Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi

With all this outrage, and justified by Real Law Abiding Citizens who Respect Our Countries Constitution even though it's leaders don't follow what it's citizens are expected to, think about the bush family friend: Cuban terrorist finding refuge in the US is Luis Posada Carriles. And where is and has been the Outrage about us harboring him, after all He Blew Up A Plane, full of innocent people, As Well, and he's been safe and comfortable for years, In This Country!!

While I too, was upset with the release, as being a Law Abiding Citizen of a Country that says it Respects Law, and having served to supposedly defend it's Constitution, though Vietnam had Nothing To Do With Defending it or Country, and then the reception he received in Libya, I Suggest We The American People Look Into The Mirror!!

We're now going to see, hear and watch, as we already have, much more issues and incidents like this, if you need to ask Why? then you haven't paid attention the previous eight years. We Gave Two, and now a Third Country, More Pan Am Flight 103's or even 9/11's then we as a Nation will Ever Experience, even with the decades coming of the possible Blowback from Our Policies!!

And The Rest Of The World Understands This!!!!!

Blast Walls: Baghdad Iraq

August 22 2009

AP – Workers place concrete blast walls in front of the Iraqi foreign ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday

Iraqis begin restoring concrete walls in Baghdad

Workers used giant cranes to raise concrete walls around the blast-scarred Foreign Ministry and other government buildings on Saturday, as Iraqi authorities sought to bolster security after suicide truck bombings that killed scores in Baghdad.

The decision to reinforce vital institutions is a sharp reversal of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's desire to remove the barriers as part of his efforts to make life more normal for war-weary Iraqis before January's national elections............

Occupied and Controlled by Us now being Occupied and Controlled by their own, and We Tore That Lid Off The Pandora's Box!!

Calley Apologizes For My Lai Massacre

August 21, 2009

Lt. William L. Calley, Jr., in April 1971, during his court-martial at Fort Benning, Ga

Speaking in a soft, sometimes labored voice, the only U.S. Army officer convicted in the 1968 slayings of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai made an extraordinary public apology while speaking to a small group near the military base where he was court-martialed.

"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," William L. Calley told members of a local Kiwanis Club, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported Friday. "I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry."

SNIP

Wearing thick glasses and a blue blazer, he spoke softly into a microphone answering questions for a half-hour from about 50 Kiwanis members gathered for their weekly luncheon in a church meeting room.

"You could've heard a pin drop," said Al Fleming, who befriended Calley about 25 years ago and invited him to speak. "They were just slack-jawed that they were hearing this from him for the first time in nearly 40 years."

Both Fleming and Lennie Pease, the Kiwanis president, told The Associated Press in phone interviews Friday that Calley's apology came at the beginning of his brief remarks before he began taking questions................

Only comment to this I will give is it isn't only about the slaughter, Atrocity and not the only one, of these Innocent Vietnamese but also the Soldiers Killed and Maimed, in an invasion and occupation that should never have been, as a direct result of! As in All Wars Atrocities bring the Blowback and aid the so called enemy, those fighting to rid their country of an occupier, and are no different then that we accuse of in our self righteous arrogance and apathy!!

Afghan War Takes Toll on Civilians

PBS News Hour Friday, August 21, 2009

Outside The Wire - Promotional Trailer - In Their Boots

Female Iraq and Afghanistan vets return home to fight a new battle for their healthcare



In Their Boots

More on Failed and Criminal Government {UpDated w/video's}

More of the cheney/bush/republican congress incompetent criminality coming to light, especially out of the VA, while Two Occupations were still ongoing and troops were returning for the care needed, as their brothers and sisters were returning in Flag Draped Coffins!!

IG reports detail abuses in hiring, travel, bonuses at VA technology office

Former high-ranking information technology officials at the Veterans Affairs Department gave preferential treatment to certain contractors, engaged in nepotism in hiring and, in one case, took advantage of a relationship with a supervisor for personal gain, according to a new report from the department's inspector general...............Rest Here

First Report-PDF

Second Report-PDF

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000................

These weren't the rank and file VA workers, who do what they can and is needed for the Veterans, these are the political appointee's and hired contractors, padding their pockets while denying what is Owed To Those Who Serve!!

And then we have this, though known or suspected strongly at the time, book review by the author that's hitting all over, just before the weekend political shows, of which the country will just yawn at but will enhance sales, may even drive it to number one on the best sellers lists, under Not Fiction!!

