If In New York City on Sept 10th 2010

Please join New York Neighbors for American Values for our Candlelight Vigil

On the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, we will join together in support of the American constitutional values of religious freedom, diversity, and equality, and the rights of Muslim Americans to build a community center at 51 Park Place.

Please bring candles and American flags, but no signs. We are gathering in peaceful, respectful remembrance and unity. Our program will include music and words of wisdom from faith leaders and elected officials. Please wear white in solidarity and peace. Visit Site for More Info and a Down-loadable Flyer

Lots of Bitterness Towards America

Talking to just a few of the still multi-miilions of Iraqi Refugee's we created, and what they think and are now living, in destroying their country and bringing on the sectarian clashes!!

AIR DATE: Sept. 6, 2010
Iraqis Who Fled War Often Face Long Exile

SUMMARY
Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Jordan on the day-to-day difficulties of Iraqi refugees. Some refugees have fled from their homeland to avoid the conflict in Iraq and will probably never return home.



Transcript

JEFFREY BROWN: And, finally, to Iraq's refugees. Over the last three weeks, Margaret Warner reported from Iraq on the country's transition to providing its own security. Tonight, special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro has this story from neighboring Jordan on Iraqis who fled years of conflict and may never return home.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Dr. Jalal Al Baya is much better off than most of the 500,000 or so Iraqi refugees in Jordan. He has a job in a busy practice here in Amman. But it's a serious comedown for a man who was one of Iraq's top dental surgeons.

Snip

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Aid workers worry about the emerging generation. Many have seen their education disrupted, further handicapping them in any job market. And Fadia, who says she enjoyed a stable middle-class life under Saddam Hussein, thinks many youths will carry forward the bitterness her generation harbors.

WOMAN (through translator): I definitely blame the Americans for everything that's happening, for the death of my brother, for the death of my brother-in-law. I blame them for poor policies, shooting at families, going into homes.

My nephew, he's a young kid. I can't tell him to love America even though they killed your dad. So, he's going to have a lot of bitterness towards America. And it's going to grow up in his entire generation. {Rest of Transcript}

And the hateful rhetoric here in the U.S., continued this past decade and growing even more so now, will create even more hate and disgust towards us and not only from that region but much of the world

SYRIA: Iraqi refugee children dropping out of school

Photo: Julien Lennert/IRIN: Many Iraqi children in Syria work to help their families (file photo)

7 September 2010 (IRIN) - Iraqi refugee children in Syria are struggling to keep up at school, or are dropping out to seek paid work, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Education is absolutely central to the future of all children. Having a generation not equipped to participate in the economy of their country serves no one,” said Sherazade Boualia, UNICEF head in Syria.

Syria, which took in up to 1.2 million of the two million refugees who fled sectarian violence in the wake of the 2003 war in Iraq, opened its public education system to the refugees, but many are unable to benefit.

Children often work to bring in extra income for their families. Iraqis are not legally allowed to work in Syria and black market jobs often pay just 100 SYP (US$2) per day, according to the refugees. {read more}

'personalizes' war

Temporary memorial 'personalizes' war

Arlington Northwest: 2,200 simulated headstones displayed bayside

September 06, 2010 - Tacoma - Jeri Marie Bennett was jolted Sunday by thousands of simulated grave markers lining the grass along Ruston Way, bearing silent testimony to the lives lost in Iraq.

“It startled me (with) the enormity of it,” the Puyallup woman said. “When you stop and realize how many young people we’ve lost, it makes you feel sick.”

Bennett was driving to Point Defiance for a hike when she spotted the traveling graveyard and felt compelled to pull over and walk among the headstones.

The Arlington Northwest Memorial moves from city to city, serving as a reminder that the 4,416 American service members who have died in the war are more than just a number. They had names, dreams and families who love them.

They are still missed, and will not be forgotten.

