Tony The Tiger

Since the July 7th terrorist attack in London, Britain has devised its own form of the U.S. Patriot Act. The attitudes that have come into play since then has been to stop anyone from speaking out against government policy and it seems to have hit pretty close to home for some. ~Charee

Stifling Iraq dissent backfires on Blair
Thursday 29 September 2005
Anti Iraqi-war sentiments remain strong in the UK

Britain's Tony Blair has apologised to an 82-year-old man ejected from the annual conference of his Labour Party for heckling over Iraq, catapulting the divisive war back into the headlines. The heavy-handed removal of Walter Wolfgang on Wednesday backfired for the Labour leadership, with some delegates saying it reflected an internal climate which put too much emphasis on maintaining control and silencing dissent.

"You cannot stifle debate by hiring heavies," said Wolfgang, who received a hero's welcome as he returned to the conference.

"We made a mistake, I believe, in invading Iraq without cause. We've got to rectify it by withdrawing from Iraq. If you try to ignore it, it will not go away," he said.

Wolfgang's expulsion was splashed across the front pages of several national newspapers and dominated the news on the final day of the meeting in the seaside town of Brighton.

Party intolerance

"This indicates a wider culture of control and intolerance of dissent," said David Clark, a former adviser to the late Robin Cook, one of Labour's most prominent opponents of the war.

But Defence Secretary John Reid, who also apologised to Wolfgang, insisted Labour had a culture of being able to debate controversial subjects such as Iraq without questioning other people's integrity or sincerity.

"People are perfectly entitled to freedom of speech in our country ... and I'm really sorry about what happened to Walter and I've apologised to him"

Tony Blair,
British Prime Minister

Anger over the decision to back the 2003 US led invasion split Labour and Britain and continues to dog Blair

Analysts say the prime minister's fate is inextricably linked to events in Iraq, where British troops came under heavy attack this month and elections are set for December.

Losing support.

Blair won a third straight term in May but opposition to the war contributed to a slide in Labour's parliamentary majority.

The prime minister has said he will not run in an expected 2009 election but he seems keen to stay for several years before he is expected to hand over to finance minister Gordon Brown. Burly stewards grabbed Wolfgang and bundled him out of the conference on Wednesday after he interrupted Foreign Secretary Jack Straw as he said British troops were in Iraq to help build a secure and stable country and would stay as long as needed.

"That's a lie and you know it ... Rubbish," shouted Wolfgang, a refugee from Nazi Germany and a party member for 57 years.

Wolfgang was briefly arrested using anti-terrorism powers. "People are perfectly entitled to freedom of speech in our country ... and I'm really sorry about what happened to Walter and I've apologised to him," Blair told BBC Television.

Reuters

http://Aljazeera.net/

Tony Blair: Man Of The People?

It seems that the American people are not the only ones who have their doubts about their nations leader. Britain's Tony Blair looks to be having some problems with the confidence of his people as well. ~Charee

Blair out of step as voters swing behind Iraq withdrawal
· ICM poll: 51% want plans for troops to leave
· PM admits surprise over ferocity of insurgency

Julian Glover and Michael White
Monday September 26, 2005
The Guardian

Tony Blair is at now at odds with the public over keeping troops in Iraq according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today which shows that voters want Britain to set a timetable for pulling troops out of the country despite the worsening security situation.

The poll also shows rapidly rising dissatisfaction with Mr Blair's leadership. Only 41% of voters are persuaded by the prime minister's argument that troops have a duty to remain in the country until things improve. By contrast, a majority of voters, 51%, want the government to set out plans to withdraw troops from Iraq regardless of the situation in the country.

Yesterday Mr Blair again argued that no arbitrary date should be set for withdrawal. In a BBC interview he said: "I have absolutely no doubt as to what we should do. We should stick with it."

But the poll, taken after last week's attack on British troops in Basra, shows that a clear majority, 64%, believe the situation in the country is worsening despite the presence of British forces. Just 12% now share Mr Blair's belief that British troops are actually helping to improve the security situation.

Support for Britain's presence in Iraq appears to be dropping in the wake of repeated attacks on coalition forces and the growing prospect of civil war in the country. At the start of this year ICM found 38% of voters believed the war against Iraq was justified, with 47% arguing that it was not.

Mr Blair insisted he will not withdraw British troops from Iraq until the country's emerging democracy and its armed forces are strong enough to cope alone, even as he admitted that the "ferocity" of recent attacks had caught him by surprise.

As Mr Blair spoke, John Reid, his defence secretary, denied British troops would begin a withdrawal from Iraq next May regardless of conditions there, or that ministers have a specific timetable for doing so. "There will then be a process - it won't happen overnight - where the [Iraqi security forces] gradually take the lead, we gradually withdraw to barracks and we gradually withdraw from Iraq itself."

Today's poll also shows the surge in support for the prime minister in the wake of his response to the London bombings is fading fast. It finds growing dissatisfaction with Mr Blair's leadership amid a widespread belief that he is devoting too much time to international issues. Most voters, 58%, are now unhappy with the job he is doing as prime minister, a reversal of the position in last month's Guardian/ICM poll, when a majority of voters said they were happy with him.

Mr Blair continues to retain majority support among Labour voters, with 68% backing him. But overall only 39% of voters are now satisfied with his leadership. That represents a sharp fall from 47% last month. One explanation may be that 71% of voters say Mr Blair is devoting too much time to international issues. That includes 69% of Labour voters who think this is the case. Overall only 25% disagree.

· ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,009 adults aged 18+ on September 23-24 2005. Interviews were conducted countrywide by telephone and the results have been weighted to be representative of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

"Queen" Maureen on The Conservation President

Dancing in the Dark
By MAUREEN DOWD Published: September 28, 2005 WASHINGTON

I can't wait to see what's next.
Dick Cheney carpooling downtown with Brownie? Rummy Rollerblading down the bike path to the Pentagon? Condi huddling by a Watergate fireplace in a gray cardigan?

Maybe now that our hydrocarbon president is the conservation president, he'll downgrade from Air Force One to a solar-powered Piper Cub as he continues to stalk the Gulf Coast towns and oil rigs like Banquo's ghost.

The once disciplined and swaggering Bush administration has descended into slapstick, more comical even than having Clarence Thomas et al. sit in judgment as Anna Nicole Smith attempts to get more of the moolah of her late oil tycoon husband.

We've got the clownish Brownie still on FEMA's payroll, giving advice on cleaning up the mess he made. ( Let's hope the White House is paying him only long enough to buy his good will, not to take any of his bad advice.)

