Gold Star Mother's Day

To the Honorable President George W. Bush:
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936, hasdesignated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day"and has authorized and requested the President to issue aproclamation in its observance.

This is stated on the back of the medal given to me due to Alex beingkilled during combat.
In 1994, President Bill Clinton proclaimed that we should "honorwomen whose sons and daughters have pledged their lives to securingfor all Americans the blessings of liberty. These mothers have madetremendous sacrifices, the most painful being the loss of theirchildren, and deserve the respect and recognition of the nation."

Why do we not honor the fathers and siblings as well? I am buta stepmother, yet due to my gender and not my blood, I am given this honor.I had to request the medals for both my husband and son because theywere never considered to be honorable enough.

My husband and stepson Brian continue bereft and much more impactedthan the females of my family. As a gender, feelings stew inside of youall causing deep harm either to yourselves or by directing agression outward(i.e. by starting meaningless and purposeless wars).

In 2007, George W. Bush proclaimed "The gift of liberty is secured byheroes who have answered the call to serve when America needed themmost. On Gold Star Mother's Day, we honor the mothers of the servicemen and women who have given their lives in the defense of our greatNation.

President Bush, you goad all Mothers with this supplemental day of honor.This day has been given to us due to having our sons killed during combat.I feel no joy at this recollection. I feel no honor in knowing that this nationthrives on wars to move the wheels of its economy, where young men andwomen are seduced by honor to spill blood.

The President continues his proclamation stating,"America's Gold Star Mothers are remarkable patriots who serve theircommunities by demonstrating good citizenship, providing support andservices to our troops and veterans, and helping comfort the familieswhose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice. Their sense ofduty and deep devotion to our country inspire our Nation, and wethank them for their compassion, determination, and strength. Thoughthey carry a great burden of grief, these courageous mothers helpensure that the legacy of our fallen heroes will be foreverremembered. On this day, we offer our deep gratitude and respect toour Nation's Gold Star Mothers; we honor the sons and daughters whodied while wearing the uniform of the United States; and we pray forGod's blessings on them, their mothers, and their families."

For your information, I pray for the day not just for the occupation of Iraq to end, I pray for the day when no more of these pins are ever needed again. I pray foran end to this oddly named and misunderstood club of females: Gold Star Mothers.I hope that these misanthropic Gold Star Mothers soon go into extinction due toan end to war. The grief is not golden. The pain at knowing that another Gold StarMother comes into being every half day or so is heartbreaking and maddening.

President Bush, I am a Gold Star Stepmother for peace. The DoD gaveme the little gold star pin with the purple border too. Yet, those in defense of justice, peace and the constitution are constantly called traitors. Which is it President Bush? Am I a patriot or not? This Catholic Sunday schoolteacher, this volunteer for the Veteran's Administration, this community activist, and stepmother who believes you have committed impeachable offenses wants to know.
Sincerely, I urge justice and peace for all,

Melida Sharon ArredondoRoslindale,

MA Gold Star Stepmother toLcpl. Alexander Scott Arredondo, USMC,

08/04/84 - 08/25/04

Born: Boston, MA

KIA: An Najaf, Iraq

And, from Karen, another Gold Star Mother on the Eve of National Gold Star Mother's Day:

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936, has designated the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton proclaimed that we should "honor women whose sons and daughters have pledged their lives to securing for all Americans the blessings of liberty. These mothers have made tremendous sacrifices, the most painful being the loss of their children, and deserve the respect and recognition of the nation."

In 2007, George Bush proclaimed "The gift of liberty is secured by heroes who have answered the call to serve when America needed them most. On Gold Star Mother's Day, we honor the mothers of the service men and women who have given their lives in the defense of our great Nation. America's Gold Star Mothers are remarkable patriots who serve their communities by demonstrating good citizenship, providing support and services to our troops and veterans, and helping comfort the families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice. Their sense of duty and deep devotion to our country inspire our Nation, and we thank them for their compassion, determination, and strength. Though they carry a great burden of grief, these courageous mothers help ensure that the legacy of our fallen heroes will be forever remembered. On this day, we offer our deep gratitude and respect to our Nation's Gold Star Mothers; we honor the sons and daughters who died while wearing the uniform of the United States; and we pray for God's blessings on them, their mothers, and their families."

As a Gold Star Mother, I do not find comfort in this cold President's words; they do not ring true. His meetings with Gold Star Mother's are arranged to include only women who support his ruthless, endless war and more death. Where is his compassion and sense of patriotism to those mothers who disagree with him and work diligently to end the war and to bring our troops home?

Gold Star Mothers Day is not a Hallmark holiday to send flowers or cards; there is no happy in this day. Gold Star Mothers Day 2007 should be a day for sober reflection about how President Bush set in place a new generation of Gold Star Mothers when he sent our children to fight his illegal war in Iraq. These new Gold Star Mothers will be his legacy as the war president, he proudly claims himself to be.

The current president says we must honor the sacrifices of fallen soldiers by completing the mission and achieving victory. How will more bloodshed and more dying honor my son, 1Lt Ken Ballard, who was killed in Iraq more than 3 years ago? This president can prevent the creation of new Gold Star Mothers. It is time for president Bush to remove the burden from the military and work to find some kind of political solution that would allow us to bring our troops home.

We will never forget our loved ones; they will live forever in our hearts. And we must not forget the Iraqi Gold Star mothers who suffer so much from this war that came to their front door step unwelcome and unnecessary.

Today, the citizens of this country must remember our sacrifice and consider the human cost of this war. That and our broken hearts are something that Gold Star Mothers live with forever.


A question for all of you? What do you say to a Gold Star Mother on Gold Star Mother's Day? Happy Gold Star Mother's Day??? That doesn't work, does it. Personally, I don't need a Gold Star Mother's Day-- every day of my life I will remember that I am among that ever growing club of Mothers and pray that someday there will be no more of us
Peace,
Amy

Cheney to Address Secret Group

The conservative Council for National Policy will meet in downtown Salt Lake
By Thomas Burr The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/26/2007 02:11:44 AM MDT

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney will speak to a super-secret, conservative policy group in Utah on Friday during his second trip to the state this year. Cheney will address the fall meeting of the Council for National Policy, a group whose self-described mission is to promote "a free-enterprise system, a strong national defense and support for traditional Western values."

The organization - made up of few hundred powerful conservative activists - holds confidential meetings and members are advised not to use the name of the group in communications, according to a New York Times profile of the group.

"The media should not know when or where we meet or who takes part in our programs, before [or] after a meeting,'' a list of rules obtained by The Times showed. The group did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Czech Republic President Václav Klaus is also expected to address the Council for National Policy's meeting in downtown Salt Lake City. After his speech, Cheney will meet with Klaus, the vice president's office said Tuesday.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, will also be in Utah on Friday but his campaign did not respond to a question about whether he would talk with the group.

Cheney's visit is expected to be short, only a few hours, according to people familiar with the trip's details. The trip coincides with fundraisers in California, Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming, Cheney's spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said.