“This is a message on the true cost of war,” said Ray Nacanaynay, president of the Tacoma chapter of Veterans for Peace, which sponsored the event. “These are real people.” {read more}

U.S. Exports

Not just there as many on this planet, consumers and businesses, have moved to others after the past decade, some returned in the last few years but they're now watching the rhetoric here and you can bet they are paying attention!!

In Latin America, U.S. exports are losing market share

September 6, 2010 - Here's something that should be sounding alarm bells in Washington: Latin American countries — which have long been big buyers of U.S. goods — are increasingly making a larger chunk of their purchases from other parts of the world.

While U.S. exports to the region are growing, in some cases significantly, their percentage of Latin America's overall imports is shrinking. To put it in economists' jargon, U.S. exports are losing market share in Latin America.

Consider the latest figures from the World Trade Atlas, which lists official figures submitted by each country: {read more}

Worth the Costs? Not!!!

And oh is so many ways Not, So Many!

The war in Iraq: Was it worth the cost?

September 05, 2010 - Where did all the yellow ribbons go?

Once, those symbols of support were everywhere as America sent its first troops to Iraq in 2003. Stuck on car bumpers, refrigerators and yes, even tied around that old oak tree. And flags, too, waving wherever they could be hoisted in a patriotic tsunami of red, white and blue.



The retired Army officer who served in Vietnam, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2007, doesn't believe the United States learned anything from either war. "I think Americans generally, and American political leaders in Washington are both so eager to put Iraq in our rearview mirror that we're really missing a great opportunity to learn from this catastrophic experience," he said. {read more}

If we do no Accountability the coming decades will prove out how wrong and failed the policies were, especially as to National Security and more!

And why haven't we heard the super patriotic beck {becker even used a veterans org to get a better label for his tax purposes as to his rally of change and the hockey puck was right along for the ride!} or hockey puck types, and their legions of followers, Demanding 'Sacrifice' to care and fulfill the promises to this new generation of combat Vets they say they Oh So Support? We won't, they are no different then those for us returning 'Nam Vets and the Korean Vets before that!!

$3 trillion and beyond

When ever you hear Anyone speaking about Tax Cuts, especially that they create jobs but that's another issue, what they are saying is that they had no problem Rubber Stamping Everything for Their Wars of Choice and Now They Once Again Don't Want To Pony Up In Keeping The Promises Made To Those They Sent and Are Still Sending, DeJa-Vu all over again!!

The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond

September 5, 2010 - Writing in these pages in early 2008, we put the total cost to the United States of the Iraq war at $3 trillion. This price tag dwarfed previous estimates, including the Bush administration's 2003 projections of a $50 billion to $60 billion war.

But today, as the United States ends combat in Iraq, it appears that our $3 trillion estimate (which accounted for both government expenses and the war's broader impact on the U.S. economy) was, if anything, too low. For example, the cost of diagnosing, treating and compensating disabled veterans has proved higher than we expected. {read more}

Who Was Viewing The Intelligence??

Why is it the Brits, and others, are asking the questions we here in the U.S. should have been demanding answers of long ago as we led the Destructive Fiasco's of the past decade, Why??

If British armed forces chiefs weren't seeing intelligence, who was?

In an extract from his new book, Gen Sir Richard Dannatt reflects on the invasion of Iraq and Britain's involvement in Afghanistan.

05 Sep 2010 - There was also growing focus on the intelligence that underpinned the case for war with Iraq. This has been well documented by the Butler Inquiry, but my abiding recollection of the intelligence to which I was privy is just how thin it was. The UK’s case for war was based on the existence in Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, as regime change was, apparently, not an objective that the UK could support, at least officially. But I found the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction most uncompelling, and could only assume that the really key stuff was kept for the eyes of the most senior people. But who were they? I was seeing the intelligence as the Assistant Chief because periodically I stood in for Mike Walker at the chiefs of staff meetings. So if the chiefs were not seeing the killer intelligence, who was – if it actually existed at all? {read more}

Dannatt: why we are so bad at buying military kit

"Where America Stands"

