DNC "Bin Laden Been Missing"

DNC Ad on bush Buddy bin Laden!

Exploring 'The Price of Security'

Instead of watching the ABC/Mickey Mouse Propaganda piece on Monday, 9/11, and especially the pResidents Purely Political Propaganda message to the Nation, you might rather take a viewing of the following.

I heard this short interveiw on NPR's, Weekend Edition Saturday, Exploring 'The Price of Security'.

Ted Koppel, senior news analyst, discusses his upcoming documentary The Price of Security. The project explores the rights and freedoms Americans have sacrificed in the five years since the Sept. 11 attacks. It airs Sunday on the Discovery Channel.

The audio is Now Up at the NPR Site Page



If 9/11 had been treated as it should have been, a Criminal Act that it was, in concert with other Countries, who at the time were Solidly Behind Us, Criminal Investigators and Intelligence Forces, bringing in a Coalition of Military Forces when needed, we may have Contained and Captured those Involved!

We may have also minimized the Threats that would possibly follow, being able to track down any and all who might have tried to follow the same path, thus eliminating the use of these types of Criminal Guerilla Tactics that had been waged long before 9/11, Worldwide! Just ask anyone in 'Old Europe' that have bourn the brunt of these types of Destructive Criminal Acts!

We most certainly would not have the More Dangerous World we have today by making a bin Laden, and those to follow, into the Cult Figures of Millions, while Creating the more Hatreds that will breed the 'Criminal Terrorists' that most certainly will come looking for for retribution and retaliation for our own Criminal Acts, we consider righteous!

And we Certainly would not have contributed to the Killing and Maiming of Tens of Thousands on Innocents as well as the Thousands of Military Personal for not some 'Imagined' 'Noble Cause' only a few seem to have any idea of!!


The Price of Security Premieres Sunday, Sept 10th, at 8PM on the Discovery Channel

Just one of the links at the Discovery site:

Sept. 11 Poll Results

The Discovery Channel and TIME Magazine teamed up to measure the mood of the American people five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The goal was to learn whether feelings and opinions about terrorism, the attacks and some of the government's domestic programs to curb terrorism have shifted over time. Are people more or less fearful than they were then? Do they feel any more secure now?
Get a taste for what the poll revealed about our national psyche here, then discuss how you feel in the Koppel conversation area.

Is the Bush administration using the threat of terrorism or the terrorism alerts for political reasons, or not?
Yes — 49%
No — 45%
Don't Know/No Answer — 6%
Will there be a time in the next ten years or so when the U.S. will have won the war on terrorism?
Yes — 23%
No — 69%
Don't Know/No Answer — 7%
Do you think Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center?
Yes — 38%
No — 53%
Don't Know — 8%
Do you believe the U.S.'s involvement in the war in Iraq is hurting or helping the war on terrorism?
Hurting — 54%
Helping — 40%
Don't know/no answer — 6%

This Discovery Channel/TIME Magazine poll was conducted by telephone between Aug. 22-24, 2006, among a national random sample of 1,002 adults, age 18 and older throughout America. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of adult Americans. The poll's partisan breakdown is 32 percent Democrat, 28 percent Republican and 27 percent Independent.
The margin of error for the entire sample is approximately +/- 3 percentage points. The margin of error is higher for subgroups. Surveys are subject to other error sources as well, including sampling coverage error, recording error and respondent error. Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs designed the survey and conducted all interviewing.

After the showing there will be a Town Meeting

Take part in the live town meeting hosted by Ted Koppel that will air after The Price of Security on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Three to six questions submitted online will be read on the air for discussion by Koppel and the panel guests.
Send your question or comment to Koppel Town Meeting. Try to be as succinct as possible (make it short!), and include your name and location.
Discovery Channel Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio will simulcast Ted Koppel's The Price of Security and the live town hall meeting on Sirius Channel 119.