We've got two oilmen in the White House whose administration was built on urging us to consume and buy as much oil and energy as possible. Now they're suddenly urging us to conserve. (Since Mr. Cheney considers conservation a "personal virtue," at least he'll get some virtue.)

The president called on Americans to drive less, and told his staff members to turn off their computers at night, turn down the air-conditioning, form carpools and take the bus.

At the same time, he set a fine example by wasting gazillions of gallons of fuel with all the planes and Secret Service vans and press motorcades and police escorts that follow him around every time he goes on one of his inane photo-ops from the Colorado bunker to what's left of the Mississippi Delta and the Bayou. He did his part by knocking off a few cars from his motorcade on his seventh trip to the gulf yesterday - but if residents had hoped he'd bring them some water, they went thirsty.

"Even so," as The Times's Elisabeth Bumiller wrote, "security dictated that Mr. Bush's still-impressive caravan pick him up at the base of Air Force One in Lake Charles, La. - and drop him off just yards away for a meeting with local officials at an airport terminal."

Noting that the Bush administration has proposed new fuel economy standards that critics say could make huge S.U.V.'s and pickups even more popular, Reuters published some arithmetic about the president's notorious fuel inefficiency.Air Force One costs $83,200 to fill up and more than $6,000 per hour to fly. Then there's the cost of helicopters and a 2006 Cadillac DTS limo that gets less than 22 miles per gallon.

Karen Hughes, the Bush nanny who knows nothing about the Muslim world and yet is charged with selling the U.S. to it, wasted even more fuel this week flying to Saudi Arabia to tell women covered from head to toe in black how much she likes driving even though they can't.

She knows so little about the Middle East that she looked taken aback when some Saudi women told her that just because they could not vote or drive did not mean that they felt they were treated unfairly. One thing Saudi women like even less than not having certain rights is to have hypocritical Americans patronize them.

The moment when America should have used its influence to help Saudi women came on Nov. 6, 1990, as U.S. forces gathered in the kingdom to go to war in Iraq the first time. Inspired by the U.S. troops, including female soldiers, 47 women from the Saudi intelligentsia took the wheels from their brothers and husbands and drove until the police stopped them.

They were branded "whores" and "harlots" by Saudi clerics, had their passports revoked, and were ostracized from society for a dozen years. Even their husbands suffered.

The experience made them more angry at the U.S. than at their own rulers. They feel that the Bushes play up the repression of women in the Middle East when it suits their desire to bang the war drums, but do not care what happens to women once the ideological agenda has been achieved.

They feel the administration and the American media have emphasized the repression of Saudi women post-9/11 as a way to demonize Saudi Arabia and paint Saudi men as bullies and terrorists.

When Ms. Hughes goes to Saudi Arabia to introduce herself as "a mom" and to talk about Americans as people of faith, guzzling fuel all the way in a country getting flush selling us oil, I think we can consider it taxpayer money well spent.

W. doesn't really need to worry about turning down the lights in the White House. The place is already totally in the dark.

Afghanistan's Elections: A Witness Account

It appears that free democratic elections in Afghanistan left something to be desired this past week. Low voter turnout was the name of the game. ~Charee

The GuardianWorldNews
Democratic disillusionment
The low turnout for Afghanistan's parliamentary elections has given Hamid Karzai plenty of reasons to worry, says Declan Walsh
Friday September 23, 2005

Something felt wrong. My car raced through Kabul, a strained city normally clogged with people, choked with dust and filled with a cacophony of honking car horns and calls to prayer. But at lunchtime last Sunday - a working day in Afghanistan - we whizzed through deserted streets, past shuttered shops and ghostly bazaars. Ostensibly, the reason was the elections. For the first time in more than three decades, the country was going to the polls to choose its parliament. To celebrate, the government had declared a national holiday.

But if the streets were vacant, so were the voting booths. In one polling station after another, voters dribbled through the doors. At a primary school in western Kabul, I found just one voter - a 70-year-old woman hobbling into the polling station, supported at the elbow by her son. And at the Habiba high school, there were none. My footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridors as election officials fidgeted beside vacant booths.

It seemed bizarre - Afghanistan was hosting a great party for democracy, yet it looked as though nobody had bothered to turn up. Figures released yesterday confirmed those suspicions. Turnout was just 36% in the capital and around 53% across the country, the chief electoral officer, Peter Erben, said - a sharp dip on the 70% seen in last year's presidential poll.

Officials are pedalling hard to find comforting explanations. Mr Erben said the drop was normal in comparison with other post-conflict countries - even though, days earlier, he had handed me a factsheet predicting a sharp rise in turnout. The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, also put on a happy face for a positive spin. He was "more than happy", he said during a roundtable press conference at his fortified Kabul palace a few days later.

Maybe they are right. There are sound reasons why so many Afghans stayed at home. Some were afraid of Taliban violence, while others were intimidated by the huge ballot papers. Voters in Kabul had to select from 390 candidates for parliament - a degree of choice that would challenge an educated electorate, much less one with a 75% illiteracy rate.

Parliamentary democracy is an alien concept to Afghans. The only communal memory of a parliament stretches back to 1973, when a king was in charge. And with an average life expectancy of 43, it's unlikely many can remember that far.

But there are also greatly worrying reasons why Mr Karzai should be concerned about the fall in turnout. After just one year of democratic rule, there are signs of rapidly swelling disenchantment. In a country awash with weapons, corrupted by drug money and threatened by a resurgent Taliban, this is a dangerous development.

The inclusion of dozens of warlords and militia commanders on the ticket disgusted voters who thought Mr Karzai and his US allies had come to usher the gunmen out of the door, not hand them the keys to the house.

The crawling pace of reconstruction is also brewing trouble. After making a string of heroic promises in late 2001, the west is letting Afghanistan down. Only around $10bn (£5.5bn) has so far been spent on reconstruction, according to most estimates. And while some projects have succeeded - well-oiled elections, some fast roads and the training of a new national army - others have been an abject failure.

For instance, this year's drive to reduce opium production - Afghanistan is the source of 90% of the world's heroin - cost much but resulted in little. Official corruption is soaring - something Mr Karzai admitted during his press conference.

Many Afghans, struggling to feed themselves, also perceive dishonesty among their foreign allies. Anger has focused particularly sharply on the sight of highly-paid foreign consultants ­ some of whom earn $1,000 a day speeding past in aggressive security convoys. "If they gave us only their stationery budget, we could have a chance to develop," Dr Ghulam Farooq, a returned refugee from Iran, said. There is some exaggeration. Afghanistan has come a long way from the days when Taliban fanatics whipped women and ran al-Qaida guesthouses.