With the construction industry in the toilet across all aspects and across the country believe me I know what this country has been ignoring, we have a big problem with doing that on a whole host of issues {like sending military into invading then long occupations and not listening to them thus not caring for many when they return}, for decades should have been at least more than just started to be taken care of {some states and communities did use stimulus monies for just that but once no money preventive maintenance, or replacement, once again stops} as the collapsed economy started and those with the wealth {that's how most of theirs is made with breaks given on taxes enhanced development packages just to attract companies and much much more} should be main contributors to upgrading our Deteriorating Infrastructure, and it ain't just bridges and roads!!

America's Crumbling Roads and Bridges

CBS News Series "Where America Stands" Assesses Nation's Infastructure Read More

{this pic could be used for so many issues about this country at this time, so many! js}

America's Failing Infrastructure

Fri Sep 03 16:22:34 PDT 2010

The American Society of Civil Engineers issues a report card every 4 years on the state of America's infrastructure. In the last two report cards, the nation got a D. Richard Schlesinger continues the series "CBS Reports: Where America Stands" with the state of America's infrastructure. {read the news report}

Ignoring infrastructure preventive maintenance, everything built can't just be left alone and ignored, costs tons more to fix then any costs related to that ongoing preventive maintenance, much much more as it breaks down, roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, homes you name it it all needs ongoing preventive maintenance.

It seemed some of this was once recognized but as this so called new capitalism was implemented during the last some three decades wealth to the top leaving them the only capitalist, everything that is common sense and good business practice has been thrown to the side just so investors {who really have nothing to do with that they're invested in nor know much about} and those in the executive suites can reap from the growing bottom line {growing as money isn't invested in needs, we saw exactly that with the gulf oil spill}

Theirs the other side of the coin, the worker is apart of that infrastructure, especially in this new type of capitalism where they're treated more as bodies or even mechanical beings, not human, and pushed to breaking points to just replace as they break down.

Companies grew into corporations once by caring for name, quality of product, customer care and customer service while treating their employee's with at least some level of respect, understanding that without them not only producing that quality product but improving on as they produced and developed better ways. There's always been a need for the worker to fight for some of that respect, wages for demands on them as they recognized the growth, personal safety in producing the quality needs, a piece of that bottom line pie, i.e. capitalism shared.

We now see corporations or companies growing by buying out each other for billions, not millions, we see those in the executive suites reaping tens of millions in compensation yearly, even if they fail, instead of tens of thousands, we see comany and corporate writeoff perks grow with new ways sought thus making it so these executives or business owners don't really need to purchase much except the expensive toys, and some of those toys become writeoffs, they seek for vanity, those writeoffs are paid by everyone who actually works, so the capitalism is there to share, Real Capitalism, Real Sharing, Thus Real Growth! Instead our economy and money is based on what happens at the big casino on wall street and damn the rest!

This short piece speaks well to not only whats going on now but has been growing in these past decades and greatly contributed to the collapse our economy may never recover from, or at least recover to even be close to what the new capitalist want once again.

AIR DATE: Sept. 3, 2010 Stress, Burnout Taking Toll on Many Still in U.S. Workforce

SUMMARY
As part of his ongoing series of reports on Making Sense of financial news, Paul Solman's reports how economic woes aren't just hard on the unemployed. As the recession drags on, many of those who are employed say they're overworked and underpaid.

JIM LEHRER: Now to another part of the labor story. It's about those who have jobs, but are being asked to do ever more.

NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the rise of the so-called burned-out worker. {Transcript}

We are treating employee's, as we supposedly advance as a society, once again like robots or mechanical beings not humans. We've sold the higher education meme into an industry with assembly lines and created titles etc. to make all with those pieces of paper of intelligence, smarter then those without, feel superior as they are also put into the mill of demand more of and are as disposable.