Scheduled Guests

Zoë Baird, President, Markle Foundation

Bradford Berenson, former Associate White House Counsel

Lanny Davis, Member, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board

Jim Dempsey, Policy Director, Center for Democracy & Technology

Viet Dinh, former Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy

Clark Kent Ervin, former Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security

Alamdar Hamdani, Civil rights attorney

David Holtzman, author, Privacy Lost

Gov. Tom Kean, Chair, 9/11 Commission

Paul McNulty, Deputy U.S. Attorney General

Alberto Mora, former General Counsel of the Department of the Navy

Nuala O’Connor Kelly, former Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Ted Olson, former Solicitor General and member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board

Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Law School

Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security

Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Rep. Chris Shays, Chairman House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threat and International Relations

George Soros, Founder and Chairman, Open Society Institute and Soros Foundation

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ret.), former Chief of Staff, Secretary of State Colin Powell

Gen. Tony Zinni (ret.), former Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

Dr. James J. Zogby, founder and president, Arab American Institute

Also at the live town meeting, Koppel will release results from a Discovery Channel/TIME Magazine poll that asked Americans which individual liberties they are willing to give up — or not give up — in the name of national security.

There's a page 2, to the above, visit link to read further.

There are also other links at the program site The Price of Security Premieres Sunday, Sept 10th, at 8PM that you might want to take a look at and participate in.

I haven't seen this Documentary, as I stated above, just heard the short interview, than investigated the Discovery Channels Site Links, but trusting Koppels reporting, and what he had said in the NPR interview, it should be closer to Reality than the Propaganda to Follow on Monday!!!

This may also be an Interesting Report, by someone who actually is a writer, to followup on either directly after or sometime on monday, before the Political Propaganda is aired!

It's Time To Clean The White House Out

Download or listen to the new MP3 "Impeach"
Written and Performed
By Tom Chelston




Click HERE for Lyric Sheet

Impeach

The framers of our constitution
Fresh on the heels of revolution
Well they must have seen the writing on the wall
They secured for us an open door

In article two and section four
To commence a presidential overhaul
Now we've run this play a few times before
With presidents and judges and governors

And now we see our country's in distress
With thousands dyin' while bushco's lyin'
Illegal torture illegal spyin'
This is so much bigger
Than the stain on an intern's dress

I* M* P* E* A* C* H
Seven little letters gonna get us straight
I* M* P* E* A* C* H
How much more are we gonna take
I* M* P* E* A* C* H

Time to clean the white house out

So make yourself a resolution
Protect and defend our constitution
It's the patriotic and the democratic way

Let's impeach old george and all his cronies
Load up all his jesters and his one trick ponies
Put em all in a FEMA trailer
Gulf coast USA

I* M* P* E* A* C* H
Seven little letters gonna set you straight
I* M* P* E* A* C* H
How much more are we gonna take
I* M* P* E* A* C* H

Time to clean the white house out


Tom Chelston
Tom Songs

Tom will be in New York for a 9/11 Families ceremony and then on to Camp Democracy in DC. Not sure if he will be performing in New York, but possibility is great, but will be performing at Camp Democracy in DC. Visit his site and catch his other work, some with Flash Video Presentations!

Take a visit over to the Huffington site, to watch the following, Your Viewing Is A Vote, Toms latest Video Presentation, wether you've seen already or not:

We Took An Oath

"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 'Foreign and Domestic'! "

'Foreign and Domestic'

'Domestic'

Veterans For Peace-video

No Zarqawi/Qaeda-Saddam link

Senate Report on Iraq Intelligence:

A Senate report on prewar intelligence on Iraq finds no evidence that Saddam Hussein had a relationship with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his Al Qaeda. Specifically, the CIA found in 2005 that Saddam "did not have a relationship, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates."

This is the latest blow to the adminstration's (remarkably successful) 5-year effort to conflate Al Qaeda and Saddam in the public mind. Recall -- with the aid of our handy timeline of prewar intel -- the following:

The day after the 9/11 attacks, according to Richard Clarke's book, "Against All Enemies," Bush collared Clarke and and said, "I know you have a lot to do and all, but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way." Clarke responds, "But, Mr. President, Al Qaeda did this." Bush tells him, "I know, I know, but -- see if Saddam was involved. Just look. I want to know any shred...."