All of the events on the trip are closed to the public and the news media, McBride said. Cheney last visited the state April 26 to give the commencement speech at Brigham Young University.

tburr@sltrib.com

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Personal note: The picture I put on my blog of Darth Cheney was not in the Salt Lake Tribune. It is of my own doing... You can see it at http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-cheneyvaderunmasked.htm

Peace,

Amy

When America Went Fascist

By Chris Rowthorn, Smirking Chimp
"Fascism: a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator"-- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000
It is a truism in the blogosphere that one more terrorist attack will turn America into a fascist state. People speculate about what fascism in America will look like, or how they might fight it. Others boast that they plan to flee the country ahead of the coming fascist takeover of the United States. One cannot read these posts without a sense of bitter irony, because one thing is clear to those who are watching carefully:
The United States of America is already a fascist state.
The United States turned fascist on December 11, 2000. On that day, the Supreme Court essentially appointed George W. Bush president of the United States, stopping the recount of Florida votes, and, hence, the democratic process. The justices of the court then slipped away by night, ashamed of their role in murdering America's great experiment in democratic rule.
The Supreme Court decision of December 11, 2000 is the modern American equivalent to German President Hindenburg's swearing in of Hitler as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. By swearing in Hitler as chancellor, Hindenburg set in motion a process which led to the Nazi dictatorship and World War II. In the case of the Nazis, the Reichstag fire of February 27, 1933 was the catalyst they needed to cement their grip on power. In the case of Bush and his backers, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 was the catalyst they needed to complete their full takeover of the American government.
When one looks at present-day America and reads plaintive musings about if and when America will turn fascist, it is useful to ask oneself the following question: When do you think the average German realized that he or she was living under a fascist dictatorship? How about the Japanese or Italians of the same period? Do you think that Hitler, Mussolini or Tojo made a public announcement to the effect of, "Dear Citizens: Please be advised that you no longer have any rights or political power. We have taken control of the government. Opposition and resistance are futile and will be punished."
The fact is, most of the "good" citizens of these countries clung desperately to the notion that it was business as usual long after constitutional government was dead and buried. Sure, they knew that their governments were a little further to the right than normal, but as long as they kept earning money and eating well, they ignored the grim realities of fascism.
It's easy to understand why: the "good" citizens weren't members of officially scapegoated groups or political activists, and thus they never felt the iron first of fascism. It's not like the government just suddenly started rounding up people at random and trucking them off to camps and executing them. No, it was only the "bad ones" who were carted off. It was the John Walker Lindhs, the Jose Padillas, the illegal immigrants and the Muslim Americans of their day who were carted off.
In fact, for the average citizen of Germany, Japan or Italy, it was only when the military adventures of their fascist governments started to go seriously awry did the reality dawn on them. Until then, if anything, they merely felt the stirrings of extreme patriotism and perhaps even satisfaction as their countries expanded outward. Indeed, for many, it was only when their countries lay in ashes did they fully understand what had happened. Only then could they see that a kind of cancer had run wild in their countries and come perilously close to destroying them.
In 2007, the average American is in exactly the same position as the typical German, Japanese or Italian citizen of the early to mid-1930s. Unless you happen to be a Muslim, a left-wing political activist, or a regular reader of left-wing political websites or journals, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's business as usual in the United States of America. You rise in the morning, read the morning paper, commute to work, get a paycheck, hit the ATM and watch the usual shows on television in the evening. Sure, we're officially "at war" but other than a few news stories and the usual yellow ribbons and bumper stickers, this doesn't really intrude into our realities.
But while all of us go about our lives like nothing has changed, the Constitution of the United States has been suspended, and with it, the democracy that it enshrines. Sure, Bush has never announced that he has suspended the Constitution. Rather, he has subjected it to a death by a thousand cuts. For, at last count, George W. Bush has appended 139 signing statements to laws passed by Congress, containing challenges to over 750 individual laws. These signing statements amount to 139 written declarations that George W. Bush and his allies consider themselves to be unconstrained by the law of the land and the will of the people. Or, to quote Mr. Bush: "(The Constitution) is just a goddamned piece of paper!"
On top of this, the Bush administration has repeatedly ignored subpoenas asking for information and directed aides not to comply with requests for information. And, more broadly, the Bush administration has made it clear that it will respond neither to the will of the people nor the will of Congress. Thus, in word and deed, the Bush administration is a dictatorship. And a country under the rule of a dictator is, at least by the definition at the start of this article, a fascist country.
Thus, in the last seven years, the United States has gone from a weak democracy, in which the people had weak but nominal control over their government, to a system where the government is under the control of "a unitary executive." And, of course, "unitary executive" is how you say "fuhrer" in modern American English.
Of course, this is not news to those unfortunate Americans who are presently languishing in military prisons without access to lawyers or due process. But, for most Americans, it seems absurd or even hysterical to declare that we are living in a fascist state. Arguments about signing statements, unitary executive theory or past Supreme Court decisions are mere abstractions and gain little traction.
Perhaps this is because fascism is like pornography: it's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Indeed, the best way to distinguish pornography from art is not logical but aesthetic. Similarly, I would suggest that the best way to determine if a country is fascist is not intellectual at all, but aesthetic.
Fascism has a style, a language and a mood all its own. When enough of these outward signs of fascism are present, you can reasonably conclude that the country in question is fascist. For this reason, I have put together this short guide to some of the more obvious distinguishing features of fascism.
A Brief Guide to the Aesthetics of Fascism:
--Hypnotized by symbols: Whether it be the swastika of the Nazis, the rising sun of imperial Japan or the fasces of the Italian National Fascist Party, simple, visually striking and endlessly repeated symbols are the "look" of a fascist government. Check out any Bush speaking engagement, from his "mission accomplished" speech on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Republican National Convention, and you will see him surrounded by the Stars and Stripes. And where Nazi leaders wore swastika armbands, American fascists wear American flag pins on their lapels. Sinclair Lewis observed that, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." The symbols may be different, but if it looks like fascism, it's probably fascism.
--Impoverished language: Umberto Eco wrote that, "All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning." George W. Bush's tortured syntax is perfectly suited to speaking this language. In describing Newspeak, Orwell declared that words will be "not merely changed into something different, but actually contradictory of what they used to be." Bush's speeches are peppered with words like freedom and democracy, when in fact, he means slavery and tyranny. Moreover, Bush is fond of accusing countries like Iran of illegally interfering in the affairs of other countries, much as Hitler accused other European countries of aggression as his armies overran the continent. The language may be different, but one fact is inescapable: if it sounds like fascism, it's probably fascism.
--Mood of pervasive fear: In Bush's America, people rightly believe that you may be subject to violence, harassment, arbitrary arrest or even torture if you challenge authority figures or speak out against the government. Since I started writing articles on political topics I have heard the comment repeated time and again: "You're going to be put on a list." Americans of all stripes live in fear of their government and few, if any, would dare question any authority figure, even if faced with the most blatant and unwarranted abuse of power. It is a sad fact that Americans are the only people in the developed world where citizens actively fear their own government. The tools of torture may have changed, but the essential fact remains: if it feels like fascism, it's probably fascism.
--The nation as homeland: The exaltation of the nation state as a promised land is perhaps the most basic sign of a fascist state. Twenty years ago, it would have been unimaginable to refer to the United States as a "homeland." The word would have stuck people as both antiquated and overtly totalitarian. Now, it is bandied about freely and we actually have a Department of Homeland Security. The strikingly fascist overtones of the word itself are troubling enough, but more troubling still is the thinking behind the word: America is an island in a hostile sea, surrounded by enemies who we must either vanquish or be vanquished by. Once again, if it sounds like fascism, it's probably fascism.
At this point, it is clear that America is in the early stages of fascism; it hasn't yet metastasized into the outright jackbooted fascism of Nazi Germany. But the country is poised like a boulder at the top of a slope, ready to roll into the abyss. In fact, it will take a miracle to keep this from happening. Consider the factors that could easily unleash outright fascism in the United States: the accelerating collapse of the US dollar; the follow-on effects from the subprime loan debacle; soaring energy prices (peak oil); catastrophic weather events caused by global warming; and, of course, the one thing that Bush's entire foreign policy seems almost guaranteed to bring about: another large-scale terrorist attack on American soil. Any one of these by itself could trigger outright fascism. Combine two or more, and American fascism is 100% certain.
We must realize that the full machinery of outright fascism is already in place. Private security firms like Blackwater are ready and willing to serve as the new Blackshirts. Patriot Act II has been written and provides the full "legal" framework for completely revoking the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and establishing martial law. The Pentagon has established Northcom to organize military operations in the United States and Canada. The Posse Comitatus Act has been gutted to allow the National Guard to serve in police actions all across the country. And detention centers have been built across the land and plans have been laid to intern millions of Americans.
History teaches that there is a point of no return in the evolution of a fascist state. Once that line is crossed, there is no turning back until the country lies in ashes and millions lie dead both inside and outside the country. If you don't think it could happen in the United States of America, then you don't remember how easily Americans let themselves be robbed of their precious civil liberties in the aftermath of 9-11.
Thus, a presidential candidate who does not make restoration of constitutional government the centerpiece of his or her campaign should not even be considered. The first and most pressing order of business must be to repeal the Patriot Act in its entirety. Provisions that Democratic lawmakers deem essential to national security can be restored on a piece-by-piece basis as parts of other legislation. The Military Commissions Act of 2006, which suspended habeas corpus, must be repealed. The Department of Homeland Security must be downsized and brought under full and transparent civilian control.
In the longer term, meaningful campaign finance reform and public funding for elections must be enacted in order to put political power back into the hands of the people and to take it out of the hands of the Pentagon and allied industries. Because ultimately, it is the military-industrial complex, working with the electoral support of right-wing religious fundamentalists, that is behind American fascism.
A final note:
The least discussed news story of recent history appeared in the New York Times on February 4, 2006:
"The Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract worth up to $385 million for building temporary immigration detention centers to Kellogg Brown & Root, the Halliburton subsidiary...KBR would build the centers for the Homeland Security Department for an unexpected influx of immigrants, to house people in the event of a natural disaster or for new programs that require additional detention space."
Since it seems unlikely that cruise ships loaded with illegal immigrants are likely to wash up on American shores any time soon, one has to wonder what they mean by "new programs that require additional detention space".
For the love of God, IS THIS AMERICA?