"National Security"

Ex-DHS chief links politics to terror alerts

TREASON IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE

Advancing Political Agenda at dangerous expense of the public good is a criminal act

Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge claims in a new book "The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege...And How We Can Be Safe Again" that he was pressured by other members of President George W. Bush's Cabinet to raise the nation's terror alert level just before the 2004 presidential election.

Presssured? Is this a bad joke?

Ridge says he objected to raising the security level despite the urgings of former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, according to a publicity release from Ridge's publisher. He said the episode convinced him to follow through with his plans to leave the administration; he resigned on Nov. 30, 2004.

While these Machevellian acts are NOT unexpected by this terror group, what is unexpected is watching the American public continue to be hypnotized into thinking this is just some news story that is quaint to be read in a book. It's not. This is freakin scary!.........The Rest Here

The Nexus of Politics and Terror

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Did bush Deceptions Break the Law

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

When is this Country going to Wake Up and realize we are looked at as "Crap" on the World Stage, an Arrogant and Apathetic society sinking faster in it's own waste!!

I just hope, and that's slim, that the present Justice Department, and Justice Departments to come, even with the politically embedded incompetent lawyers from the previous, are taking these reports seriously. As an older adult, trying to be what we all should be 'responsible' and trying to leave a 'better world' behind, like our folks did for us till it all collapsed through no fault of theirs, I would really like to see some Accountability for the many many crimes committed, in the name of ideologies instead of as a nation trying, are brought under the Laws we have, and should be respected and followed. Or we can do what some would really like, tear up our Constitution and Flush this Nation into the History Books as Failed!!

The Secretary and the Veterans

If Shinseki and his agency can accomplish that, it would be an enormous boon to those veterans who struggle to see therapists, nurses and doctors while satisfying the multiple recordkeepers who stand along the way. It's a huge and worthwhile endeavor, and a big step forward from the benign neglect that seemed to characterize the handling of veterans issues by the previous administration.

It's a huge and worthwhile endeavor, and a big step forward from the benign neglect that seemed to characterize the handling of veterans issues by the previous administration.

And not just the previous admin. but the Congresses as well, controlled by those who still call themselves "Strong on National Defense" as they rubber stamped everything wanted by the admin. and did nothing themselves, narry a thought as they beat the drums of war!! And since the new administration came in have played obstructionist, not only to funding and needs but also to Veterans Administration Appointee's, holding up those much needed appointments for no reason while we still have soldiers in harms way in those two theaters they cheered on and rubber stamped everything for, everything but what was really needed!

VA Secretary Shinseki, speaking in Portland, vows government will 'do better'

"We must do better," Secretary Eric Shinseki told standing-room-only crowds at two appearances in Portland. The Obama appointee said that within 60 days, he will act on a July report linking Agent Orange to Parkinson's and heart diseases. He also outlined plans to bring millions more veterans into the VA system, cut the six-month delay for disability claims and, in admittedly one of the most ambitious undertakings discussed by the agency, end homelessness for veterans.

"We are going to take 131,000 veterans off the street in the next five years," he told the Blinded Veterans Association. "Unless I put an ambitious target on the table, I don't know how we'll start."...........

Right Wing Militia's, Out Of Control? The Vipers!!

Two short discussions, reports, about the Domestic Terrorist within, the known and unknown Militia's, and the connection to those packin in Phoenix and elsewhere, in the large crowds for a Presidential Visit. With Children in that crowd! Incompetent gunowners misusing their interpretation of the Laws, and their total lack of common sense and civility in a civil society, as well as using those Children and the Crowd of Innocent Civilians as Human Shields should anything happen, making the possibility of that easier, looking an awful lot like Insurgents and Criminal Terrorist in our Wars of Choice, or those label as Terrorist anywhere!!



And On Rachels Show:



When This Occurs

I want to see Video's, readily available in todays world, not only of those packing and being interviewed about their twisted points of ideology, but of The Children Near and Around Them, and Pointed Out By The Talking Heads, equally incompetent by not even considering this obvious fact!!

When Protest Becomes Intimidation

Leave The Guns At Home

Try a thought experiment: What would conservatives have said if a group of loud, scruffy leftists had brought guns to the public events of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush?

How would our friends on the right have reacted to someone at a Reagan or a Bush speech carrying a sign that read: "It is time to water the tree of liberty"? That would be a reference to Thomas Jefferson's declaration that the tree "must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."............