On September 19, 2001, President Bush, according to Ron Suskind, told CIA chief George Tenet, "I want to know about links between Saddam and al Qaeda. The Vice President knows some things that might be helpful." Vice President Cheney tells Tenet about a report that one of the hijackers, Mohammed Atta, met with senior Iraqi intelligence officials in Prague. Tenet promises to investigate. Two days later, Tenet reports back: CIA's Prague office thinks the Atta story "doesn't add up." Moreover, the intelligence community knows that Atta's credit card and phone were used in Virginia during the period in question. Cheney, however, will continue to cite the alleged meeting in public appearances.

On September 21, 2001, President Bush was informed in a highly classified briefing that the US intelligence community could not link Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks and that there is little evidence pointing to collaborative ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda.
On September 25, 2005, President Bush told journalists, "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror."

On September 27, 2002, Donald Rumsfeld called the link between Iraq and al Qaeda "accurate and not debatable."

The report confirms (reconfirms, I'd say), in the words of the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, that "the Bush administration's case for war in Iraq was fundamentally misleading."

Full Senate report HERE. (PDF) {It's 151 pages at once so a good size download} Posted by Julian Brookes on 09/08/06 at 9:47 AM



Larry C. Johnson | Senate Intel Committee Bloodies Bush's Nose

Larry Johnson takes a hard look at today's Senate Intel Committee report: "The Senate Intelligence committee today released 'Postwar Findings About Iraq's WMD Programs and Links to Terrorism and How They Compare With Prewar Assessments and the Use by the Intelligence Community of Information Provided by the Iraqi National Congress' as part of its long awaited and long promised Phase II report about the accuracy of the intelligence and it is ugly for the Bushies."

The Other War

Hey folks, Remember That Other War Theater, Pitt does and so do many of us. Remember the reasons given for that Invasion, Remember the 'Promises' given to not only the U.S. citizens, World citizens, but Especially to the Afganistan citizens, by the World as to the last.

Go back even further and Remember the Rethoric, from those who call themselves Republican and their Representatives when the Previous Administration had gone after the admitted Criminals of the Criminal Terrorist {that's exactly what it is}act, Long Before, Sept 11th 2001 or 9/11! Remember what all those 'Republicans{?}' were at that time enraged about!

William Rivers Pitt | The Other War

"Most people in the United States haven't given a moment's thought to the war in Afghanistan in a very long time. That war is over, we are told, and we won," writes William Rivers Pitt. "The Taliban was routed, and al Qaeda lost a safe haven. The war in Afghanistan, as it turns out, is far from over."

Taliban Resurgence: “Fighting Is Far Greater Than In Iraq"

An Afghan policeman secures the site of the bombing, which came as NATO appealed to member nations to send more help to combat resurgent Taliban militants.

A U.S. soldier walks away from the blast site about 100 yards from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Friday.

A U.S. soldier checks the body of a soldier killed in the blast. It was the worst bombing in Kabul in recent years.

Afghan police carry a body from the site. "Today's heinous act of terrorism is against the values of Islam and humanity," said Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

U.S soldiers stand near the wreckage of a vehicle after the explosion.

Bomber Kills 16, Including Two GIs in Kabul
Attack in Afghanistan Is Worst Since Taliban's Fall
By PAUL GARWOOD, AP

KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 8) - A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of U.S. military vehicles Friday in downtown Kabul, killing at least 16 people, including two American soldiers, and wounding 29 others. It was the Afghan capital's deadliest suicide attack since the Taliban's 2001 ouster.

Pitts right on; "Most people in the United States haven't given a moment's thought to the war in Afghanistan in a very long time. That war is over, we are told, and we won,"

No we are more into a baby named 'Suri', or whatever, more news{?} wanted on a Non-Talented young lady{?} named Hilton and more of those Simple Minded, Non-Critical thoughts that are our very lifestye in this the 21st Century!!

Norman Solomon | As Others See US - The "War on Terror"

"The USA's mass media constantly tell us how Americans see the 'war on terror.' But the same outlets rarely tell us much about how the rest of the world sees it," writes Norman Solomon.

News Bucket, News etc. You Might Have Missed

The Torturer's Apprentice
by Ray McGovern, TomPaine.com

The White House is doing a complex dance to escape prosecution for torture—and portray opponents as weak.