Sick in America

Friday afternoon my phone rang. On the other end of the line was my daughter, Jaime, in tears. She was being sent home from work (again) because she was sick. It was the second time in a week. She was lightheaded, dizzy, nauseated, congested and feverish. She had been vomiting off an on throughout the week. On the way home from work she had to pull over at least twice to gain her bearings and catch her balance. Finally she gave up and called a friend to come get her and drive the rest of the way.

Jaime is not one of those people who cries easily. She’s pretty tough. When she was growing up, she never complained when she was sick. Once she had an ear infection and her ear drum ruptured. She did not cry or complain or even tell me her ear was hurting her. I knew because when I got her up to go to school that morning, her pillow and one side of her head was covered in dried ooze. So I knew that Jaime crying meant a very sick Jaime.

I told her to call the clinic that is associated with the company she works for and see if she could get in. She has an appointment on Tuesday, the soonest they could she her. Not soon enough. I told her to go to the emergency room.

Jaime is a young single mom with a very busy two year old little boy. She works full time for a nonprofit agency that runs day care facilities in south Texas for kids who come from families that have next to nothing. She loves her job, but she barely makes more than the minimum wage. The time off from work meant time off without pay, and for someone who makes that little, it can mean the difference between eating and not eating, paying the electricity bill or not, and paying the rent or not. Every penny counts. She does not have health insurance because she cannot afford the $60-80 a month to get it. When she went to the local Medicaid office to apply for some kind of health coverage for herself, she was told that did not qualify? Why? Because her employer offers health insurance. It doesn’t matter how much or how little money she makes. She was able to get her son on CHIPS, though, so he does have coverage. We wonder for how long.

Anyway, Jaime’s friend drove her to the emergency room and stayed with her. She picked up my grandson from day care and went back to the hospital to wait for Jaime. Eight long hours later, Jaime was told she had vertigo (duh!) due to dehydration. They hooked her up to an IV, gave her a couple of prescriptions then told her to go home and get some bed rest for a couple of days. The question is, why was she dehydrated? Jaime says the doctor did not check her ears or her throat. He did not look at her eyes. He did not touch her other than to listen to her chest. If he had any sense whatsoever, if he had spent any time with her, he would have heard her congestion and cough.

I cannot help but wonder if Jaime would have received better, more attentive care if she had insurance.

A few years ago my other daughter, Dani, injured her back on the job while working for a nationally known chain store. She filed workman’s comp and went through that whole system. She did not have health insurance because she could not afford it. The health care she received was somewhat less than stellar. She needed testing done to see what the extent of her injury was, but she did not get them. I called around to see if I could get a doctor to see her who was not part of the workmen’s compensation group, but could not get anyone to agree to see her without insurance, even though I was willing to pay cash for the visit. No insurance, no appointment. Eventually the case worked out in her favor and she got physical therapy and all of that stuff, but it took a really long time. She still has problems with her back.

These aren’t the only stories I could share with you about healthcare of the lack thereof in my family. The truth is if you are poor, if you can’t afford insurance even though you have a job, you will not get the healthcare you need when you are sick. It’s just not going to happen. I think that it’s a disgrace not only to our country, but specifically to the medical profession.

I’m going to pay for Jaime’s insurance so she can get some kind of healthcare, though she probably won’t be able to afford the copay for an office visit. At least she’ll have it if there is another emergency in the future. And I really hope that my grandson’s coverage will continue so he can get the coverage he needs as well.

Health in America

Last week I got a phone call from my daughter, Jaime. She was in tears because she was being sent home from work (again) because she was sick. She can't afford to take time off from work. She is a young single mother and her job only pays her about $7.50 an hour, if that. She works full time, 40 hours a week at a nonprofit organization that runs day care facilities in south Texas. Because she is a single mom, all of her paid time off was pretty much used up to stay home and take care of her little boy when he got sick, which happens frequently.