After a quarter century of war, four years is but a twinkle of time in which to put everything right. Yet Mr Karzai should be very worried. For all its successes, his democracy remains as fragile as glass and is anchored in a US military backbone.

One only needs to see the amiable Pashtun leader's awesome security arrangements - comparable to those of the US president, George Bush - to realise that, as one observer remarked, Afghanistan is one bullet away from chaos.

The provisional election results are due on October 3. Analysts are predicting mayhem in the early months of parliament, particularly because of the lack of political parties. Nobody is quite sure how Mr Karzai will build alliances, pass new laws or run the country.

Yet for all these flaws, he must urgently use the new body to restore public confidence. As his western allies are learning painfully in Iraq, democracy is about more than just elections.


For further info, check out http://www.guardian.co.uk/

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

THE GOOD:
Judith Miller, New York Times Reporter, released from jail.




THE BAD: Tom Delay, House Majority Leader, indicted in Texas finance scandle.





The Ugly: Three car bombs explode in Iraqi towns near Bagdad, killing 95 people.

A Few Words From Maureen 9/21/05

While looking through the op/ed archives of The New York Times today, I came across the piece Maureen Dowd wrote for Saturday's edition. I like her so much that I believe she is going to become a regular name in The Back Room. Enjoy! ~Charee

Message: I Can't
By MAUREEN DOWD (NYT) 851 words Published: September 21, 2005

The president won't be happy until he dons a yellow slicker and actually takes the place of Anderson Cooper, violently blown about by Rita as he talks into a camera lens lashed with water, hanging onto a mailbox as he's hit by a flying pig in a squall, sucked up by a waterspout in the eye of the storm over the Dry Tortugas.

Then maybe he'll go back to the White House and do his job instead of running down to the Gulf Coast for silly disaster-ops every other day. There's nothing more pathetic than watching someone who's out of touch feign being in touch. On his fifth sodden pilgrimage of penitence to the devastation he took so long to comprehend, W. desperately tried to show concern. He said he had spent some ''quality time'' at a Chevron plant in Pascagoula and nattered about trash removal, infrastructure assessment teams and the ''can-do spirit.'' ''We look forward to hearing your vision so we can more better do our job,'' he said at a briefing in Gulfport, Miss., urging local officials to ''think bold,'' while they still need to think mold.

Mr. Bush should stop posing in shirtsleeves and get back to the Oval Office. He has more hacks and cronies he's trying to put into important jobs, and he needs to ride herd on that.

The announcement that a veterinarian, Norris Alderson, who has no experience on women's health issues, would head the F.D.A.'s Office of Women's Health ran into so much flak from appalled women that the F.D.A. may have already reneged on it. No morning-after pill, thanks to the antediluvian administration, but there may be hope for a morning-after horse pill.

Mr. Bush made a frownie over Brownie, but didn't learn much. He's once more trying to appoint a nothingburger to a position of real consequence in homeland security. The choice of Julie Myers, a 36-year-old lawyer with virtually no immigration, customs or law enforcement experience, to head the roiling Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency with its $4 billion budget and 22,000 staffers, has caused some alarm, according to The Washington Post.

Ms. Myers's main credentials seem to be that she worked briefly for the semidisgraced homeland security director, Michael Chertoff, when he was at the Justice Department. She just married Mr. Chertoff's chief of staff, John Wood, and she's the niece of Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As a former associate for Ken Starr, the young woman does have impeachment experience, in case the forensic war on terrorism requires the analysis of stains on dresses.

Julie makes Brownie look like Giuliani. I'll sleep better tonight, knowing that when she gets back from her honeymoon, Julie will be patrolling the frontier.

As if the Veterinarian and the Niece were not bad enough, there was also the Accused. David Safavian, the White House procurement official involved in Katrina relief efforts, was arrested on Monday, accused by the F.B.I. of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into the seamy case of ''Casino Jack'' Abramoff, the Republican operative who has broken new ground in giving lobbying a bad name. Democrats say the fact that Mr. Safavian's wife is a top lawyer for the Republican congressman who's leading the whitewash of the White House blundering on Katrina does not give them confidence.

Just as he has stonewalled other inquiries, Mr. Bush is trying to paper over his Katrina mistakes by appointing his homeland security adviser, Frances Townsend, to investigate how the feds fumbled the response. Mr. Bush's ''Who's Your Daddy?'' bravura -- blowing off the world on global warming and the allies on the Iraq invasion -- has been slapped back by Mother Nature, which refuses to be fooled by spin.

When Donald Rumsfeld came out yesterday to castigate the gloom-and-doomers and talk about the inroads American forces had made against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, he could not so easily recast reality.

In Afghanistan, the U.S.'s handpicked puppet president is still battling warlords and a revivified Taliban, and the export of poppies for the heroin trade is once more thriving.

Iraq is worse, with more than 1,900 American troops killed. Five more died yesterday, as well as four security men connected to the U.S. embassy office in Mosul, all to fashion a theocratic-leaning regime aligned with Iran. In Basra, two journalists who have done work for The Times have been killed in the last two months.

The more the president echoes his dad's ''Message: I care,'' the more the world hears ''Message: I can't.''

Yo, Congress!

Now is the time to let Congress know that you are tired of the lies coming from The White House! Impeachbush.org has made it easy with an online email form that will be sent to your representive. Send your letter today!!! Over 600,000 have already stepped up to have the Articles of Impeachment bring down the Bush War Machine!

Please link to:
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr012=vcu8rhgxu3.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=145

Bill Maher and Jon Stewart: 2008????

After a hard day of "Bush" news, it's always good to end it with a little humor. Bill Maher's "Real Time" on HBO and Jon Stewarts' "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central make you laugh while still being politically "correct". Check them out!

http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/
http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtmlhow/index.jhtml

Sheehan Arrested During Protest Today

Cindy Sheehan and 370 others were arrested outside the White House as they protested the Iraq war peacefully! Go Cindy!!!

Click on the following link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/war_demonstrations--

Abuse by U.S. Soliders: "Demanded" by Administration

As Army Pfc. Lynndie England was sentenced for prisoner abuse in the Abu Grab scandle today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report of Iraq prisoners abuse at a military base called Mercury near Falluja.

