terrorists. We have not shown ourselves to be any better that the regime the Iraqis had before we went in.
Well, Richardson had nothing to gain by taking such an extreme position. Most candidates, and the candy-assed Democrats in Congress are saying we can’t get out yet, and are even saying troops may have to stay in Iraq for years more! Richardson did not take the half-assed, middle-of-the-road position, but said we should get out now. Not later. Now. Get all the troops home as soon as it is possible to pull them out, load them on transports and get them back here. I believe we are not accomplishing anything there. When we leave it will be bad. It is bad now. It is not going to get any better, no matter how long we stay there, and, in fact, all signs point to things getting worse! I believe Governor Richardson is showing real leadership on this issue. He is the only statesman in the race!
We’ve got ten (10) vans leaving Albuquerque tomorrow morning for Des Moines. I will end up in Waterloo. 
As we travel, if I can, I will provide updates here. Whenever I get to a computer in Iowa, I will post. Stay tuned!
Impeach Cheney
Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer made a motion to table (kill) the Cheney impeachment resolution H.R. 333 introduced by Rep. Kucinich, D.OH. Despite this, and because of the support of Republicans and the anti-war caucus, Hoyer’s motion to kill H.R. 333 failed. Hoyer then made a motion to refer H.R. 333 to the House Judiciary Committee. This motion passed, which meant that there would be no open floor debate on the merits of the resolution.
Why impeach Cheney?
1. Cheney “has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq …”
2. Cheney “purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in order to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq …”
3. Cheney “has openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran absent any real threat to the United States, and done so with the United States proven capability to carry out such threats …” 
This is about the Constitution. This is about the rule of law.
I think that many people are not happy that they put the Democratic Party in power in 2006 only to see the party lose their spine in opposition to the Bush administration.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was quoted as saying, “Impeachment is off the table.” It is also known that House Judiciary Committee Chairman, John Conyers, told anti-war activists that winning the 2008 election was more important than dividing the Democratic party over the issue of impeachment or the Iraq occupation.
Personally, I think if the Democratic Party is THAT divided on the war and impeachment, I don’t care if they win or not.
Impeach the bastards
Ask Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney for any one of the following reasons:
1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal “War of Aggression” against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization, and subjecting our military personnel to unnecessary harm, debilitating injuries, and deaths.
2. Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the torture of thousands of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths, and keeping prisoners hidden from the International Committee of the Red Cross.
3. Violating the Constitution by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel.
4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm.
5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of Americans without a warrant.
6. Violating the Constitution by using “signing statements” to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress.
7. Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.
8. Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, selectively and misleadingly leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative working on sensitive WMD proliferation for political retribution.
9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a “Unitary Executive Theory” giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
10. Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent warnings of an al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing air pollution causing global warming. 
The “War” Is Over
Most of the fools running for President, as well as most of Congress, are ready to hide behind the fallacy that we are somehow at war in Iraq. We invaded Iraq, overthrew its leader, disbanded its military forces, and are now occupying that country. 
Rarely is this acknowledged. It is no longer a war, it is an occupation, and it is time to leave. The middle ground, proposed by most politicians, is that we need to set a timetable and implement a prudent exit strategy. There is no exit strategy for an occupying force except withdrawal, and the sooner that is done, the better. Just as Lord Mountbatten ended Britain’s long occupation of India and created Pakistan in the process, just as India was then consumed in religious violence, and just as utterly disastrous, but ultimately necessary, as that withdrawal was for India, so too will our withdrawal from Iraq be. It can not be avoided. We keep hearing how well things are going. Things were said to be going well years ago, and our exit was imminent. We keep hearing how close we are to a so-called victory, or an exit, whichever comes first, but the timetable will forever will moving. There is only one exit strategy left: get the hell out now and bring all the troops home immediately – all the troops, no bases left behind. 