Jaime doesn't have health insurance, so she can't go to a doctor to get checked. She's been sick for a week and needs to go to the doctor. Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, fevers, chills, cough, the whole nine yards. She'd been going in to work sick anyway. One day she called on her break in tears because she was so sick. She is not the kind of woman who cries over just any little thing. Her whole life, she has tolerated pain and illness very well with very little complaint. So when Jaime cries, I know something is really wrong.

Nearly every day I read stories about the millions of uninsured people in this country. Both of my daughters are among that number, and I have been in the past as well. There are supposed to be safety nets in place to help these people if and when they need it, but those safety nets do not cover everyone.

The reason Jaime does not have insurance? Because on her budget she cannot afford the $60-80 a month it would cost her to get it. Every single little penny counts for her every month. So she went to the local Medicaid office to see if she could get some coverage for herself. Nope. Apparently, in Texas, if your employer offers health insurance coverage, you cannot quality for Medicaid. It doesn't matter what your budget is or your circumstances -- it's just not going to happen.

Jaime's son, my sweet grandson, is covered under CHIPS. We wonder for how long...

Anyway, I instructed Jaime Friday when she was sent home from work sick, again, to call the clinic associated with the company she works for and make an appointment. I told her I would pay for the visit and any medications she needed. She did. They can't see her until Tuesday. In the meantime, Jaime is so ill she cannot drive, she cannot walk without losing her balance, and she is vomiting. So I instruct her to go to the Emergency Room to get checked.

Eight long hours later Jaime is told she has vertigo (duh!) because she is dehydrated. They give her an IV, a couple of prescriptions and send her home with instructions to go to the doctor for a recheck in a week and bed rest for two days. The question is, why is she dehydrated??? They did not run any tests on her and Jaime reports the doctor did not look down her throat, check her ears or look at her eyes. He did not touch her. She told the doctor and the nurses over and over what her symptoms were, and if they spent any amount of time with her, they would have heard her coughing and congestion.

I cannot help but wonder if Jaime would have received better care if she had some kind of insurance.

And, in the meantime, because she lives so far away, I am deeply grateful that Jaime has a wonderful friend who took her to the hospital Friday, waited with her, picked her son up from daycare, then drove back and picked Jaime up from the hospital and took her home. She has spent the entire weekend caring for my daughter because I could not get down there to help her. She is my angel this week...

In the meantime, I have told Jaime to sign up for that insurance at work and I will pay for it so she is not cut short on her income. She probably won't be able to pay the copay for office visits or anything, but at least she'll have it if she needs it, and we'll figure something out as we go along, as so many people have to do.

This is the hidden shame of America. We do not help our single mothers. We do not take care of the vets we send to war. We do not watch out for one another. It's so very, very sad.

It's the Oil, Stupid!

Iraq IS About Oil…

Alan Greenspan said so in his new book. Iraq is about Oil. Gee, thanks for finally clearing that up! Mighty kind of you, Sir. May I ask, though, why in the hell didn’t you come out with this years ago, before the war actually started? You could have done a lot of good, saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives if you had opened your mouth and told your truths before now.

One has to wonder if Mr. Greenspan didn’t hold on to this little tidbit of information so he could write a book and garner millions of dollars for doing so, thus making himself even richer off of the lives of dead American sons and daughters – not unlike so many other former government officials have done.

The news is not surprising to those of us who have worked in the peace movement to end this war. And it does not bring even one little iota of happiness or joy to know that we were right yet again. Now the TV talking heads are asking their “guests” if from now on the lives lost in Iraq are for nothing…

But hey, we have our war and we are killing those terrible, dirty Muslims, right? We are making the world a safer place. We are fighting terrorism “there” so we don’t have to fight it “here”. Hell, it’s in another country far, far away and we good Americans can go on with our lives uninterrupted, business as usual.

In the meantime, those of us who have been branded “left-wing nut cases” have been right time and time again about this war. When we said there were no WMD’s we were called unpatriotic. When we insisted that Iraq had nothing to do with Al-Qaeda we were insane left wing Liberals. When we told you that the facts were trumped up to Britain to make the case for going to war, that they were wrong, that all we were told was wrong, we were made fun of and told we should love or leave our country.

The thing is, we were right all along, every single step of the way.

I wish I could feel good about that, I really do. But I cannot. This country has become a country I no longer recognize. Our elected leaders are not doing anything to change the current status quo and it breaks my heart.

I hope we are wrong about other things we have seen and believe will happen in the future because it is a scary place to think about. I only hope…

Peace,
Amy Branham
Houston, TX
Gold Star Mother of
Sgt. Jeremy R. Smith, US Army Reserves
Nov. 1981 – Feb. 2004
abranham@houston.rr.com

Iraq Government Bans Blackwater

Iraq Shootout Firm Loses Licence

BBC News Monday 17 September 2007

Iraq has cancelled the licence of the private security firm, Blackwater USA, after it was involved in a gunfight in which at least eight civilians died. The Iraqi interior ministry said the contractor, based in North Carolina, was now banned from operating in Iraq.

The Blackwater workers, who were contracted by the US state department, apparently opened fire after coming under attack in Baghdad on Sunday.

Thousands of private security guards are employed in lawless Iraq. They are often heavily armed, but critics say some are not properly trained and are not accountable except to their employers.

The interior ministry's director of operations, Maj Gen Abdul Karim Khalaf, said authorities would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force.

"We have opened a criminal investigation against the group who committed the crime," he told the AFP news agency.

All Blackwater personnel have been told to leave Iraq immediately, with the exception of the men involved in the incident on Sunday. They will have to remain in the country and stand trial, the ministry said.

US Investigation

The convoy carrying officials from the US state department came under attack at about 1230 local time on Sunday as it passed through Nisoor Square in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Mansour. The Blackwater security guards "opened fire randomly at citizens" after mortars landed near their vehicles, killing eight people and wounding 13 others, interior ministry officials said. Most of the dead and wounded were bystanders, the officials added. One of those killed was a policeman.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Baghdad later confirmed there had been an incident in which state department security personnel reacted to a car bomb "in the proximity", and that they had been shot at.

"We are taking it very seriously indeed," she told the BBC, adding that discussions were still taking place about Blackwater's status now that they had been ordered to leave. When asked if Blackwater was complying with the order, the spokeswoman said she could not comment because the investigation into the incident was still in progress.

The BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad says it is generally assumed that Iraqi courts have no authority over foreign private security contractors. However, the US embassy spokeswoman said the question of their immunity from prosecution was "one of the many issues" raised by the incident. Blackwater has not yet commented on the incident.

Civilian Toll

Sunday's violence followed the publication of a survey of Iraqis which suggested that up to 1.2m people might have died because of the conflict in Iraq. A UK-based polling agency, Opinion Research Business (ORB), said it had extrapolated the figure by asking a random sample of 1,461 Iraqi adults how many people living in their household had died as a result of the violence rather than from natural causes. The results lend weight to a 2006 survey of Iraqi households published by the Lancet, which suggested that about 655,000 Iraqi deaths were "a consequence of the war". However, these estimates are both far higher than the running total of reported civilian deaths maintained by the campaign group Iraq Body Count which puts the figure at between 71,000 and 78,000.