How much security did $1 trillion buy?

I'm not going to add anything, I've been saying what this video, and the series Robert Greenwald is putting together for eight damn years, and I haven't been alone!!

Rethink Afghanistan (Part 6): Security

FORWARD THIS VIDEO TO 5 FRIENDS!

The war in Afghanistan is increasing the likelihood that American civilians will be killed in a future terrorist attack.

Part 6 of Rethink Afghanistan, Security, brings you three former high-ranking CIA agents to explain why.

There is no "victory" to be won in Afghanistan. It is the most important video about U.S. Security today.

Become a Rethink Afghanistan Producer

8.19.09

6 More Soldiers KILLED!!

6 US troops die in Afghanistan ahead of election

The U.S. military said Wednesday six American troops were killed in Afghanistan, as militants killed six election workers amid growing fears on the eve of the presidential election that insurgents would mar the vote.

Two troops were killed in gunfire in the south on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, while a third was killed in an unspecified hostile attack. The U.S. also said a roadside bomb Tuesday in the south killed two troops, while another died of noncombat-related injuries. No other details were released.

The deaths bring to at least 32 the number of American troops killed in the country this month, a record pace................

New Orleans, Four Years Later

As we approach the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we're sure to start seeing some brief nods toward the event in the mainstream media: photos of people stranded on rooftops and bridges, maybe some re-runs of Anderson Cooper's on-air breakdown, along with a few heartwarming stories of survival and rescue to keep us from feeling too guilty about having abandoned an entire city of poor people to their fate.

What's less likely to receive much coverage is the aftermath of the storm--the years of neglect, the government-approved corporate ripoffs, and the ongoing suffering that persists to this day.......................

Inspired by Fallen Son,

Father Completes Book on Iraq

Staff Sgt. Darrell "Skip" Griffin Jr. wanted to give Americans a close-up view of his two tours of duty in Iraq, so they could see the blood and grit in the aftermath of an attack on a convoy, and feel his anxiety in watching the lives of ordinary Iraqis fall part in the crossfire between sectarian killers and the soldiers who hunted them.

His plans to write a book with his father, Darrell Griffin Sr., were cut short by a sniper's bullet in Baghdad on March 21, 2007..............

Their Book: "Last Journey: A Father and Son in Wartime"

Publisher Comments:

The harrowing true story of a father and his son, a staff sergeant killed in Iraq: a tribute to the "great conversation" they shared and the book they had intended to complete together.

Staff Sergeant Darrell "Skip" Griffin, Jr., was killed in action on March 21, 2007, during his second tour of duty in Iraq. He had been awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor for dragging a comrade to safety through enemy gunfire. He was in the middle of collaborating with his father on a book compiled from their correspondence about life and death and the great works of Western civilization. Tentatively titled The Great Conversation, it was an attempt to describe and make sense of the destruction he had seen in Iraq. His father, Darrell Griffin, Sr., was going to help him finish writing it that summer, after his scheduled homecoming.

In the aftermath of Skip's death, Darrell, Sr., took it upon himself to finish the book. He traveled to Iraq, experiencing the war firsthand and meeting his son's comrades. Driven by a conviction that Americans do not know enough about the war they have been fighting for the past six years, The Great Conversation is a telling account of everyday life for soldiers in Iraq. It is a raw glimpse of the conflict, but also an intimate portrait of a lost son, a meditation on the war, and finally a tribute to the lively philosophical debates the Griffins used to share. Included is email correspondence with Skip throughout his time in the military as well as original photographs from the front lines that chronicle the violence of combat and its toll on society. Passionate and inspiring, The Great Conversation serves as a reminder of the human cost of war.

1979: Afghanistan

1979: Recalling The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan

As part of a series of conversations marking 1979 as a seminal year in the Muslim world, Afghan-born Amin Tarzi talks with Steve Inskeep about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Tarzi is director of Middle East studies at the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. He was 15 when the Soviets attacked the presidential palace in Kabul, which Tarzi witnessed from a short distance away.

The link will bring up their player to listen in.

Sen. Webb: On Myanmar

Sen. Webb: U.S. Can Help Myanmar Move Forward

NPR: This morning, 8.19.09, link should bring up their player to listen. He makes some real important points, and for me clears up some as to questions of where he was going with his stand. Thought he was looking at it like we should have with Vietnam and once we did reality developed!