(NEWSFLASH EVERYONE: PRISONER ABUSE IS STILL GOING ON! )

The Bush administration continues to deny that it's policies towards prisoners create such abuse as in the England case. This war of lies, "war on terror"' has given our government free reign on torture. The privates aren't the ones that should be headed to jail. Rather, the men "behind the curtain" are guilty of human rights violations and have completely ignored the rules of the Geneva Conventions. Therefore, The Babes hold the following in contempt and give our verdict on the charge of abuse towards Iraqi and Guantanamo prisoners:


GUILTY: DONALD RUMFIELD~Secretary of Defense
GUILTY: GEORGE TENET~Former CIA Director
GUILTY: GEOFFREY MILLER~Major General, former commander of Guantanamo Bay
GUILTY: RICARDO SANCHEZ~Lieutenant General, formerly the top U.S. commander in Iraq
GUILTY: ALBERTO GONZALAS~Attorney General, lover of The Patriot Act
GUILTY: G.W. BUSH~President of The United States
GUILTY: DICK CHENEY~Vice President of The United States


Please read the following HRW REPORT on abuse at Mercury Base:

According to the soldiers' accounts, U.S. personnel abused detainees as part of the military interrogation process or merely to “relieve stress.” In numerous cases, they said that abuse was specifically ordered by Military Intelligence personnel before interrogations, and that superior officers within and outside of Military Intelligence knew about the widespread abuse. The accounts show that abuses resulted from civilian and military failures of leadership and confusion about interrogation standards and the application of the Geneva Conventions.

They contradict claims by the Bush administration that detainee abuses by U.S. forces abroad have been infrequent, exceptional and unrelated to policy. “The administration demanded that soldiers extract information from detainees without telling them what was allowed and what was forbidden,” said Tom Malinowski, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch. “Yet when abuses inevitably followed, the leadership blamed the soldiers in the field instead of taking responsibility.”

"As long as no PUCs [prisoners under control] came up dead, it happened," he said. "We kept it to broken arms and legs." ~Sergeant 82nd Airborne

Read the following links for more information:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4278734.stm
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/25/usint11776.htm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050926/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/prisoner_abuse_england

Protest in Washington D.C.

Joining over 100,000 follow Americans, the Babes marched down Pennsylvania Ave. on Sept. 24, 2005! Jesse Jackson, Cindy Sheehan and many others were there to speak out against the Bush administration and against the war in Iraq.

It was amazing to see so many people united for one cause~BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!! (Just click on pictures for a closer look):

Flying with Senator Barack Obama

Charee and I sat next to U.S. Senator Obama (D-IL) and his family on our way back to Chicago today. Handsome and gracious to everyone who came up to him, Obama is definitely an up and coming political figure to watch for in the future. I wanted to know how he feels about the war in Iraq but didn't feel it was appropriate to ask him questions in front of his wife and little girl (who are beautiful, by the way).

For more on Obama, go to: http://obama.senate.gov/

British Soliders Play Dress-Up: Tensions High

In the following report, tensions between Iraqi police and British soliders exploded. "Trust" (was there ever any?) has been broken between the two groups, causing a riot in Basra. Why were two British soliders dressed up as Arabs???


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A British armored vehicle escorted by a tank crashed into a detention center Monday in Basra and rescued two undercover troops held by police, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official told CNN. British Defense Ministry Secretary John Reid confirmed two British military personnel were "released," but he gave no details on how they were freed.

In a statement released in London, Reid did not say why the two had been taken into custody. But the Iraqi official, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, said their arrests stemmed from an incident earlier in the day. The official said two unknown gunmen in full Arabic dress began firing on civilians in central Basra, wounding several, including a traffic police officer. There were no fatalities, the official said. The two gunmen fled the scene but were captured and taken in for questioning, admitting they were British marines carrying out a "special security task," the official said.

British troops launched the rescue about three hours after Iraqi authorities informed British commanders the men were being held at the police department's major crime unit, the official said. Iraqi police said members of Iraq's Mehdi Army militia engaged the British forces around the facility, burning one personnel carrier and an armored vehicle. Video showed dozens of Iraqis surrounding British armored vehicles and tossing gasoline bombs, rocks and other debris at them. With one vehicle engulfed in flames, a soldier opened the hatch and bailed out as rocks were thrown at him. Another photograph showed a British soldier on fire on top of a tank.

"Many of those present were clearly prepared well in advance to cause trouble, and we believe that the majority of Iraq people would deplore this violence," Reid said. Reid said both troops were "being treated for minor injuries only and are expected to return to duty shortly." He said British forces "remain committed to helping the Iraqi government for as long as they judge that a coalition presence is necessary to provide security. "The situation in Basra is currently calmer after a day of disturbances. At this stage, it is not possible to be certain why these disturbances began," he said.


For more on this, link to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/international/middleeast/22iraq.html

The American People Go To Washington

This weekend, John and Jane American will be heading to Washington to rally against the war in Iraq. Upwards of a 100,000 people are expected to attend. I will be one of them. We are going to let not only Mr. Bush know what we think, but Congress as well. One thing is for sure in all of this. It is that the time has come for us to not sit passively by with our mouths shut any longer. For some further reading on the movement against the Iraq war, check out the following articles:

http://villagevoice.com/news/0538,murphy,67976,5.html
http://villagevoice.com/news/0538,lombardiweb,68015,2.html

10 Reasons

Since this piece was written, have these reason to oppose the war in Iraq changed any? Charee

Ten Reasons to Oppose the US Occupation of Iraq, Josh Frank, ThinkingPeaceTen
April 26, 2004

1. US Military Occupation has not made us safer. The occupation of Iraq feeds right into Bin Laden's own rhetoric that the United States has imperial and selfish reasons for reconstructing the Middle East. If US military presence in Saudi Arabia has inflamed fundamentalists like Bin Laden, how will this ongoing occupation not do the same -- only on a much larger scale?

2. As an Occupying Power the United States is violating international law. Just like the unilateral attack on Iraq, the United States is once again violating international codes of conduct. By not providing for the security of Iraq's museums, market places, water supplies, and roadways, Bush and company have broken treaties and other international statutes. Also, Bush will not make a formal declaration that the war has officially ended -- which would obligate the United States to provide humanitarian relief and take immediate responsibility for the 25 million citizens of Iraq. Instead President Bush has heroically claimed victory as the death toll on both sides continues to mount.

3. Iraqis don't want the presence of US military. With the massive uprising in Falluja, it is clear that Iraqis do not want a US military presence in their country. The majority of the resistance forces are not former Saddam loyalists, but regular Iraqis pleading for freedom from colonial rule. And as the use of violence against occupation forces increases, the US will find itself in an unwinnable situation as rival Shia and Sunni factions come together to oppose their occupiers. If Iraq has been liberated why are they still living under an occupying power they didn't ask for?

4. Occupation only hinders relief efforts. Military operations in Iraq make humanitarian efforts more difficult by increasing tension and spurring Iraqi rebellions. American and allied forces have encountered numerous barriers while attempting to provide aid to Iraqis. Many Iraqis are not willing to allow their occupier the freedom needed to supply aid simply because the US is still a threat to Iraqi's sovereignty.