BLACKWATER USA FACTS

• Founded in 1997 by three former US Navy SEALs


• Headquarters in North Carolina


• One of at least 28 Private Security Companies in Iraq


• Employs 744 US citizens, 231 third-country nationals, and 12 Iraqis to protect US state department in Iraq (May 2007)


• Provided protection for former CPA head Paul Bremer


• Four employees killed by mob in Falluja in March 2004


• Personnel have no combat immunity under international law if they engage in hostilities

Gold Star Father Assaulted at Anti-war March

Over the weekend I heard that Carlos Arredondo, Gold Star Father of Alex, was assaulted during the march/protest in Washington D.C. by counter protesters who did not agree with him. Today I emailed Carlos' wife, Melida, whom I have developed a friendship with, and asked her if Carlos was okay. Below is her response, reproduced with her permission:

Carlos Arredondo, 47 year old father of two sons, arrived in the nation's capitol on Monday, 09/10/07 to share a memorial he has made to honor for his eldest son, Alex. Carlos has visited thirty of the United States with the traveling memorial to his son Alexander. Lcpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, USMC was killed on 08/25/04. He was 20 years and 20 days old. The memorial consists of a casket, poster- size photographs of Alex when he graduated from boot camp, before his second tour in Iraq, lying in state at his wake, and a photo of Alex with his younger brother Brian.

Saturday, September 15, 2007 consisted of first a rally, a march towards the capitol and then a die-in. Carlos pulled the memorial along the march route approaching the rotunda near the capitol building. Several of the marchers requested for him to speak about the memorial where a crowd gathered around him. After finishing, several people walked with Carlos as he pulled the memorial. Several pictures of Alex dressed in his blues were attached to the display.

As Carlos passed counter protesters, one man ripped a picture of Alex from the memorial. Carlos leaped on the man to retrieve the picture. It was at that point that approximately five others all began to attack Carlos by kicking him in the head, legs, stomach and back.

The Capitol police bicycle patrol then appeared to break up the fight. Several officers including a female officer were engaged in breaking up the fight and were able to stop any further injuries from occurring. Hannah Jones who was walking with Carlos was also assaulted.

A bystander named Ramesh witnessed the whole encounter and also retrieved the picture of Alex for Carlos. He was quite distressed at how he watched the men follow Carlos as he pulled the memorial, purposefully yelling epiphets and eventually taking Alex's photograph. Soon, an ambulance showed up as well as many concerned activists. The paramedics provided first aid to Carlos but he did not seek further medical attention. Carlos sustained bloody cuts on his shins. He also reported bruises all over his torso and head where he was kicked.

I will send updates on Carlos and his work in DC as I am able.

Mélida Arredondo


The behavior from the counter protesters, some of whom are known to be a part of The Gathering of Eagles (though I do not know if it was one of their number who attacked Carlos), is reprehensible. It serves to tell just exactly how scared they are, what kind of cowards they are that they would gang up on an unarmed, harmless man who is only trying to end this hideous war and bring our Troops home so other families will not suffer the way his (and mine) has.

These people are letting FEAR control them as they hide behind their flags of patriotism and gun-ho, kill 'em all mentality.

Peace,
Amy

Dave Cline Passes

This is from the Huffington Post, written by Stan Goff... I met Dave Cline on a cathartic weekend in August 2005 when I went to the VFP Convention in Dallas just before our march in Crawford. Dave wrapped his arms around me in a huge hug when I learned I was a Gold Star Mom, and with huge tears in his eyes, expressed his genuine sorrow for me and my family. I did not know, at the time, who he was or all that he had done. May he rest in peace and find his bliss.
Amy..

15th September 2007, 03:09 pm by Stan
Dave Cline

…was a friend and comrade. He died last night at home.

Dave was former President of Veterans For Peace, founding leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and a founder of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign.
He was prominently featured in the film Sir, No Sir!, a film about GI resistance during the Vietnam occupation, reviewed recently by DeAnander on this site.

I met Dave when a handful of us began the Bring Them Home Now! campaign in 2003. He came across like a Jersey street person. He drank and smoked to excess, even though his health was under assault from a lifetime of hardship and ill health, beginning with disabling combat wounds from Vietnam. This first impression was deceptive. He had one of the sharpest political intuitions of anyone I've ever known. He was a mentor of the first order, and a patient, fearless revolutionary.

A lot of people knew Dave longer and better than me; and it is they who have the wherewithall and right to pen the fullness of his epitaph.

I just want to acknowledge this loss and his example, because I owe him very much.
The last time I was with Dave was during the six-day hike and caravan from Mobile, AL to New Orleans, LA in March 2006, during the Veterans and Survivors March for Peace and Justice. Dave was a wildly eclectic music afficionado, and he named the march after the New Orleans native Fats Domino's song: Walkin' to New Orleans. Dave was also a tremendous admirer of Dr. Martn Luther King; and Dave paraphrased Dr. King's words to make the motto of the march: Every bomb dropped over Iraq Explodes along the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Dave told an interviewer during the march that he was old and crippled, that it was hot and his feet hurt… and that there was nowhere else he'd rather be. He, as much as anyone, was responsible for conceptualizing that march/caravan, because Dave Cline understood that the war in Iraq, the war in Vietnam, the Black Freedom Struggle, and the treatment of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina were all intimately connected; and that we were duty bound to make those connections clear.

He looked fragile as a ghost then, rail thin with trembling hands and the bones pushing out against his face. But neither his words nor his actions were ever self-indulgent. His every thought was for a social revolution, that is, for a future where joy is embraced, creativity is encouraged, and suffering is minimized for all people.

What he did not see, and something he desperately wanted to see, was an end to the war in Iraq. Now we have to see that for him; and when that time comes we will not feel triumph, for who can triumph at the end of such a horror.

Something they should never drum into soldiers is the idea of honor, because people like Dave Cline will take that seriously and try to live honorably.

When we finally succeed in stopping this war — and we will, because we will never quit opposing it — we can feel that we were honorable in our persistence, and to Dave Cline we can offer gratitude for his example.

Roll Call. David Cline… David Cline… David Cline…

Antiwar Protest in DC September 15, 2007

Images are from the Associated Press... Estimates of the crowd size are 100,000. Fellow member of Gold Star Father, Carlos Arrendondo, was reportedly pushed around and roughed up by pro-war demonstrators -- I do not have details on this as of this morning. Also, estimates on number of arrests are from 160-200.

Last week I received several emails telling me that I should join in with the rest of America and fly my flag on the anniversary of 9/11 to show my patriotism and support of my country and the victims and families of that tragic day.

But I will NOT fly my flag today. It's not because I do not commiserate with the victims and families of 9/11. I will spend time remembering that tragic day that changed our nation and I will most definitely say a little prayer of hope for our country and most of all, for the victims and their families.

Right after the attacks on September 11, 2001, our President promised us that he would find out who did it and he would go after them. Later we learned it was Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda that masterminded those attacks and we would go after them. Shortly aftwards the military moved into Afghanistan. Yeah, I thought, now we'll get those evil doers!

But Osama somehow escaped -- not because we couldn't catch him but because someone, somewhere was unwilling to commit the resources to do it. And now, Osama is allowed to resurface from time to time in a video tape where he rants and raves about how he's going to kill us all, telling us that we must all become Muslim, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He is becoming the proverbial bogey man. The thing is, the timing is amazing! ONe week before the 6th anniversary of 9/11, here comes Osama when we haven't even heard anything of the guy in years!