Are The Gitmo Gloves Back On?

Everything you never wanted to know about the administration's detainee abuse policy but the media were afraid to ask.

New In News Worthy
Overlooked but important headlines of the morning.

U.S. Army In Iraq Makes 'Priority 1' Request For Renewable Energy Sources
Facing Stronger Insurgency, NATO Seeks More Troops For Afghanistan
More Than Half Of American Inmates Describe Symptoms Of Mental Illness
GAO: Nope, We're Still Not Ready For Disasters
Roberts Won't Release Final Pieces Of Pre-War Intelligence Report Before Elections
Israel Continues Gaza Offensive: 197 Civillians Killed, 48 Children

Ground Zero Recovery Worker Suffers From Illness Due to Work Conditions

Jon Sferazo, a iron worker who worked on recovery efforts at Ground Zero 5 years ago suffers from respiratory problems and psychological issues. He discusses how he tries to help others who suffer from trauma because of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Most Iranians Support Decision to Continue Nuclear Program

As the fear of an American attack on Iran becomes stronger, people in Tehran support their president's decision to continue developing its nuclear energy program. NewsHour correspondent Margaret Warner reports on how Iranians view the nuclear issue.

John Cory | Clowns and Harlots

John Cory writes: "We now live under a government and media run by clowns and harlots who peddle their wares from the corner of K Street and Pennsylvania Avenue all the way to Main Street, USA. They spray the night air with the rancid perfume of fear while selling cheap lipstick-lies that kill, as they offer the flesh of our Constitution to the highest corporate bidder."

Pentagon Spends Billions to Outsource Torture

The thousands of mercenary security contractors employed in the Bush administration's "War on Terror" are paid for by American taxpayers, but they've handed Osama bin Laden his greatest victories - public relations coups that have transformed him from just another face in a crowd of radical clerics to a hero of millions in the global South.

Anti-Poverty Campaigners Set to Launch Global Month of Action

From September 14 to October 17, millions of people in over a hundred countries will unite again under the banner of the white band, as they stand up against poverty and renew the call for trade justice, debt cancellation, and more and better aid.

Analysis of bush 'Martial Law' Speach

Take a visit over to this Analysis of today's speach which I heard while driving home from work, it's Short but To The Real Point of what the clown bush is doing, and the Danger he has put the Troops In, and what he wants to Create for this Country {Actually All Ready Has}!

Hamdan Lawyer Reacts to Bush Tribunal Proposal

All Things Considered, September 6, 2006 · Georgetown law professor Neal Katyal successfully argued the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan before the Supreme Court, leading to a ruling that the use of military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees stood in violation of U.S. and international law. Katyal offers his reaction to President Bush's legislative proposal to address the issue.

There's abit more at the site, besides listening to the report, including the below links:
Related NPR Stories
Sep. 6, 2006 New Army Manual Bans Torture, Including Hooding
Sep. 6, 2006 Bush Concedes CIA Held Suspects in Secret Prisons

The Ground Truth {UPDATED}

The following was broadcast on the NPR 'Morning Edition' on 9-15-2006

Documentaries View the Iraq War from Two Sides

Morning Edition, September 15, 2006 · Two new documentaries are out about the Iraq war: The Ground Truth and My Country, My Country. My Country shows what the war has been like for Iraqis, while Ground Truth concentrates on the personal traumas U.S. soldiers have to deal with when they return home. Both movies offer compelling views of the costs of war.

Visit the site link to Listen to the Report on these two Documentaries

'My Country, My Country'
Here's the Site Link for the Documentary.

You can view the Trailer HERE.





"The Ground Truth" opens Friday, September 15





Host a "Ground Truth Gathering"

From October 4th - 11th, join 1000's as we gather across America in churches, universities, community centers, town halls, coffee houses and living rooms to screen THE GROUND TRUTH, engage in conversation, and listen to Iraq veterans.

-----------
THE GROUND TRUTH depicts with ferocious honesty the terrible conflict in Iraq, a prelude to the even more challenging battles fought by soldiers when they return home to personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government.