5. Iraqi Security should become number one. It is pertinent for Iraqi security that electricity gets back up and rolling again -- as well as all hospitals and communication portals. One year since the US took control of Baghdad, electricity in the city is sporadic at best, only running an average of 12 hours a day. Also, over 40% of Iraqis were employed under Saddam's government and none have been paid since the war began. These are the security issues that need to be addressed first in order for Iraq to begin rebuilding its devastated economy.

6. Funding for the environment, education and healthcare are already being cut in the US in order to pay for Iraq's current occupation. Defense Department officials have announced that Bush's $60 billion dollar estimate for the war in Iraq is actually looking more like $90-100 billion -- this without the added costs of Iraq's occupation and rebuilding. At the same time the Bush administration projects a $300 billion dollar deficit over the next two years. With an average of over 65,000 US jobs lost a month over the past year, it is clear that federal spending could be focused elsewhere.

7. Arab countries are becoming even more critical of United State's plans to govern postwar Iraq. US military presence is not welcome in the Middle East -- with Palestine, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Libya as well as "liberated" Afghanistan -- showing their anger at Iraq's occupiers through protests and religious/political rallies. Anti-US sentiment is on the rise with every passing day of the colonial occupation.

8. Occupation will not breed democracy. For true democracy to unfold, Iraq must be allowed to develop its own government, with no oversight from imperial powers. However, neoconservatives in Washington are not willing to allow such a democracy to take shape. They are most likely fearful a regime with animosity towards Israel and the US will gain massive support. But just like this war not being about Weapons of Mass Destruction, it is also not about democracy -- at least not the democracy Bush claims to be spreading.

9. It's time for US troops to come home. As of April 25, 2004 over 715 American service people have died for Bush's illegal invasion. American troops are no longer wanted nor welcomed in Iraq. Let this not become a shadow of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle -- a conflict with no peaceful end in sight.

10. There are other options to Bush's plan. The United States should exit all troops in Iraq now. The international court should condemn this illegal and unjust war by prosecuting those that were involved in its planning and execution. Also, foreign companies and investors should return all profits they have made as a result of their reconstruction contracts. Finally, if Bush wants a friendly and liberated Iraq -- then the billions of dollars that are being spent on Iraq's occupation should be swapped for humanitarian efforts.

Galloway: "We Love Our Troops"

Last night, George Galloway continued his anti-war tour in Madison, WI, welcomed by a lively crowd. Most attending were very receptive to Galloway's bitter views towards Iraq and Palestine occupation and his cut-throat jabs at the Bush administration.

"We love our troops so much we don't want them killing or being killed, all for a pack of lies..." Galloway said.

Through out his speech, Galloway pounded the connection between the United State's support of Israel and the hatred that radical Muslims have for Americans today. By invading (a Muslim) Iraq, Galloway believes that the U.S. has opened up the "doors of hell".

On the subject of American politics, Galloway sliced and diced Bush as "daft" and "not a Christian", comments which made the crowd jump to their feet in applause. He urged all Americans to get rid of "the fanatical right" as soon as possible.

Mr. Galloway ended his speech with a tightly drawn Vietnam and Iraq war parallel, stating that leaving Iraq now is our only choice. "Sooner or later, they had to leave (Vietnam)." Galloway believes the same is true for Iraq.

Besides finishing his tour this week across America, George Galloway will join the anti-war rally being held in Washington D.C. on Sept. 24th.

For more rally info. link to:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=91

The Babes and Mr. Galloway

The Babes were fortunate enough to have a brief encounter with George Galloway this evening before his anti-war speech. Having no sense of direction, we stumbled into a back hallway of UW's Union. While planning our next attempt at finding the correct ticket office, we found ourselves face to face with a very polite Mr. Galloway. Looking very spiffy in a tan suit and with blue eyes flashing, he nodded and said, "Hello" before being escorted away.

More on Mr. Galloway's speech, lost Babes and the Anti-War Movement in tomorrow's post.

Related links:

Check out Christopher Hitchens' (who lost Wednesday's debate with George) in Slate: http://slate.msn.com/id/2126121/

Debate transcript:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/16/1223201

Galloway Tour Info: http://www.mrgallowaygoestowashington.com/

Iraqis Suffer From Water Shortage

The people of Iraq have gone days and even months without clean drinking water. The Iraqi Ministry blames insurgent sabotage but there are rumors of ministry corruption. For more on this, link to:

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1458969.htm

Mr.Galloway Goes To Madison

We are looking forward to hearing the fiesty George Galloway speak out against the Iraq war tomorrow evening in Madison, WI. (Due to health issues, Jane Fonda will not be able to attend. )

For more info. on George Galloway's tour, please link to:
http://www.mrgallowaygoestowashington.com/

Coalition of The Willing?

After reading the statistics listed below, I find myself horrified and laughing at the same time. It has become glaringly evident that there never was any Coalition of the Willing. It was always us, alone. Think, we willingly did this to ourselves.

As of Friday, Sept. 16, 2005, at least 1,898 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,475 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.
The AP count matches the Defense Department's tally, last updated at 10 a.m. EDT Friday.
The British military has reported 96 deaths; Italy, 26; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Slovakia, three; El Salvador, Estonia, Thailand and the Netherlands, two each; and Denmark, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Latvia one death each.
Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,759 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 1,366 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

On the Net:http://www.defenselink.mil/news/

Civil Disobedience

While perusing today's news stories, I came across this little gem. After reading it, it occured to me that this is another story that did not make it into the mainstream media when it could have given weight to the anit-war movement at a time when it was badly needed. However, another oppurtunity has risen and this situation only gives merit to the fact that the Washington suits are trying everything in their power to shut us up. Remember this, if anything, the suits are more afraid of us than we are of them. We are their employers after all. ~Charee

The Nation -- On March 17, 2003, two days before the US invasion of Iraq, commenced, four protesters--now known as the "Saint Patrick's Four"--entered a military recruiting center near Ithaca, New York, and poured small amounts of their own blood around the building's vestibule in a symbolic protest against the coming invasion. By their own account, they were alone in the vestibule and no one was prevented from entering or leaving the center.