It kinda makes me go "hmmmm" and wonder about this whole 9/11 thing.

Instead of staying on in Afghanistan to finish the job, we rolled on into Baghdad while the fearmongerers told us we had to do this to make us more safe. Saddam Hussain was an emminent threat to our national life and security and he had to be dealth with. Hey, they got Saddam, but Osama is still on the loose! Oh, and guess what? Now 65% of the Americna people think it was Saddam who was responsible for 9/11, not Osama!!!

I'm really beginning to wonder about all of this.

The other thing... Our nation is in shambles. Sure, we still have our homes and our jobs and we can still go from one place to another without having to show identify papers, etc. But many of us our losing our homes because of the "mortgage crisis" and our jobs are going overseas. Many, if not most, of us cannot afford health insurance and our childrens' toys and pet foods manufactured in China are being recalled because they might harm our children and pets.

We have a Democratic Congress that is, apparently, quite spinless and afraid to step up to the fight and do what is right. We have an Executive Office that is getting away with murder and a President who brings up 9/11 every chance he gets, using fear of what could happen to control this country. This is a man who has been wrong about every single thing he's tried, has lied to us over and over again, and still has not managed to capture Osama bin Laden.

Our country is broken and in distress and, apparently, we are the only ones who cannot see it.

So, I WILL NOT fly my flag today. I just can't do it.

Peace,

Amy

Request for your spiritual protection, love and light

Dear Friends

I ask for you all to consider this special request to send energies of spiritual protection, love and light to assist a person who holds a position of tremendous responsibility and authority at this point in time. Admiral William Fallon is?Commander of U.S. Central Command and presently controls all U.S. military forces in the Middle East. He is the person directly responsible for advising, recommending, altering?and/or implementing any plan concerning a military attack on Iran. During his Congressional Confirmation hearing in early 2007 he privately opposed a military attack on?Iran and said it "will not happen on my watch? (see: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/16/fallon-carrier/?). Admiral Fallon is known to favor a diplomatic solution to problems over Iran's nuclear ambitions, and has been opposed to efforts led by Vice President Dick Cheney to impose a military solution. Fallon, along with senior members of the U.S. military, have been strongly opposed to?the use of nuclear weapons in military plans drawn up to implement any Presidential decision to attack Iran. This was first revealed by veteran reporter Seymour Hersh in April 2006 and led to delays?in plans to attack Iran?(see:http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/10/060710fa_fact ).

Last week, on September 5, a very disturbing report was published by the Army Times concerning the discovery of a B-52 bomber armed with five nuclear missiles: (http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/marine_nuclear_B52_070904w/ ). There is compelling circumstantial evidence that the B-52 was on a covert mission either to be part of a military attack on Iran, or to stage a false flag operation that would justify an attack on Iran. Furthermore, it has been claimed that Vice President is behind the covert effort to sidetrack military opposition to a nuclear?attack on Iran?and ordered the B-52 mission (see: http://tinyurl.com/2hbjk9) .

At this moment, there is a furious behind the scenes struggle over the discovery of the nuclear missiles, and plans to secretly use them in Iran. Admiral Fallon is struggling against diabolical forces that threaten to plunge the Middle East into a new war and that would involve the use nuclear weapons.

I ask all concerned citizens to send their prays and protective energies of wisdom and light to Admiral Fallon. Please envisage him (see photo on left) surrounded by divine wisdom, light and love. This is the time to be grateful that there are people of conviction and integrity in the U.S. military who will stand up to diabolical forces?to do what is right for the American people and for the planet. Please circulate this request to your friends.

Signed

A Concerned Citizen
09/09/2007

Bums for Bush Down Under

A protest involving around 50 bare-bottomed activists spilled onto Sydney streets today, stalling an APEC motorcade and triggering scuffles with police.

The Bums for Bush campaign was hailed a success by organisers, even though drizzling rain kept many protesters away from the mooning anti-Bush protest.

Around 50 people lined up at Hyde Park's north end and mooned an audience of several hundred people, including supporters and media. After two encores of the performance, rain dispersed the protest, which then moved to Elizabeth Street, outside the Sheraton on the Park hotel, where witnesses said protesters blocked an APEC motorcade.

Protesters took to the streets before police officers forcibly pushed people off the road, yelling: "Move, get off the road."

Around 200 protesters lined both sides of Elizabeth Street and played blaring music, as police on bicycles stood watch.

Barely minutes after many in the crowd moved towards the hotel, a helicopter swooped over the scene while a bus delivered an additional 20 police officers.
Protesters, carrying placards reading "Sign Kyoto, you wankers", cheered and clapped, chanting

"Bush, Howard, USA, how many kids did you kill today?"

Police could not immediately confirm the reports that protesters had hindered a motorcade.

There was one arrest at a gathering near the Sheraton hotel at the junction of Elizabeth and Market streets this afternoon when a man who appeared to be defying police instructions was taken away. Police later said he was charged with assaulting police.

Serene Green protest

Earlier, police and media vastly outnumbered a group of Greens in at a peaceful press conference in Sydney's Martin Plaza today despite earlier APEC security fears.
At the open-air gathering, Green Senator Kerry Nettle called on the Federal Government to commit to specific climate change targets. Although police had initially feared the conference could be dangerous, the scene could hardly have been any more non-threatening. A row of 21 Greens dressed up as surf lifesavers and held "Save the Climate" placards. They were joined by Senator Nettle and Greens NSW MP Sylvia Hale. Surrounding them was a close huddle of more than 40 local and international media. And, as has been the case all week, groups of uniformed police and other burly men in suits and dark glasses stood and watched proceedings.

About a dozen onlookers walking through the largely deserted Martin Place stopped to look before moving on. Police had threatened earlier this week to take the Greens to court to stop the press conference going ahead. However, they relented on this threat yesterday, saying the event no longer posed a security risk. During her speech, Senator Nettle berated authorities, saying that the response if the police and military had been "over the top."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/apec/bums-rush/2007/09/07/1188783479503.html

Something Personal

All this week I've been thinking about my oldest daughter, Dani. She hasn't had a lot of good things happening in her life lately, mostly her own doing, but she's young and needs to make her own mistakes and learn from them. As a mom, it's really hard to sit back and just let her make these mistakes. But Dani is a really good, kind, loving and generous person and I am very proud of her.

For example, even though she was without a job and couldn't find a job, she took a few weeks out of her life to go stay with her sister and help take care of her nephew while his daycare center was closed for the summer. Jaime couldn't afford to pay for a full time babysitter and had tried other options, but they didn't work out. So Dani dropped everything and went to help her. While she was staying at Jaime's, she helped another friend with some household construction and didn't ask for anything in return.

Dani is a good friend, sister, daughter, and aunt. She'd give the people she loves anything they want or need if she has the means to do so -- sometimes to her own detriment. Dani has a heart of gold and is about a kind a person as you could ever meet.