Our current strategy of trying to establish long-term military bases in Iraq is going to perpetuate the violence. We must stop being so wishy washy. It’s time for us all to acknowledge that this is an occupation, and we need to end it now, not at some vague time in the future when we think it will be best for the U.S. It’s time for the U.S. to abandon it’s imperialistic interference in Iraq, just as England abandoned its empire in India. The results will not be pretty, but it is, after all, up to the Iraqis to decide how best to fix the problem, even though we bear so much guilt for the chaos now and in the future.
ONE OF OUR TANKS IS MISSING DID YOU KNOW?
ONE OF OUR TANKS IS MISSING DID YOU KNOW?
missiles flew, blood spewed
soldiers died
and those others
the children in their wombs
of wood and concrete
with mothers and fathers
they died bleeding at home
in hospitals, on streets
on the thirsty desert sand
others died too
no blood was spilled
four brave soldiers in a steel box
Abrams battle tanks
drivers on their backs
infrared TV screens
steel elephants nose to tail
elephants don’t belong in a desert
darkness, sand, an unfamiliar bridge
four marines on their way to spill blood
- maybe even their own -
slipped, skidded into watery hell
upside down, turret in the mud
no escape
no one noticed
the air ran out
slowly
a weapon useless
a weapon lifeless
damp and dark
120-mm is cold
it never fired shots
heavy uranium shells
never spit hot metal
into flesh
four brave men
heroes
posthumous medals
flag-draped coffins
grieving families
four men are heroes
they will never kill
Malaise
A feeling of dread, or doom, or just a malaise haunts me. There’s that feeling you get when you contemplate suicide that nothing matters, and it’s a little like that. I’m fairly certain I know what a person who commits suicide feels like. I used to say I didn’t understand suicide, because it didn’t make sense. Why not, instead, go climb a dangerous mountain? swim the English channel? parachute jump? Hell, if you want to die, why not do something really silly, or dangerous, or antisocial? Why not do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily do? Always thinking of efficiency I guess. I wouldn’t want people to waste a death. (Hmm, I think the insanity is creeping in). Actually, I have felt that depression that precedes suicide. It’s a feeling of extreme ennui. Sometimes there is also pain, and you want the pain to go away. Some people, of course, commit suicide with no intention of dying; it’s just to make a statement and hope someone notices. Some people commit suicide to make someone else feel bad. Actually, I have been brought back from the brink of suicide several times when I begin thinking; I have thoughts of those who would be saddened by it. The idea that there are people who care whether I live or die is enough to bring me out. So, perhaps my brain can prevent me from offing myself by making me think. As I said, I know what makes people kill themselves. It’s a loss of interest in anything. Why continue when nothing makes you happy?
when nothing gives you any pleasure? This feeling contradicts rational thought, suppresses it. It’s hard to think when you don’t care to think, when your thoughts are what brought you to this place in the first place. Ennui – is that the modern state of mind? Seems common. People say you should have something to believe in, but sometimes you lose interest in believing in anything. It’s all bullshit. It’s funny to think of those people who kill themselves, thinking that world will notice, will care, will mourn their loss. The world goes on, people continue to live and procreate and die. Humanity continues. Individuals die, and it doesn’t matter. When whole cultures die, or nations disappear, that is tragic. Some of us have such egocentric views of the world, of life itself, as though our own personal life is of great importance. Actually it is of importance to those we help feel important. Without a social net, there is no one to care. You have to touch someone. I remember when Scott jumped off the Golden Gate bridge. He left a note, saying something like, “He couldn’t make anyone happy anymore.” That was his life: playing guitar and singing for kids in hospitals, giving massages, teaching mediation, reflection, calmness. And, yet, he couldn’t banish his own demons. He had been brought up to be an engineer, a recognized successful professional. All his schooling meant nothing to him. That was his parents’ dream, not his. He wanted to be happy, and he did that by making other people happy. Faced with a common bout of depression, I imagine he couldn’t handle that loss of interest.
I wonder if the Romans in the declining stage of their empire felt this way?