For this act of non-violence civil disobedience, the longtime Catholic peace activists--sisters Clare and Teresa Grady, Daniel Burns, and Peter DeMott--are now charged with conspiracy to impede "by force, intimidation and threat" an officer of the United States along with three lesser offenses. If convicted of federal conspiracy in a trial starting this Monday, September 19, they face up to six years in prison, a period of probation and $275,000 in fines.
The trial is the first time the Federal government has pressed conspiracy charges against civilian Iraq war protesters and comes after a previous trial last year in county court on charges of criminal mischief and trespassing which resulted in a hung jury, with nine of twelve members favoring acquittal. As public interest lawyer and law professor Bill Quigley who is acting as legal advisor to the defendants, says, "Federal intervention in this case represents a blatant act of government intimidation and will have a chilling effect on expression of the first amendment rights of any citizen to protest or speak out against their government." Which is, of course, the idea.
To counter the chilling effect, and turn up the heat, supporters of the Saint Patrick's Four have organized a Citizen's Tribunal in Binghamton the first week of the trial, to address the legal, historical and moral defense for civil resistance to the Iraq war. Scheduled speakers include Medea Benjamin, John Bonifaz, Camilo E. Mejia, Ray McGovern. James Petras and many others and the public is heartily invited to attend.Supporting the Tribunal is one good way to help. And check out other suggestions below for supporting the St. Patrick's Day Four and the rights of all Americans to engage in non-violent civil disobedience.

** Join almost 50,000 others and sign the letter in support of the St. Patrick's Day Four.
** Donate to St. Patrick's Day Four's Legal Defense Fund.
** Help spread the word about the trial.
** Support the Citizens' Tribunal on Iraq.

Also, make sure to make plans to be in Washington, DC next weekend for what United for Peace and Justice and other activist groups are expecting will be a massive weekend of protests against the war in Iraq.

Bush's Bedtime Story

Last night, I climbed into bed early, eagerly awaiting the President's speech from New Orleans. As he swaggered to the perfectly placed podium, my daughter came into the room to kiss me good-night. She asked a very observant question: "Why are you watching him talk? Don't you hate him?"

"Why, yes, darling, I do," I replied. I didn't explain how wonderful it has been to watch this shell of a dumb-whit try to weasel out of the Katrina disaster. There are some things a mother keeps to herself.

So, we watched the speech together, the "Bush Hater" and the sweet 6 year old. I snorted and groaned at his cheesy, blue, just-pick-up-at-the-donation-center shirt. I laughed and threw socks at the TV when he talked of helping the poor and gave his laundry list of all the wonderful things he has planned for New Orleans. I almost gagged when he gave his closing lines, trying desperately to curve his smirk into a look of sadness. The speech was all that I expected: a bunch of bullshit.

As Bush bid us all good night from the flooded city, I tucked my little girl into bed and turned off the tube. Enough liberal entertainment for tonight, there is always tomorrow.~Anna


Here is list of things Bush didn't mention:


The Bush administration is spending $200 million each day or $1.4 billion each week for its criminal war of aggression in Iraq.

Despite the fact that scientific experts had widely publicized predictions of the coming catastrophe in New Orleans, the Bush administration was hell bent on diverting resources to the Iraq war, while it slashed funds for flood control operations in New Orleans.

Bush's war on Iraq left the Corps of Engineers only 20% of the needed funding to protect New Orleans from flooding from Lake Pontchartrain.

Before the Iraq war, FEMA officials warned of a looming disaster in New Orleans. The Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) is authorized by Congress to protect the people of New Orleans and the port facilities as well as oil refineries. After the start of the shock and awe invasion of Iraq however, SELA's monies were diverted. The Times-Picayune, the daily newspaper of New Orleans, published numerous articles during the last two years citing the danger caused by the loss of hurricane protection funds to the war in Iraq.~ImpeachBush.org

Today

Whatever you do will be insignificant,
but it is very important that you do it. ~Gandhi

Bush Falls for Katrina!

Bush accepted federal reponsibility over the slow response to Hurricane Katrina. Ouch! You know that had to hurt!! He will address the nation tonight from New Orleans~let the spin begin...

For more info. on apology, link to:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4845171

Roberts Refuses to Answer Questions

It was a "dog-and-pony" show at the confirmation hearings for John Roberts. Question after question was deflected or just not answered. It was most unnerving to see a man, who by all accounts is extremely intelligent, not share his basic beliefs on civil rights, women's reproductive rights, etc. While he says he will not bring his personal beliefs into a case, this is hard to believe coming from a slick lawyer who has spent his whole career working for Reagan, Kenneth Starr and now, Bush. Ummm, I think I could have saved everyone a lot of time and money by making the crazy assumption that we can basically kiss Roe vs. Wade good-bye with Roberts as Chief Justice.

Planned Parenthood feels the same way. Read the following responses by Roberts that were posted on their website this morning:

SPECTER: "Well, do you see any erosion of precedent as to Roe?"

ROBERTS: "Well, again, I think I should stay away from discussions of particular issues that are likely to come before the court again. And in the area of abortion, there are cases on the courts docket, of course. It is an issue that does come before the court."

BIDEN: "[At her confirmation hearing] ... I asked ...Justice Ginsburg the question of whether or not it would be a ball or a strike if in fact a state passed a law, a state passed a law prohibiting abortion...
"And she said... 'Abortion prohibition by a state controls women and denies them full autonomy and full equality with men. It would be unconstitutional.'
"What is your view, according to the Ginsburg rule?"

ROBERTS: "Well, that is in an area where I think I should not respond ..."

FEINSTEIN: "Do you then believe that this implied right of privacy applies to the beginning of life and the end of life?"

ROBERTS: "... the exact scope of it, with respect to the beginning of life and the end of life, those are issues that are coming before the court in both respects, and I don't think that I should go further to elaborate upon whether or not it applies in those particular situations."

Roberts consistently declined to clarify his position, and we now firmly believe that his confirmation will jeopardize women's health and rights.

He must be opposed.~Planned Parenthood

Iraqi Official Upset: Journalist Detained

Justice Minister Abdul Hussein Shandal voiced his disapproval of Iraqis being held at Abu Ghraib prison this week. Since taking over the country, the U.S. army has detained over 10,000 Iraqi citizens who have yet to be charged with a crime. Recently, two Iraqi photographers employed by Reuters were thrown into the notorious prison for unknown reasons.

Shandal's hands are tied for he has no authority over the army or the Multinational Force (MNF), which were given sweeping authority under Resolution 1546. He stressed the importance of letting journalists do their job without the fear of being captured and detained.

"In this time of conflict ... Between terrorists and the army or Multinational Forces, the journalist comes to the fore.

"Full freedom should be given to journalists to take pictures and film in the field," he said. "Without images what would we know of history? We would know nothing."

Shandal is also very concerned that there is no accountability of soldiers who violate Iraqi laws.

"I am a man of law and a judge and I respect human rights... No citizen should be arrested without a court order."