We are ignoring our once envied infrastructure and someday it will all collapse not just what's been going on and rapidly growing in occurrences that most times causes great delays. We already have started the destruction of our once envied workforce as we've destroyed our once envied production of quality products and services. We ignore the experienced who found the cracks in the systems and the mistakes and developed the fixes and can recognize quicker when somethings wrong, putting them out to pasture, for the younger inexperienced but supposedly more intelligent and most important supposed more stamina so as to work better with the growing work loads demanded. In the ever growing American Arrogance and Apathy, we still think we are better then all others, we ignore what our parents and grandparents had worked so hard and already built for us and those lessons as we took advantage of it all and then discard it for the personal not the community wants and needs!

We're destroying the society from the inside out and top down like so many who did so before us!!

Way Past Time!!!

It's way past Time the Country does what they should have Years Ago, Way Past!!

With new 'AO' rule out, VA readies spigot of payments

3 September 2010 - The Department of Veterans Affairs published its final regulation Aug. 31 for compensating Vietnam veterans with ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease or B-cell leukemia, or their surviving spouses.

Veterans diagnosed with these diseases only will have to show they stepped foot in Vietnam sometime from Jan. 9, 1962 through May 7, 1975, to qualify for service-connected disability ratings and compensation.

The first batch of payments will be made immediately after Oct. 30, when a required 60-day review period for Congress will expire. {read more}

Don't like those taxes but love those wars, well it's pony up time and we're going to make sure the present veterans don't end up fighting the same battles that have been fought these past decades!!!

Critic Review for The Tillman Story

The Tillman Story

Debunking the myth-making of the U.S. military

September 3, 2010 - In an otherwise slack season at the movies, "The Tillman Story" emerges as the summer's first true must-see film, required viewing for everyone, but especially audiences in Washington. Because even though Pat Tillman's personal story began in California, took him to Arizona and tragically ended in Afghanistan in 2004, the Tillman story writ large has everything to do with this city, its obsession with power and perceptions. {read more}

Not just debunking the Military but the CiC, his controllers and the congress at that time!!

Trailer

Intellectuals as to War and Militarization

Intellectuals have responsibilities in times of war and militarization

September 1, 2010 - In a series of articles in the Harvard Crimson, published in March 2008, student muckraker Lois Beckett reviewed similar questions of responsibility and accountability, but extended them to the role of intellectuals in times of war, specifically the U.S. invasion of Iraq. As with many past U.S. wars, prominent Harvard intellectuals admittedly played a leading role in administering official support for, and justification of, the war. And there were some cases in which Harvard intellectuals uncomfortably understood the possible consequences of the war, but didn’t speak up because they didn’t want to seem unpatriotic among their peers, who shared similarly silent reservations.

The U.S. invasion of Iraq resulted in the destruction of human life comparable in number with the Rwandan Genocide and the Cambodian killing fields based on the September 2007 outstanding report by British polling agency ORB, the Opinion Research Business. The U.S. invasion resulted in roughly 1 million violent deaths.

Snip

There’s one important distinction, however. Using words or phrases like “getting it wrong” or “mistake” or “misconduct” assumes that, in the U.S., we have the right to “experiment” on another country with a war whose disastrous consequences and inherent injustice are easily detectable by anyone, whether a Harvard intellectual or a local bus driver.

True, Harvard academicians could argue ­— as in usual misconduct cases — that they didn’t intend to help cause the murder and displacement of millions of people, being directly complicit in the crimes that resulted from the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

But, as elementary legal and moral principles reflect, criminal responsibility is not judged by intention, but by the real or likely consequences of the act, or failure to act.

And serious precedents are not far off in history within American society.