Amen Barney, Amen!!

Barney Frank Responds To Nazi Question:

At a Barney Frank town hall meeting in Dartmouth, MA, a constituent asks, "Why are you supporting this Nazi policy?"

Frank responds: "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" He then calls her approach "vile, contemptible nonsense." He closes by saying: "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table."

Our Dirty Little Secrets

Brazil Conspired with U.S. to Overthrow Allende

Declassified U.S. Documents Show Richard Nixon and Brazilian President Emilio Médici Discussed Coordinated Intervention in Chile, Cuba, and other Latin American nations "to prevent new Allendes and Castros"

Secret Back Channel established between Presidents

Brazilian General Accused U.S. of Asking Brazil to "do its dirty work"

National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 282

Posted - August 16, 2009

In December 1971, President Richard Nixon and Brazilian President Emilio Garrastazú Médici discussed Brazil’s role in efforts to overthrow the elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, formerly Top Secret records posted by the National Security Archive today reveal. According to a declassified memorandum of conversation, Nixon asked Médici whether the Chilean military was capable of overthrowing Allende. “He felt that they were…,” Médici replied, “and made clear that Brazil was working toward this end.”

The Top Secret “memcon” of the December 9, 1971, Oval Office meeting indicates that Nixon offered his approval and support for Brazil’s intervention in Chile. “The President said that it was very important that Brazil and the United States work closely in this field. We could not take direction but if the Brazilians felt that there was something we could do to be helpful in this area, he would like President Médici to let him know. If money were required or other discreet aid, we might be able to make it available. This should be held in the greatest confidence.”

The U.S. and Brazil, Nixon told Médici, “must try and prevent new Allendes and Castros and try where possible to reverse these trends.”..................Rest Here

"Mad as Hell Doctors"

Embark on Cross Country Care-A-Van to Demand Single-Payer from Congress

Frustrated with the health care 'options' coming out of Washington, D.C., six "Mad as Hell" Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) August 13, 2009 -- Frustrated with the health care 'options' coming out of Washington, D.C., six "Mad as Hell" Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system. A big part of their plan is to take the entire country with them.

Called a "Care-A-Van," these road-tripping Oregon physicians will leave in a used motor home from Portland, Oregon on September 8th, inviting doctors and ordinary citizens from other states to join them on their twenty-city tour across the country. Their journey will culminate in a D.C.-based event on September 30th, scheduled to take place on the steps of Congress. Demonstrating with the doctors will be thousands of fellow 'Mad as Hell' single-payer advocates, all adorned with the movement's new symbol - the white ribbon. Their demand: Single-Payer Now!

"We're mad as hell because our health care system is run by people who profit from illness" says Dr. Paul Hochfeld, lead Mad As Hell Doctor and producer of the documentary 'Health, Money and Fear.' "The rest of the civilized world has test driven single payer and it works. But elected officials in America won't even allow a discussion." ............Rest of Press Release Here

Our 2.5 Trillion Dollar Health Care Factory


Health, Money and Fear


Mad As Hell Doctors

HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE - NOT PROFIT!

Mad as Hell

You CAN handle the Truth

There's no nice way to say it. The financial cost of health care is killing our citizens, hobbling our economy, crushing small business, and threatening the solvency of our government. In the meantime, the Health Care Industry is spending almost two million dollars a day lobbying Congress and manipulating public opinion to accept “reform” legislation that leaves a vicious, for-profit system intact. The "public option" is a trap. We need real reform that finds immediate savings, controls costs, and accomplishes the moral imperative of true Universal Access. A Single Payer plan is the only real path to a Health Care System that is socially, ethically and fiscally responsible. And yet, our elected officials refuse to even discuss the possibility of a Single Payer plan!
If that doesn't make you mad, we recommend checking your pulse............Visit Their Site Here

In Rural Virginia, Relief is Rare for Uninsured


CNN Interviews Health Insurance Whistleblower


Britain's former Deputy Prime Minister tells America - "Ignore Hannan. Britain's proud of the NHS!"


Right-Wing Health Care Group Tricked British Women Into Appearing In Anti-Reform Ad

Earlier this year, Conservatives for Patients Rights (CPR), an anti-health care reform group led by the disgraced former CEO of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Rick Scott, began running a commercial attacking the British health care system. The TV ad runs through “tragic stories” of British citizens who it portrays as being against government-run health care such as the National Health Service (NHS). Watch it:................