Theatrical opening Friday, September 15, 2006 at Landmark Theaters in the following cities:
Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Austin,
Washington, D.C., San Francisco

*Additional screening nationwide - For details, go to: The Ground Truth

----------

Purchase a DVD through this link and VFP recieves a portion of the proceeds. Price is $14.98

Purchase DVD now!





Veterans Working Together for Peace & Justice Through Non-violence. Wage Peace!
Click here to donate.
-------------

We Took An Oath
"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 'Foreign and Domestic'! "

'Foreign and Domestic'

'Domestic'

Veterans For Peace-video

CIVIC ACTION ALERT: Urgent Action Needed

Marla Ruzicka (1976-2005)

Farah Arkan Abdulah Majid lost her mother, an unborn sibling, her father, two uncles and a grandmother to US bombing during the Iraq war. Through the work of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) and its founder Marla Ruzicka, the family obtained a $5000 sympathy payment from the US government.Baghdad, Iraq. 27/04/2004Photo © J.B. Russell

CIVIC ACTION ALERT!
CIVILIANS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON IN IMMEDIATE DANGER FROM UXEXPLODED CLUSTER MUNITIONS. URGENT ACTION NEEDED...

Many hundreds of innocent civilians are at risk of serious injury and death due to Israel's use of cluster bombs in Southern Lebanon.
Cluster bombs when used in populated areas inevitably and indiscriminately kill civilians. Intended to shower hundreds of "bomblets" on an area that can span three football fields, cluster bombs leave behind hundreds of unexploded devices the size of a D-cell battery. These can explode if touched or moved. Between 1% and 40% bomblets fail to explode on impact, creating a deadly landscape for children and families now returning to their homes. Already 249 sites south of the Litani River have been found blanketed with unexploded bomblets. Reports of explosions killing or severely inuring civilians have begun to surface and an escalation of incidents like these is, tragically, inevitable.
The indiscriminate nature of cluster bombs means they are not appropriate when attacking a military target in an area populated by civilians. Three different types of US cluster munitions have been found in southern Lebanon and the US State Department has now launched an investigation "likely to focus on whether Israel properly informed the United States about its use of the weapons and whether targets were strictly military," according to the New York Times on August 24th.
TAKE ACTION! Click here to send a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice urging a credible, thorough and transparent inquiry. The US must now end the sale of US cluster munitions to Israel, urge the Israeli government to cooperate with organizations locating and clearing the mines by informing them of target locations, and help fund de-mining programs in southern Lebanon.
The improper use of cluster bombs is a tremendously important issue - a matter of life and death for children, women and men living in war torn regions. Please help us minimize harm to civilians by ensuring these weapons are used in strict accordance with international law.
Thank you for taking action on behalf of victims of war.
The CIVIC Team

Double Amputee, Vietnam Vet, Victim of Sick Brutal Murder

Double amputee thrown into creek, left to die

08:53 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
From 11 News Staff Reports

KHOU
Barney Goodman's family is offering a reward for information leading to his killer.

A war veteran confined to a wheelchair was the victim of a brutal murder over the weekend in Liberty County.


KHOU
Goodman was thrown into this creek, but managed to crawl up the embankment.

His family is devastated by the cruel manner in which he died.
"Nobody deserves to die like this," said brother Richard Ford.
Ford said his brother served in Vietnam and later lost both of his feet to complications from diabetes.
He said Goodman was a good singer who once sang on stage with George Jones and other country stars.
"He just lived every day of his life, you know, like it was his last day," said Ford. "We're gonna find out who did this"
The family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Family offers reward in case of veteran's brutal murder

A family in Liberty County (Texas) is offering a reward and hoping for answers. They want to know who's responsible for an attack that killed their disabled brother.

Preying On The Troops

U.S. troops risking their lives abroad get charged interest of up to 400 percent at home—and Congress is to blame.

What Valerie Plame Really Did at the CIA

Valerie Plame was no analyst or paper-pusher. She was an operations officer working on a top priority of the Bush Administration. Armitage, Rove and Libby had revealed information about a CIA officer who had searched for proof of the President's case. In doing so, they harmed her career and put at risk operations she had worked on and foreign agents and sources she had handled.