When you meet Dani, though, you might not see those things in her. She dresses like a guy and has a very deep, soft voice. Her hair is cut very short and she mostly wears some kind of baseball cap. When we've got out to restaurants and stuff, she is often mistaken for a man. Some people are really turned away by her appearance. She has tattoos and piercings all over the place, most of them have some kind of special meaning for her, like the one she got to memorialize her older brother, Jeremy. I feel sorry for them because if they give her a chance, they will find a real jewel buried beneath that rough exterior.

She's had mohawks, shaved her head completely bald, and striped her hair with different colors. When she called me to tell me she had a new piercing a couple of years ago, my response was "WTF are you thinking?" But she laughed it off and went on with her life.

Dani likes girls. You know what? That's okay by me. From the time she was a little girl I kinda figured out she'd be a lesbian when she grew up. I don't believe it was a matter of choice for her. I never treated her any differently than I did her sister or her brother and just tried to give her, as I did all my children, the opportunity to figure out who she was, what she was, and to have her own dreams in life. When I look at her, I don't see a lesbian. All I see is my beautiful daughter that I love with all of my heart.

So, here I am, coming out publically and telling the world that I am the mother of a lesbian. One might ask why and the answer is this: I want my daughter to know that her mother is very, very proud of her because she is a good person. Because in spite of all the adversity she has faced in her life, and there has been much, she keeps on rocking n' rolling, trying to learn from her mistakes and be a better person every single day.

My hope and my dream for Dani is that some day she will find her soul mate, someone who loves her unconditionally as she is. My hope is that someday she will have the right to legally marry the person she loves.

My dearest hope and dream for Dani is that she will live a happy life and that her dreams will come true. I want that for both of my daughters.

I love you, Dani.

Peace,

Amy

A Day with PTSD

http://www.ivaw.org/user/527

Welcome Home

By Craig M. Smith

Looking out the passenger window of my truck, I had never seen such a mass of people before. Beads of sweat are dripping down my face, and fear is gripping my heart. I am clutching my M-16 rifle as if it is the savior of my life. A seeming ocean of faceless faces just look at me. They stare, as if they are contemplating my existence. In an instant, the faces vanish. Suddenly a terrifying explosion occurs in front of me. A fireball of the deepest orange soars through the sky. The smell of something burning is putrid, and now I am living in slow motion. Everything around me is burning, and I begin to prepare my soul so that I may face God. I want to cry, but I can't. I want to escape, but there is no end. Children begin shooting at me; I know that I am going to die. I start screaming.

"Veronika! Help me!" I scream from the deepest part of my soul. "What is it baby?" my wife so caringly asks. I look up at the ceiling, and then I look around the room. Everything is quiet, and everything is calm. I hear the dull sound of the air conditioner running. As I look into the dark, I realize that my vivid experience was only a dream. My body is shaking, and I am also very surprised that I am still alive. My wife gently grabs the back of my head and begins rubbing my hair. Her warm caress reminds me that this surely is not Iraq. "Shhh, you are in a safe place, Craigy." My wife's comforting words gently glide into my ears. As I begin to lie on my wife's chest, my muscles still quiver from the rushes of adrenaline that my body produced from the dream. I look at the clock; its 3 a.m. In 3 hours I will have to wake up, and go face a world that can never understand the war that is still raging in my mind.

A veteran of Iraq, I now face the challenge of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also referred to as PTSD. PTSD is a mental disorder that results from a very traumatic, or series of traumatic episodes. Upon my return from Iraq in December of 2003, we were greeted with great fanfare. When the excitement of our homecoming wore off, life began to become normal. As the normality of life increased, so did my symptoms of PTSD. Around the second month into my return to the United States, I began having very abnormal and violent dreams, anxiety attacks, exaggerated reactions to loud noises, and a paranoid approach to even the most modest of human tasks. The mental trauma experienced in combat continues, even though in reality, combat for me has stopped.

I am tired because I did not sleep well last night. I begin drifting between thoughts as I drive down the road. "Children shooting, God that's a weird dream! Am I sane? Am I a man?" My day at work is over, and the lights of the city are beginning to shine. As I am driving down the road, the stop light up ahead turns red. I de-accelerate and come to a complete stop. It is nighttime, and a white SUV pulls up along side of my car. Glancing over at the SUV's tinted windows, I cannot see the driver. My heart begins to race. My muscles tighten with every panting breath that I take. Explosions seem to come out of my chest; and my heart hurts from the impact of every beat. "Is his car going to blow up? Is he a suicide bomber?" My mind asks itself. "No, of course its not, are you nuts? Just turn up the radio." I turn up my radio, yet I cannot drown out the shrieking cries of my primal instincts. Listen for gunshots, where is an escape route? Stay alert, dammit, stay alert! I slump in my seat, because I know in the deepest parts of my heart that the person in the SUV is going to shoot me, or detonate himself at any second. My heart beats even faster, I exhale, and brace for the shock of death. The stoplight turns green, and the white SUV simply drives away. The car behind me honks its horn, and I realize that I must finish my drive home. I loosen my grip on the steering wheel, shift into first, and begin to accelerate. I look at my watch and realize that only a minute has passed. Shocked and confused, I resume my drive home.

Later that night, my wife and I prepare for bed. "Sweety, are you going to sleep in our bed tonight?" my wife so curiously asked. "No, I think I'll just stay on the couch," I reluctantly replied. Lying on the couch, I begin staring at the ceiling. As I stare into the night, I begin to reminisce of days past. I think about how over the past two years, hundreds of people have told me that I am a hero, even to go as far as saying that I am their personal hero. I don't feel like much of a hero anymore. I am a scared man, and I feel abandoned in my dreams. I can't sleep; in fact, I don't want to sleep. I quickly turn on the T.V. Seeing the light of the television reminds me that I am alive. Shutting my eyes will bring me back to death. As the time passes, my eyes begin to grow heavy. I wonder if my enemies of the past will visit me once again. The light of the room dims off and on. I fight as if I am trying to stay alive, only to be overcome by the human function of sleep. The day has finished, but for me, with PTSD, it has just begun.

Face Lift and other stuff

So, I decided today that I needed to give my blog a face lift. After all, it's been exactly the same since 2005! Wow. I can't believe I've had it that long.

I'm very frustrated, though. I can't figure out how to get my list of favorite blogs and websites to show up on my blog. GRRR Okay, so I admit it, I am very technically illiterate and this kind of stuff just boggles my mind. Write a story? okay, I can do that. Sit down at my sewing maching and make something out of nothing? No problem. Grow a pretty garden in my backyard? You betcha! But trying to get a blog up with all the bells and whistles and all of a sudden my mind turns to mush and I'm off chasing butterflies... (did you just see that beautiful one that flew threw the room?)

So, if any of you care to help me out here, it would be much appreciated.

In the meantime... I'm waiting for my oldest daughter tonight who is moving back to Houston after being gone for two years in other parts of Texas. She has everything she owns loaded in and on her car. When she called last to say she was finally on her way, she laughed and said her car looks like the Beverly Hillbillies... I'm anxious for Dani to be back here. I've really missed having my girls close by.