In the US, our empire is at its height, but recent events and politicians have made it certain that we will go no higher, that our ideals mean nothing, and the freedom and democracy we want the world to have is seriously flawed in our own country. The free enterprise system we try to export to the world is seriously flawed as well, having degenerated into greed, without long-term planning, without the infrastructure that is necessary to keep a country economically viable. Our future is in hock to creditors as we fail to produce wealth ourselves, and squander what we should be investing on war. This was a country rich in natural “resources” that we have also squandered with poor husbandry, senseless waste, and greed.
Our small farmers and entrepreneurs prop up the image we have of a country made strong by its people, while multinational corporations suck the country dry.
In the end, we will become a backwater nation, with strong feelings of patriotism and religion and culture, but little to offer the world. We will be of little importance to the world leaders, like Japan and China and the European Union.
Our military might is all that keeps us on top these days, but it used to be the promise of freedom, individual rights, and economic success that had people look up to us, respect us and trust us. We have squandered that too. We can continue to build fortress America, walling ourselves in, taxing imports while the balance of trade remains unbalanced, fighting never-ending wars, but we will eventually fail. We do not have the respect of the world, we do not have economic viability, we do not have moral capital.
We are not preparing our children for the real world, but simply to be office workers, or service providers. We may well end up as highly valued service providers, not as innovators and revolutionaries. I think our time has come and is going. All of this is not directly perceived by this country’s people, but it is felt. The jongoists protest, and they have their champions, but their champions are without morals, without vision, without a firm grasp on reality, and they are failing. Patriotism and prayer will not save the USA. Crime will increase, suicide will increase, pollution will increase, waste will increase, and exploitation will increase. Sensationalism and escapism may increase, but ennui will replace our hopes and dreams.
Facts:
Oil – There is only half as much oil as previously estimated.
Global Warming
Though civilization prides itself on its divorce from the natural world, all life remains dependent on our ecology–even human life. Civilization is even more at the mercy of the elements than other modes of human culture. The precarious nature of agriculture makes the civilized food supply utterly dependent on a very small number of closely-related, fickle cereal grains that require very precise parameters of temperature, soil, acidity, rainfall, etc. Those parameters are about to change drastically.
We have recently broken a sort of “tipping point” regarding global warming. An increasing number of scientists are now saying that it is too late. The warnings sounded since the 1970s went unheeded, and now the globe is warming under its own feedback loop, regardless of what we do. 
WHO concluded that 160,000 people die from the effects of global warming every year, and they expect this number to double by 2020–with 3,000-4,000 in the U.S. alone. By 2015, Mt. Kilimanjaro will no longer have an ice cap. Rising sea levels could wipe out most of our cities (which tend to be on coasts, or at the very least, rivers) as the polar ice caps melt.
The frequency of extreme rainfall events (EREs) will increase between 30 and 110 percent (depending on the region) by 2015. The increase in torrential rains cause significant damage to ecology, agriculture, human habitat and infrastructure (houses, schools, hospitals, shops, public utilities, sewerage, roads, bridges… ). EREs disrupt all human activities and result in loss of topsoil, human and animal life. In other areas, it will be severe drought that is the problem.
The full effects of global warming will continue to unfold over the centuries to come, but we are already seeing the first effects, as with the extinction of the Gulf Stream and the resulting hurricanes in the Gulf and bitterly cold European winter. We can expect these effects to intensify, and to even be joined by other problems, such as water wars.
Mass Extinction
We are already in the midst of the most severe mass extinction in the history of the planet. By 2014, it is expected that 50% of the species in the rain forest will remain. By 2015, the tipping point will be breached, and only 45.9% will remain–less than half. In 2012-2015, only 10% virgin rain forests will remain, leaving only 50% of rain forest species. This is a vital threshold in the process of mass extinction, because most of the earth’s species–and most of the earth’s oxygen–comes out of the rain forests. Breaching this threshold threatens escalating cascades of extinction and critical ecosystem failure that could even threaten the survival of our species.
It’s over – Collapse is no longer a future possibility, but a reality. Individual cities or carved-out fiefdoms might persist for a century or more, just as in most collapses where a few pockets struggled on for some time. Perhaps the USA is committing suicide? Without a strong defense of our values and beliefs, we’ve lost what makes us who we were.
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