Ali Omar Ibrahim-al-Mashadani is one of the Reuter photographers being held. He was captured by MNF for being a "threat". No other details have been given at this time.

IPS Report: Iraqi War Could Cost $700 Billion

Media attention has been focused on the hurricane relief efforts and Supreme Court confirmation hearings but let's not forget what's happening everyday in Iraq. The war is still in full swing, with no end in sight, no time table for our troops to return home.

The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) reports that "The Iraqi Quagmire" is the most expensive American war in the last 60 years. Over 5.6 billion has been spent and at this current rate, costs could exceed $700 billion.

The human costs have increased as well. Since March 19, 2003-August 22, 2005, IPS states that 2,060 troops, 66 journalist and 26,000-98,000 Iraqis have been killed. The report also looks into the effects that the war has had on America's mental health, federal programs and much more.

For more information, link to:
http://www.ips-dc.org/iraq/quagmire/index.htm#us

John Roberts: What Questions Will Be Answered?

Tomorrow, the grilling will begin on Judge John Roberts. Will he support Roe vs. Wade? Does he believe the Patriot Act is constitutional? These and more questions will be asked but not necessarily answered. The Babes will be listening...

For more info. on the Supreme Court nomination hearings, please link to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4843769

Know Bush? Katrina Money Coming Your Way!

Once again, major contracts are heading toward Bush's friends after Hurricane Katrina. Hey, they aren't dumb~Halliburton has over $1.03 billion in their pocket of unaccounted Iraqi war funds. Time to rake it in here at home!

Read more on the disgusting gorging of funds:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9282533/

Remember

Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost a loved one on September 11, 2001.

"Summer has come and passed, the innocent can never last.
Wake me up when September ends.
Ring out the bells again, like we did when spring began.
Wake me up when September ends.

Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars.
Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are.
As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost.
Wake me up when September ends."
-Green Day

Bush's House of Cronies

As Michael Brown, head of FEMA, gets sent back to Washington to explain his failures durning Hurricane Katrina, more comes out on his lack of experience. Mr. Brown was clearly unqualified for his FEMA position and was actually asked to leave his last job. How many other important posts are filled with Bush campaign cronies?

Just yesterday, President Bush appointed his long time aide and conservative mouthpiece, Karen Hughes as undersecretary of State for public diplomacy. According to the Bush administration, Hughes will work with Condoleezza Rice on improving America's image in the Muslim world. Hughes, tough talking, harsh and extremely conservative, seems poorly appointed for the job given to her. With Muslim and American relations strained and tattered, the last thing we need is another "my-way-or-highway" attitude in the mix. But our President seems to think otherwise and expressed that democracy is a"gift" from God and he will send "Condi and Karen" out to spread it....

This kind of buddy system is bringing America down, overseas and at home. Bush's latest approval ratings (39% and dropping) reflect this but he doesn't seem to care. Afterall, he and his cronies are on a mission from God....


To read more on Karen Hughes' appointment, link to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25347-2005Mar10.htmldyn/articles/A25347-2005Mar10.html

For more info. on Michael Brown's last job before FEMA, link to:
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=100857

Stop Looking At Me!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, just when you thought maybe you didn't have a reason to be paranoid, think again. An article in the September 19th issue of The Nation, written by John S. Freidman, tells about the return of domestic surveillance. Yep.That's correct. This means that someone is watching you right now. They are watching to see who you talk to, your daily routine, what you do on the Internet, what you read, etc., etc. Hell, they are probably watching me right now.

If you are wondering who "they" are, here you go. The FBI, the National Guard and Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF's). The JTTF's are about 110 teams (for the time being) comprised of local and state police. Is it not nice to know that your local police officer can report you to the feds under the guise of "protect and serve". It also has to be said that it is refreshing to see that the FBI can finally work well with others.

For some Americans, there is no cause to worry. Well, at least for now (you never know who they might go after next). Unless you have publicly spoken out or critizied the war in Iraq, you can consider yourself off the hook. For others, your sense of paranoia may have just increased. Think of the things you can look forward to: strangers with dark sunglasses at your front door asking if they can come in and have a word with you, the police at your house wanting you to come with them to answer a few questions, unknown vehicles on your street keeping record of your comings and goings.... Oh, the endless possiblities!

However, before you cower in the corner from fright, there are some who want to come to your defense. Can you guess? Yes, that's it. The ACLU. In May of this year, they filed a lawsuit requesting information about the practices and funding of JTTF's. The information that they received was a ".... Who's Who of national and local advocates for well known causes, including anitwar, environmental, labor, fair trade and human rights causes."

The ACLU does have a strongman that can offer you protection as well. The strongman's name is the U.S. Constitution. We are afforded protection by the Constitutions 4th Amendement which states that: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable serches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and paticularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

To read John S. Freidman's article in its entirity go to http://www.TheNation.com

To read about legal action being taken in our defense, check out the following sites:
http://www.aclu.org
http://www.bordc.org --Bill of Rights Defense Committee
http://www.ccr-ny.org --Center for Constitutional Rights(NY,NY)

Wanker of The Week: Bill O'Reilly

The following comment was made Sept. 6, 2005 by Bill O'Reilly on FoxNews. Mr. O'Reilly gets the "Wanker of the Week" title for his you-are-poor-so-piss-off attitude. His willingness to let our government not take the heat for the slow crisis response after Hurricane Katrina screams "Let's protect Bush". O'Reilly also showed his inability to recognize the huge gap we have in this country between the haves and have nots and the direct correlation between U.S. economics and race. But I guess that's easy to do when you are white, rich and oh, yeah, A WANKER!:

Bill O'Reilly:

"Talking Points" wants to reinforce two things. First, the huge, bureaucratic government will never be able to protect you. If you rely on government for anything, anything, you're going to be disappointed, no matter who the president is.

For example, engineers knew for decades the levee system in Louisiana could not withstand a Category 5 hurricane, but nobody wanted to pony up the $20 billion to shore it up. That kind of decision happens all day, every day.

Second point, New Orleans is not about race. It's about class. If you're poor, you're powerless, not only in America, but everywhere on earth. If you don't have enough money to protect yourself from danger, danger's going to find you. And all the political gibberish in the world is not going to change that.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be taught in every American school. If you don't get educated, if you don't develop a skill, and force yurself to work hard, you're most likely be poor. And sooner or later, you'll be standing on a symbolic rooftop waiting for help.

Chances are that help will not be quick in coming."

Is Your Company Helping?

Instead of asking your boss for a raise today, ask what your company can do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Let's all get involved!

Here in Wisconsin, look who is stepping up:

• Johnson Controls Inc. is donating $1 million to the American Red Cross.