Oh, and the fun news of the day. My husband is a big OU football fan and he is originally from Oklahoma. So, of course, we had to watch the game. I went out and bought a new OU flag for our front yard today for him -- in part to irritate my next door neighbor who is a big A&M fan (and alumni). For those of you who don't know, OU and A&M are really big rivals and when they play every year, it's a BIG deal in Texas. So. OU played their first game today and totally kicked butt. That was fun.

I'm rambling. I know I'm rambling. I wish Dani would get here. Opps -- there goes another butterfly! Or was that a bat? I dunno, it's dark outside! LOL

Have a great long holiday weekend.

Peace,
Amy

The Beltway Rogues Gallery

ABC News has put together a fine set of photos and informative captions of these notable Congressional parasites who are in rather deep doo-doo:

Despite a new Congress promising to combat corruption, the 110th session is looking similar to the 109th with its share of trouble inside the Beltway.

Larry Craig: At the behest of party leaders, the Republican senator from Idaho resigned from his ranking committee posts as four GOP colleagues called for his full resignation. Sen. Craig pleaded guilty in June to disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover police officer of soliciting sex in a Minneapolis airport restroom. To combat rumors surrounding his sexuality, Craig held a press conference to say his guilty plea was "a mistake" and to assert, "I am not gay." Meanwhile, Republican Senate leaders called for an Ethics Committee review.

Ted Stevens: The longest-serving Republican in Senate history, this Alaskan senator is under federal investigation for his ties to the scandal-plagued oil services firm, VECO. FBI and IRS criminal investigators raided Stevens' home in Girdwood, Alaska, at the end of July. A federal grand jury has been investigating whether VECO paid for expansion work at the senator's home. Stevens has said he paid invoices for the work from his own pocket. As for the raid, Stevens declined to comment on it, other than to urge his constituents "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media."

David Vitter: The Republican senator from Louisiana returned to Capitol Hill in mid-July, one week after admitting he was a client of the Washington, D.C. escort service Pamela Martin and Associates run by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, aka the D.C. Madam. On the day before heading back to the Senate, Vitter, standing with his wife, held a press conference during which he apologized again for what he has previously called "a very serious sin in my past" and disputed new media reports linking him with a New Orleans brothel and a prostitute. Vitter's number appeared on a February 2001 phone record, which the D.C. Madam had not previously shared with other news outlets, including ABC News.

Mark Foley: Although Justice Department officials say federal charges are unlikely, the disgraced former Republican congressman is waiting for the findings of the Florida state investigation into the sexually explicit instant messages he sent to former congressional pages. In the meantime, Foley has been spotted in and about West Palm Beach, Fla. After stepping down last year following ABC News' reporting of the sexually explicit messages, the Republican congressman from Florida checked himself in a pricey Tucson rehab center for alcoholism, announced he is homosexual and claimed he was sexually abused as a child.

Rick Renzi: Embroiled in an FBI corruption investigation, the three-term Arizona Republican announced he would not seek re-election in 2008. His plan to retire follows his resignations from key committee posts. In April, FBI agents raided the offices of an insurance business owned by Renzi's wife. He is under investigation for suspicions he accepted $200,000 from a business partner in exchange for using his influence to compel the purchase of his partner's land at an inflated price. Renzi has denied all wrongdoing and says the money was a repayment of an old debt.

Bob Ney: The former Republican congressman from Ohio reported to prison in March to begin serving his 30-month sentence. Ney, or Inmate 028882-016, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in the scandal involving convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Amongst the most juicy of his corrupt activities were the acceptance of a lavish golf trip to Scotland, tickets to Washington, D.C. sporting events and thousands of dollars in meals and drinks at Abramoff's restaurant, Signatures.

Randall "Duke" Cunningham: The former Republican congressman from California, who pled guilty in a $2.4 billion corruption case, remains in jail in downtown San Diego, Calif. Cunningham, a.k.a Inmate 94405-198, is serving out his sentence of eight years and four months. A member of the House subcommittee that awards defense contracts, the "Dukester" was known for his "bribe menu," which detailed how much it would cost contractors to essentially order multi-million-dollar government contracts: $140,000 earned a $16 million contract.

John Doolittle: One of the latest congressman under the FBI's microscope for his alleged connection to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, the Republican congressman from California recently resigned from his key committee posts. The FBI searched Doolittle's Oakton, Va. home, where his wife ran a bookkeeping and event-planning business. Among her clients was the lobbyist, who sent monthly checks of $5,000 to her, which eventually totaled more than $65,000, according to AP reports. Doolittle also supported issues that benefited Abramoff's clients and accepted some $56,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff's clients, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The congressman has denied all wrongdoing.

Tom Feeney: Reportedly yet another target of the Abramoff investigation, the Republican representative from Florida filed papers in June to set up a legal defense fund to pay expenses "arising from [his] ongoing voluntary cooperation with inquiries" stemming from the federal investigation into the Abramoff scandal. At issue is his role in a 2003 Scottish golf trip paid for by the disgraced king of K Street. Feeney has insisted he had "no relationship" with Abramoff, and the trip was "an expensive lesson."

Gary Miller: The Republican congressman from California is under federal scrutiny for some real estate deals. Critics say some of his transactions were questionable land deals, in which they alleged Miller used his public position for private gain. For instance, in one deal, Miller reportedly borrowed millions from a political backer to purchase land near an ailing airport from the backer's company. Miller then pushed a bill through Congress to close the airport, giving his backer the chance to develop the airport's property and increasing the value of his own purchase. Shortly afterward, Miller sold the land at an undisclosed profit. Miller has maintained his innocence, and his office says, "These allegations are baseless and have no merit."

Tom DeLay: The former Republican congressman is currently awaiting trial. DeLay was indicted in the fall of 2005 on charges of violating state campaign finance law, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The first charge was thrown out, but District Attorney Ronnie Earle has appealed that decision, holding the case up in appeals court indefinitely. In June 2006, DeLay resigned from Congress and has since kept busy by starting his own conservative Web blog, named TomDeLay.com. He maintains the charges against him are baseless and the work of "an unabashed partisan zealot."

Oh yes, there are TWO Democrats. That's eleven (11) Republicans and two (2) Democrats:

Alan Mollohan: Under federal investigation for his ties to nonprofit groups he founded, the Democratic congressman from West Virginia pledged to recuse himself from voting on any matter affecting the FBI's budget. But according to the Roll Call newspaper, Mollohan broke that promise in July and voted against an amendment to add $6 million to the bureau's budget. Mollohan did step down from the House ethics committee last year. He is reportedly being investigated for directing earmarks to tax-exempt organizations he founded and real estate partnerships with one of the nonprofits' officers, according to the congressional news publication, The Hill. Mollohan has maintained his innocence.

William Jefferson: Nicknamed the "Cold Cash Congressman," Louisiana Democrat Jefferson was indicted in June on 16 counts, including racketeering, solicitation of bribes, honest services wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, to name a few. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 235 years in prison. According to court papers, Jefferson was filmed accepting marked money allegedly to pay a bribe to a Nigerian official. The FBI says $90,000 in marked bills was later found in his freezer during a raid. Jefferson strongly denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

Go to this link to see really good photos of all these scumbags: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?id=3538051&contentIndex=1&page=1