Snip

At the International Criminal Tribunals at Nuremberg following World War II, U.S. justices applied these very standards to intellectuals of Nazi Germany: from Julius Streicher, editor of a leading newspaper, to Wolfram Sievers of the University of Strasbourg. Both cases were judged on the basis of the defendants’ prominent cultural, political and so-called “scientific” work and ideas which, wittingly or unwittingly, supported the vicious crimes perpetuated by the Nazis. And both intellectuals were hanged for them. {read more}

Tony Blair is Certifiably Nuts

I just listened to this interview and can now say what many, me included, have thought all along, not only about him but as to our own previous administration, he's certifiably crazy! I mean that in the so called World View, especially of righteousness, he just spoke. What's going on has Nothing to do with any religious ideology but does for those who want to use that as their excuse, boy do they got some splanin to do at the pearly gates. He seems to Not Understand that humans going into others countries and Destroying Them as that Kills and Maims Tens of Thousands plus and Millions of Refugees is Not going to create Rage and Hatred, not only in those countries but from others on the planet. He and like are beyond nuts, Way Beyond!!

Tony Blair On War, Globalization And 'My Political Life'

2 September 2010 - This week, Knopf will publish A Journey: My Political Life, Tony Blair's memoir.

NPR's Steve Inskeep had a conversation with the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, focusing on the war in Iraq, globalization, and Blair's political career.

Inskeep asked Blair for a "word or a sentence or a phrase" that would describe how he feels about the war in Iraq, some seven years after it began.

In the interview, as in his book, Blair chose to say that he has "a deep sense of responsibility," which prompted this exchange: {read more

Listen to the full discussion below but it's also broken into sections of different issues at the site link above.

Beckapalooza

Sam Fulwood III unpacks Glenn Beck’s new religious revival focus on the Mall.


Race and Beyond: God Made Me Do It

One sign left out, in the above, Using Military and Veteran Personal as a patriotic? theme but Not Once Demanding 'Sacrifice' from the Flock and that Flock not demanding same!!

One of Our 'Gifts' to Iraq

Trauma leaves an indelible mark

Numerous bombings since 2003 have left many severely traumatized

1 September 2010 (IRIN) - US President Barack Obama may have hailed the end of US combat operations in Iraq, but the seven-year war has left an indelible mark on many ordinary people who are still traumatized by the horrific things they experienced.

Whenever he sees a speeding car, Ammar Khalil Sadiq recalls the summer of 2006 when a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle into a police patrol a few metres from his Baghdad music shop.

Seconds later Sadiq, 34, found himself lying underneath the shop shelves and shattered glass, the air heavy with smoke, dust and a strong smell of TNT. Ignoring his injuries, he knew he had to get out to check on his brother who was in the street just before the explosion.

“The smell of burnt human flesh and the yells of the wounded are still in my nose and ears,” Sadiq said. “I can’t forget how I walked on pieces of human flesh until I recognized my brother’s dismembered body by the watch which was still on his left wrist.” {read more}

"Iraq war became a nightmare"

Sorry there Tony but it was known headed towards much more then a 'nightmare' with the first beat of the drums of war of choice and you will be remembered, and judged, as a Main Participant beating those drums!! Even millions of Brits were telling you so and you choose, as your masters cheney and bush labeled, to ignore the 'focus groups' who were not proven wrong!

Tony Blair: 'Iraq war became a nightmare I failed to foresee'

01 Sep 2010 - Tony Blair did not use his memoir to issue the full apology that has long been demanded of him for leading Britain into the Iraq war – but he admitted failing to foresee the “nightmare” that unfolded after he committed British troops to the conflict in 2003. {read more}

Reg Keys, whose son was killed in Iraq, says Tony Blair should have used his autobiography to offer an apology for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.



And Iraqi's will 'Remember' not just one day but seven years, 2555 days, and still counting!

"In fairness, we’ve been putting ground zeros next to mosques in Iraq since 2003."

Iraqi Concerns in Their Extremely Unstable Country

ANALYSIS AIR DATE: Aug. 31, 2010
Uncertainty, Security Concerns Grow Among Iraqis Amid U.S. Drawdown

SUMMARY
Margaret Warner continues her series of reports from Iraq with a look at how Iraqi citizens feel about their safety, security and future amid the U.S. troop drawdown.Transcript