Bush's Terror Tales
By Rami G. Khouri, TomPaine.com

A grown man playing make-believe instead of delivering a sensible foreign policy endangers us all.

Mercenaries Sue Blackwater Over $34 Per Day Salary

Columbians Paid $1,000/month, Americans Paid $10,000/month About three dozen former Colombian soldiers are engaged in a pay dispute with Blackwater USA, saying their salaries for security work in Iraq turned out to be one-quarter what they had been promised by recruiters in Bogota. The dispute sheds light on the international flavor of Blackwater's work force and the pay disparities that characterize the burgeoning private military industry. The Colombians say they are earning $34 a day, a fraction of what Blackwater pays its American contractors in the Iraq war zone.

Soldiers' Stories: Endurance Meets Doubt in Iraq

“As a soldier, I am going to do whatever we got to do. As a personal opinion, I don’t think we need to be in this city, period. How much money and how many soldiers is it going to take when these people don’t want our help? They just don’t. We don’t even know who we can trust.” -- Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Poetsch, serving his second Iraq War tour.

California-Based Marine Battalion Deploys to Iraq War for Fourth Tour

Tears flow as loved ones bid goodbye to unit members in Twentynine Palms Sometimes, there are just no words. In a parking lot baked by the desert sun, a young Marine stands in line waiting to get on a bus. A young woman walks with him. They hold hands. They stare intently into each other's eyes, trying to communicate something that cannot be said. Her hand grips his arm, her knuckles white. Finally, they reach the door. He gives her one last kiss.

Ft. Carson efforts lauded, but critics want tougher stance

15 Domestic Violence Incidents Every Month at Army Post
COLORADO SPRINGS - The Department of Defense lauds Colorado's Fort Carson as home to one of its best domestic-violence prevention programs. The program provides domestic-violence counseling, anger-management classes and therapy for soldiers and their spouses.

We Took An Oath

"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 'Foreign and Domestic'! "
'Foreign and Domestic'
'Domestic'
Veterans For Peace-video

A Request from a 'Gold Star Mom'

Just below this:

“Stay The Course”


“I Am Devastated. Feel I Need The Truth”

Mother Of 10th Mountain Soldier KIA Appealing For Information:

“I Was Told One Version By 3 Military Upper Command. And, Then I Was
Told Another Version Through "The Grapevine”

From: Cheryl Nussberger
To: GI Special
Sent: September 04, 2006

I pulled your e-mail address of the site GI Special.
I fell across it while searching articles regarding my son KIA Gowardesh, Afghanistan, 6/21/06.
My son's name is SSG Patrick L. Lybert. He was serving with the 1 3-71 Cav, 10th Mountain Division.
I am not that skilled with the computer.
I am desperately seeking specific news regarding what actually happened during the conflict he was killed in.
Do you have anything specific submitted regarding that? If so could you e-mail it to me.
I was told one version by 3 military upper command. And, then I was told another version through "the grapevine".
I am devastated.
Feel I need the truth.
If you have some info, truthful, valid only. Please relay it to me.
Thank you,
Cheryl

Toms Reply

GI Special has readers deployed to the wars overseas, and your request for information will be posted.
To protect you from stupid people and other harassment, GI Special will not print your email address, unless you wish that posted.
Anyone with information can write to GI Special at the email address upper left, front page , and that information will be forwarded on to you.
Further, absolutely security will be enforced to protect the identity of the writer, nor will any response to your request be published in GI Special.
Unfortunately, there is a long record of misinformation given to the families of those killed in these wars. Here is an article about that.

Respect & condolences,
T

Thomas follows the above with another report and there's one letter in the previous NewsLetter also.

If Anyone can supply the needed information to this 'Gold Star Mom' you can visit the GI Special links above, or you can download the NewsLetter with this direct link: GI SPECIAL 4I5: 'I Am Devastated'.pdf.
You can also visit the Traveling Soldier site to get the needed contact information to pass on to Thomas

'Happy Labor Day' -Entry Level Wages Falling!!

