Our military families are going through some hard times and Christmas makes it even more difficult. Remember them and do whatever you can to make the season better for them. (More photos below.)
The incompetence and ignorance of the previous administration and their WARS against Terrorfor Profit has finally come to fruition, because it sure didn't come home to roost.
Well, unless home is Russia or Norway or maybe even Angola.
This is a story of two countries. They are intertwined by the incredible differences they portray as well as the deeply shared mannerisms and likeness in certain policies that both have employed recently.
Those two countries are the United States of America and Iran.
That the government showed more fear than the people is nothing new to those of us living in the United States of America.
During the G.W. Bush/Dick Cheney administration, fear was the premise of our government. Exuding fear and projecting it upon the population of our country was the foundation of the administrations ability to cow Congress into starting Wars of Profit/Convenience. This was acheived by first using the attacks on the World Trade Center as a conduit to spew propaganda through their media tentacles to the general public that scared the pants off of the American people and had them clamoring to retaliate, consolidate and beg their Congressional representatives to save US!!
(the dirty little secret we all knew... - promoted by poligirl)
As astounding as it is, that "torture interrogators" were demanding the link between Saddam and bin Laden -- the question still remains: WHY???
It's still about oil in Iraq A centerpiece of the Iraq Study Group's report is its advocacy for securing foreign companies' long-term access to Iraqi oil fields. By Antonia Juhasz - LATimes - Dec 8, 2006
The report makes visible to everyone the elephant in the room: that we are fighting, killing and dying in a war for oil. It states in plain language that the U.S. government should use every tool at its disposal to ensure that American oil interests and those of its corporations are met.
The U.S. State Department's Oil and Energy Working Group, meeting between December 2002 and April 2003, also said that Iraq "should be opened to international oil companies as quickly as possible after the war." Its preferred method of privatization was a form of oil contract called a production-sharing agreement.
As you all know there are amazing challenges we all face daily, from our own personal financial situation to others that we care about around the world. Let's face it, that "golden parachute" isn't so golden at this point for many people in this country or others around the world. That being said, this isn't a diary about any of our economic situations or theirs, but about being "All That We Can Be".
In case you haven't met her let me introduce you to Sakena Yacoobi.
In 1995, Sakena Yacoobi cofounded the Afghan Institute for Learning (AIL) - today one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Afghanistan - and is now its president and executive director. AIL provides education and health services to over 350,000 women and children annually in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with offices in the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Sakena has received numerous prestigious awards for peace-building, including the Peacemakers in Action Award from the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, the Gruber Prize, the Bill Graham Award from the Rex Foundation, and most recently, the Kravis Prize for Leadership.
Jump with me to explore Ms. Yacoobi's and others' thoughts on war and peace, including my own.
I do most of my writing at the Iowa progressive community blog Bleeding Heartland.
Last year at this time I was scrambling to make as many phone calls and knock on as many doors as I could before the Iowa caucuses on January 3.
This week I had a little more time to reflect on the year that just ended.
After the jump I've linked to Bleeding Heartland highlights in 2008. Most of the links relate to Iowa politics, but some also covered issues or strategy of national importance.
I only linked to a few posts about the presidential race. I'll do a review of Bleeding Heartland's 2008 presidential election coverage later this month.
Perhaps the exit from Iraq has begun. At least Britian announced today they they have plans to remove their troops fro Iraq. Can the US be far behind?
British troops will begin leaving Iraq in May, more than six years after joining the U.S.-led invasion that ousted former dictator Saddam Hussein, Britain and Iraq announced Wednesday.
Welcome to a taste of reality! Where we take a look at some immediate topics, sometimes offering our own version of reality or highlighting what the corporate media would like us to overlook.
So, traveling down this highway of life in the ole US of A, let's gather some reality around us to fend off the wingnuts, whackos, and others with their fingers in their ears singing "la la la la la la..."
Reality isn't always the most fun or even the most popular, and in politics, it is certainly not always easy to discern. Still, like a good swift kick in the pants, reality has a habit of trumping the alternative so it's a good idea to keep an eye out for it.
As is our norm around these parts, there are 2 rules:
Reality, not conspiracy theories, reign - make a claim, expect to back it up with something other than "some say..." or "I read it somewhere..."
While it was a hot topic in the Democratic primary, the Iraq War seemed to fall off the table in the final months of the Presidential campaign. In retrospect, this huge blunder by the outgoing Bush Administration has been a bottomless pit for American taxpayer dollars. It has been a huge strain on our National Guard and military, and has taken longer than it took the Allies to defeat the Axis powers after America entered WWII. To add insult to injury, it has not done one thing to bring the murderer of thousands of Americans, Osama bin Laden to justice.
(Some parallels between Soldiers and Workers; Tomorrow is Veteran's Day as well so hug a Vet! - promoted by poligirl)
I typed this a few months back, Sorry I never finished it, if it's a repeat I apologize. I ask only one thing, never forget.
I have been focusing on the Cost of War both in blood and treasure, not to equate the two but as a reminder of both. The utter disgust of the "Quagmire" where nearly 4000 American soldiers, men and women, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers have given the ultimate sacrifice sometimes seems unfathomable. Combine this with upwards of 82,000, possibly 1.5 million Iraqis that have died and the untold millions displaced, from a senseless and seemingly unending occupation for what?
$3,000,000,000,000.00 that is a big number! You should type it sometime, there are twelve zeros, that is your bill. Jim Loy says it would take over thirty years to count to one billion, you do the math. With all this in mind I have run across an article in The Nation by Michael Zweig that explains even I can understand. Michael Zweig is on the steering commitee for U.S. Labor Against the War follow me below the fold and we'll see what they have to say about the war, the cost, the soldiers and labor.
Perhaps the exit from Iraq has begun. At least Britian announced today they they have plans to remove their troops fro Iraq. Can the US be far behind?