• Miller Brewing Co. is sending more than 80,000 32-ounce bottles of drinking water.

• S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. is shipping 30,000 units of Off! insect repellent and donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross. It will also match employee donations up to $50,000.

• JohnsonDiversey Inc. is donating 2,500 cases of cleaning and sanitation products and will match employee donations up to $10,000.

• Nicolet Forest Bottling Inc. is preparing to send several truckloads with 4,500 gallons each of bottled water.

• Wis-Pak Inc. sent bottled water.

• Wisconsin Pharmacal Co. is selling water purification tablets at up to a 70 percent discount to buyers, who they donate them, and said it will match 20 percent of the donated total.

• Schneider National Inc. is preparing to donate trucking service.

• Midwest Air Group Inc., operator of Midwest Airlines, is rescheduling for free flights to or from New Orleans that have been canceled through Oct. 30.

• The National Funeral Directors Association, based in Brookfield, is organizing volunteer undertakers to work in the areas affected by the storm.


KFSM News out of Ft. Smith and Fayetteville, AR, reports on the following generousity from other U.S. companies:

Several large corporations and their employees are helping by donating money and other items that could help with rescue, repair, and treatment. Wal-Mart has given$2 million to help out refugees, and rival Target has pledged $1.5 million, in addition to offering some of its real estate in affected areas to the Red Cross for setting up shelters and staging areas.

A total of $13.5 million comes from companies including Chevron, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup and Walt Disney. An additional $6 million will be handed out from major businesses including Pfizer, Abbott laboratories, State Farm, and EDS, which plans to match employee contributions up to $1 million.

The generosity, however, isn't just coming in the form of money. Several companies are donating medicine like insulin, antibiotics, pain relievers, and vaccines. Also being offered to victims are items like soap and shampoo. Even cars and trucks are being donated to Mississippi Emergency Management and to the Red Cross, as well as thousands of walkie-talkie type cell phones for emergency personnel to use. Bottles of water are being delivered by the truckload.

Qwest is helping victims reach out to family and friends, by giving out 2,000 long-distance calling cards. Office Depot just made the decision to donate the contents of five stores to help disaster victims. That donation alone is worth $4 million.

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La: Bush Faked Relief Scene

Amazing! Go to the following link to read about Bush's attempt to "look good" while touring the disaster in New Orleans: http://www.fromtheroots.org/story/2005/9/3/19542/97952

Read how Bush's "spin" backfired (finally!!!):
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/WorldNF.asp?ArticleID=180167

Bush: The Democracy Fairy

Look, it's America's own Democracy Fairy,
picking and choosing, wary, nary,
which country to say whose leader we'll bury!

Saddam, you were it, Putin are you next?
If Bush decides, you can surely bet,
The plans of war have already been set.

No W.M.D.'s? Just never you mind!
We'll blame it on Tenet, kick him on his 'hind,
Then send our troops to walk on landminds.

"Iraq", Bush yells, "Do it like this!"
Draw a line in the sand, smile and kiss.
A failed constitution, why Fairy, did you miss?

Can't shove it down their throats,
can't make'em vote,
What's a fairy to do but sing a new note.

Democracy, Democracy, let's all do a dance!
Hey, America! Snap out of your f#*!#** trance!
With Bush, we never did stand a chance.

Response To New Orleans: A National Embarrassment

The news coming out of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina has been devastating to watch unfold. The human suffering and 3rd world conditions in this major U.S. city continue to worsen and leave the rest of the country and the world wondering, "How could this happen?".

FEMA authorities yesterday reminded everyone that the vicitims do "bare some responsibility" for their fate, referring to the thousands who ignored the order to evacuate the city. This seems like a desperate comment from an overwhelmed organization and one that should have been spoken maybe after the bodies are picked up off the roadsides.

The National Guard is making a "too little, too late"appearance, their efforts coming much too late for the rape and looting victims of New Orleans. Again, how could this happen?

Not since 9/11 has there been an outcry over the lack of a national communication system between local, state and federal government. The slow, embarrassing display in New Orleans only shows that we've done nothing to improve our country's crisis response abilities.

It makes me fear what would happen in a multi-city terrorist attack. How would our government be able to respond? Unbelievably, we will be asking "How could this happen?" in our future if we continue ignoring our country's needs.

The Debate Continues

Throughout the month of September, George Galloway, MP (Member of Parliament) will be travelling across the U.S. on a tour of his book, Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington. To promote his work, written in response to accusations of bribery and collusion with Saddam made against him by the U.S. government. This tour is about discussion and debate of the Iraq war made open to the public. If you find that he will be coming to your area, please attend and take a friend. Go out of curiosity, seek answers to the questions, and maybe you might walk away with some understanding of the chaos we are sinking further into.

Boston, MA
Tuesday, September 13, 6.30 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Prof. Bill Keach, editor Literature and Revolution
Prof. Naseer Auri, National Council of Arab Americans

New York, NY
Wednsday, September 14, 7 p.m.

George Galloway and Christopher Hitchens Debate. The Iraq War.
Moderated by Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!

Madison, WI
Sunday, September 18, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Jane Fonda, actress
David Cline, National President, Veterans for Peace
Ahmed Shawki, National Council of Arab Americans, editor, ISR

Chicago, IL
Monday, September 19, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Jane Fonda, actress
David Cline, National President, Veterans for Peace
Ahmed Shawki, National Council of Americans, editor, ISR

Seattle, WA
Tuesday, September 20, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Monica Benderman, wife of Army Sgt. Kevin Benderman, ten-year veteran, refused to return to Iraq after first tour of duty, serving 15 month sentence at Ft. Lewis

San Francisco, CA
Wednsday, September 21, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Aimee Allison, conscientious objector to First Gulf War, 1991, leading counsel for GI's who refuse to fight, Green Party candidate for Oakland City Council District 2
Dr. Jess Ghannam, National Council of Arab Americans
Todd Chretien, College Not Combat-Yes on Proposition 1 campaign

Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, September 22, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Michel Shehadeh, LA 8, National Council of Arab Americans
Pablo Paredes, US Navy petty officer who refused to ship out to Iraq, serve 3 months hard-labor for his anti-war stand

Washington, D.C.
Saturday, September 24, 7 p.m.

George Galloway, MP, speaking with:
Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace, founder Camp Casey, Crawford, TX
Elias Rashmawi and Mounzer Sleiman, National Council of Arab Americans
Camilo Mejia, Conscientious Objector, Iraq War Veteran
Ahmed Shawki, editor ISR

For further information about George Galloway, venues and ticket prices, please go to http://mrgallowaygoestowashington.com