September 4, 2006
Many Entry-Level Workers Feel Pinch of Rough Market
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Census Bureau data released last week underlined the difficulties for young workers, showing that median income for families with at least one parent age 25 to 34 fell $3,009 from 2000 to 2005, sliding to $48,405, a 5.9 percent drop, after having jumped 12 percent in the late 1990’s.

This report really shouldn't be a shock to anyone, especially the young who are just coming into the workplace and those who came in during the roaring 90's and have seen their wages roll backwards from than. We get these types of reports every year right around this time, 'Labor Day'. Most are the negative reality, as this one is, and in the nineties many were of positive, and in some cases outrageous wages for entry level positions, especially in the tech fields. All, like most reports put some spin on the numbers and leave out much of what they mean.

I started noticing the changing economy, of this country, years ago. What was, for the most part, causing this once secure economy were the dedication of the workers because of security of job and their hard work being rewarded, sometimes those rewards had to be hard fought battles for better pay, benefits, safety, etc. and sometimes not. But if rewarded the workers performed thinking they probably had security, if respect for their work were recognized, and they returned the respect to their employers along with their idea's for better production and quality of the products/services they performed.

This started changing, at least by my notice, a few years after returning from 'Nam and my Military Service, in the early 70's, and jumping back into the Construction Industry, as a Carpenter, something my folks couldn't understand than. Their thoughts were "Get a more secure job in a factory, or similar, building Security with Benefits and Pension. Something the Construction Industry didn't offer."

Reason I did, but doesn't have anything to do with this, is because I'm a damn good Carpenter and also pretty damn good in a number of other Trades in the Industry, and I Really Used To Enjoy the Satisfaction realized from the finished projects.

Their tune started to change a few years after I started noticing what was going on, as they did shortly after me, it turned to "Well at least you're doing something that will allow you to always find a job, maybe not with the security etc., once offered, but work with a steady income."

You see what started happening were more and more layoffs from companies that had grown bigger and bigger mostly because of quailty products and services and reputation's of same. I started noticing friends fathers getting Layed Off as they entered into their fifties and sixties, some only a few years away from Retirement. That was a reality of Shock, because once booted, many lost their Promised Pensions and Benefits Packages and were to old to get another decent paying position.

Why did this start happening, and has grown since, companies, especially public owned, were looking closer and closer at their Bottom Line and Investor Returns {Investors having nothing to really do with the Companies Business, just making money off of money}. They weren't looking for Better Educated Labor they were getting rid of Higher Paying Experiance, that caused their Growth, and bringing in Lack Of Experiance for Lower Wages and Smaller Benefit Packages etc. including Pension Packages, most of the time not even changing job descriptions to hide what was going on.

The numbers, in these reports, in unemployment/employment reports etc. etc. etc., Never Reflect the fact that Companies 'Sweep' out the 'Old' and Bring In The Cheaper 'New' less Experianced, and the cycle goes round and round with the 'New Modern Day' Twist, Outsourcing of Jobs to other countries for Extremely Lower Wages, No Benefits, Unsafe Work Places, Longer Working Hours, etc. etc. etc., as Company/Investor Bottom Lines Grow and Grow and the grease that keeps the Economy Engine Running, the Workers, Wages Fall!!

Companies, smaller to huge, and Investors are only hurting themselves, though it will take more time to notice, as Product/Service Quality has fallen, customer service is not even offered in many cases, respect doesn't exist, and you can list so many more things differant from the than to the now.

We've watched as Well Known Companies have Collapsed and no longer exist, Companies that are started just to sell off many broken up after the sell off to also no longer exist, we see-read-hear about them almost everyday, big to small, just drive around your communities and look at the empty hulks, building that once employed. Most know that wherever they work a 20, 30, 40 yr carreer there isn't in the books, most change jobs numorous times in their professional carreerers or know they will.

It will sooner, rather than later, when this once vibrant economy completely collapses. One of the reasons will be the Hard Working Employee won't be Making Enough to afford the Products/Services offered by most of the businesses in existance, and their Debts, along with the Economies Debts will be Called In For Collection with nothing in the pot to pay them off with!!

