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A group called "America Speak" is having a forum today about Our Budget, Our Economy?" I submitted an op-ed to the Foster's which ran today. It has one factual error: I said the venue was the Portsmouth Public Library at 11am today: it is in fact the Portsmouth High School. The high school's address is 45 Andrew Jarvis Drive, which is a little street off the very northernmost portion of Lafayette Road, just north of the funky ramps and the strip mall with the Margarita's and the bowling alley. It's where we had the near-riot a year ago when Obama was had in town.
The event is supposed to run till 6pm. I have two previous engagements (World Cup soccer & Danica Patrick's Nationwide Series race) so I will probably be leaving a few hours early.
Bob Bestani, in his quest to unseat Carol Shea-Porter, is taking her for task for not interfering with the military justice system. I am sure the other Republicans running for federal office will soon be parroting the same lines about the Navy SEALs court martial.
It is not easy to sort out the facts of the case. The gist of it is that three Navy SEALs are being court martialed for allegedly brutalizing an insurgent named Ahmed Hashim Abed on September 1, 2009. Abed is (interestingly) believed to be the mastermind behind the gruesome execution of 4 Blackwater contractors in September 2004, back when Bush & Cheney were in charge of the war. (If we were fighting an opponent our own size, those 4 non-uniformed combatants would have been sent to our enemy's Gitmo instead.)
We are halfway through a story that is about to turn winter in one of the most beautiful places in the world profoundly ugly.
Just like in a Cecil B. DeMille movie, we have a cast of millions, we have epic scenery, and we have made acquaintance with someone who will go on to perform a heroic act.
Unlike your typical Hollywood production, however, this movie is not going to have a happy ending-in fact, you could make the argument that it's not over yet.
So wrap yourself up in something comfortable, grab something to drink...and when you're ready, we're packing up and heading to the Alps.
We have another one of those "amazing history" stories for you today-and this one's a real doozy.
We're going to spend the better part of four years in the Italian Alps (or, to be more accurate, what was intended to be the Italian Alps), and by the time we're done, nearly 400,000 soldiers will have been killed-and 60,000 of those will have died as a result of avalanches that were set by one side or the other.
In the middle of the story: a mountaineer and soldier who was so highly regarded that even those who fought against him accorded him the highest honors they could muster, creating a legend that lives on to this very day.
And even though a young Captain Erwin Rommel fought in these battles...it's not him.
Oh, by the way: did I mention that there are also some handy object lessons for anyone who might be thinking about fighting a war in Afghanistan?
Well, there are, Gentle Reader, so follow along, and let's all learn something today.
same mistakes, insanity, been there before, South east Asia to Iraq, what's going on under your name ?
Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
(c) 2008 Reprise Records for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.; Motion Picture Artwork and Photography C2008 Silver Bow Productions, Inc.
MoveOn.org talked me into hosting an event related to their new "Iraq and Recession Report." This report is based on a poll which shows that New Hampshire voters are all too well aware of a reality which John E. Sununu and his fellow Republicans seem oblivious to: that we cannot afford to fight an endless and pointless war in a time of recession. 60% of Granite Staters polled stated that they were very worried about the economy, and 46% said that eneding the war would help.
We will present the report to Sen. Sununu (who presumably will not actually be there) at this local office at 1 NH Avenue, in the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH on Thursday April 24 @ 11am.
I got a chance to say hello to some fellow bloggers today. I told them I want an end to the War. Can Clinton support a time-out for the War ? Not the Trade war, which she has all of a sudden begun to get behind in Iowa...not the brush war with Obama...just a real honest to goodness cease fire, a cooling off period or whatever you want to call it. Dean Barker said in response that since the British have demobilized from Basra the violence is way down. What would it hurt ? We've learned from Palestinian Israeli conflict that until someone backs off the others won't.
Oh yeah and while we're at it a Bush time out too...from now till Jan.9th 2009, don't vote for any bill Bush would sign. On principle..on faith, if he's for it I am against it. Nothing he believes in is worth spit.
Give it a try. Why not ? It's like the old Jewish joke about giving chicken soup to a dead man, it couldn't hoit.