We are now All just Bodies, No Respect, No Real Concern For Dedication, Wanted To Work Harder and Longer Days, Less and Less Return on Our Labors!!!

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We Took An Oath

"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 'Foreign and Domestic'! "

'Foreign and Domestic'

'Domestic'

Veterans For Peace-video

A THOUSAND NINE-ELEVENS

Just one of Iraq's one thousand nine-elevens

by Malcom Lagauche

Soon, we will be seeing and reading about the fifth anniversary of 9-11 in the U.S. The event’s five-year mark will regenerate the vile passions in the U.S. public to avenge the downing of the World Trade Center buildings. Islamamaphobia will become more rampant (...) Since August 2, 1990, the U.S. has killed almost three million Iraqis. The first Gulf War, the encompassing embargo and the current fiasco combine for between 2.5 million and three million deaths. In other wor! ds, Iraq has suffered ONE THOUSAND nine-elevens. That’s right, one thousand. If Ms. King had watched the news over this time, she would have seen incinerated babies dragged from bomb shelters. She would have seen Iraqi cities imbedded in filth because the U.S. would not allow the Iraqis to import chlorine to purify the water system. And, the U.S. bragged about this when Schwarzkopf took to the microphone shortly after the Gulf War hostilities began and stated, "We’ve knocked out their drinking water. Soon, they will begin to acquire diarrhea and malnutrition." All the time, he was smiling when he forecast the dismal future for Iraq...

Read Rest at Title Link or Click HERE

One Wonders, Where Are The 'ChickenHawk'.....

'...Supporters' of Their 'Chickenhawk' Leaders Policies Besides Belonging To The 101st KeyBoard Brigade!!!'

Wisconsin Marine Waits for Third Iraq War Tour to End
Jen McCoy
Portage Daily Register (Wisconsin)

Sep 02, 2006

On Marine Andy Brady's second tour of duty in Fallujah, 10 days before he was to come home to Poynette on leave, his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb and he lost hearing in his left ear, had a concussion and suffered vision impairment. He was told that he might not be called for duty a third time, but five months later, he was back in Iraq on the front lines.

"Andy's dad is a Vietnam veteran, and he knows what post-traumatic stress disorder is, and Andy doesn't think that he has it himself. We jokingly say denial is the first sign of PTSD," Lou said. Brady has difficulty sleeping and shows signs of agitation at home, she said as she fidgeted with a dog tag around her neck.
"I think a certain amount of PTSD is inevitable from being alert with adrenaline 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. I know he has been fired upon and he has fired at people. He has seen people die. There is no place in the human brain that can categorize the inhumanity of these images that don't go away," Lou said.

And Thankfully, We Have This Bit Of Truth:

Frank Rich: Donald Rumsfeld's Dance With the Nazis

"President Bush came to Washington vowing to be a uniter, not a divider. Well, you win some and you lose some. But there is one member of his administration who has not broken that promise: Donald Rumsfeld. With indefatigable brio, he has long since united Democrats, Republicans, generals and civilians alike in calling for his scalp," writes Frank Rich.

Take a trip over to Daily KOS to get your Sunday Morning Sermon at this Posted Diary:

Some call me Jesus...
by One Pissed Off Liberal
Sun Sep 03, 2006 at 09:49:19 AM EDT

Others call me Yeshua, others the Son of Man. By any name I am who I am.
Lately it has come to my attention that I have been swiftboated by a gang of lowly sinners who march under the banner of the Christian Right. They have obfuscated my teachings and associated my name with the terrible sins of war profiteering, torture, and the dropping of bombs on innocents and children. And those are just the beginnings of their transgressions. With your permission, I would like to take this opportunity to set a few things straight.
DISCLAIMER: Please forgive my hubris. No offense is intended to anyone's religion, or lack thereof - just a little creative channeling of the Blessed Redeemer on a Sunday morning (actually, just a few things I've been wanting to get off my chest re: the `Religious Right'). Any heresy or error included herein is my own. I don't really speak for the Creator - or his family. Oh, and apologies to pastordan for veering recklessly into his territory. ~ OPOL :-)
(more below the fold...)