I love how the Edwards campaign is getting so bold and so...well...I guess it could be described as snarky. As others have said before me, the truth can never be an attack, but the truth can sure hurt. Here's another example.
Now John Edwards has asked Senator Clinton to answer 5 simple yes or no questions on Iraq. Should be easy, right? It also should be something a presidential candidate should be ready to do. Will she do it?
Originally posted by Joe Clarke on the John Edwards blog
Today, John released his plan to end the current system of outsourcing military and security missions to private contractors.
His comprehensive plan will reduce political cronyism in the hiring process, increase government oversight of contractor activities, and ensure that contractors who behave inappropriately are brought to justice.
John:
The recent incidents of violence involving Blackwater contractors in Iraq, including the shooting of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad last month, have caused tremendous damage to America's battle for the hearts and minds of Iraqis. These incidents hurt America's moral standing, both in Iraq and around the world. And they serve as a tragic reminder of how the Bush Administration has outsourced our military responsibilities to corporate contractors and political cronies who operate outside of the rules of engagement and without any meaningful oversight.
John's plan comes in the wake of a recent Congressional report that details some troubling aspects of Blackwater's involvement in Iraq. According to the report, which was released on October 1st, Blackwater has been involved in nearly 200 shootings in Iraq over the past two years. In the majority of those instances, Blackwater contractors fired first, usually from moving vehicles, and usually without stopping to see whether those shots resulted in casualties (pg. 2). The report also recounts an incident from December 2006 in which a drunken Blackwater contractor shot and killed a security guard of Iraqi Vice President Adil Abd-al-Mahdi. According to the report, Blackwater transported the contractor out of the country shortly thereafter, and no charges have been filed (pg. 12). (Read more about Blackwater and other contractors operating in Iraq: from the NY Times, from Brookings.)
To combat these sorts of injustices, John will drastically change the way we hire, deploy, and prosecute private military and security contractors. Here are some highlights of his plan (continue reading below-the-fold to see the plan in its entirety):
Restore Democracy to Our Military Decisions About the War
transfer most security missions currently performed by contractors back to military command
narrowly limit the circumstances under which security contractors can be engaged
bring all security contractors within the Pentagon's chain of command.
Expand Legal Oversight and Prosecutions
amend the Military Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) to cover contractors employed by any U.S. agency
ensure criminal allegations involving contractors are always investigated and, when appropriate, prosecuted
establish clear rules of engagement for contractors
Get Cronyism out of Security Contracts
ask Congress to pass legislation prohibiting campaign contributions by applicants for and recent recipients of security contracts, extending the ban on current contractors
ask Congress to pass legislation to close the revolving door for government contractors by prohibiting former officials from working as contractors with business before their former offices for five years
Establish Strong Quality Control and Accountability Measures
establish a regular system of Quality Assurance Evaluations of contractors and will make sure that agencies exercise oversight
Implement a Formal Evaluation of the Role of Contractors
deliver a comprehensive accounting of all contractors performing security operations within the first six months of his administration
creation of a new National Security Budget that will include all security activities by the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies
It's been a busy and exciting week for the Edwards campaign in New Hampshire - from John's national address on the war in Iraq to our tree canvassing with Congressman Bonior. To round off our week Elizabeth Edwards will be heading up to New Hampshire on Friday. Elizabeth will attend house parties across the state on Friday and Saturday. You can find a house party with Elizabeth near you on our New Hampshire Website
Elizabeth will also host a roundtable with New Hampshire teachers to discuss the bold new policy on K-12 education that John Edwards will unveil on Friday.
This week has truly been a great week of grassroots energy and momentum. Yesterday the campaign announced that New Hampshire supporters will be hosting 200 House Meetings for Change, where the host with the most attendees will join Elizabeth at the upcoming Dartmouth debate. You can host or join a house meeting right here.
I wrote this piece for our local on line citizen journalism paper The Forum and thought I would post it here as well. After going to the Rockingham County Democrats picnic on Sunday, I was thinking about what I look for in a candidate. I have previously written that I look for a leader on progressive values, but I decided I needed something else as well, well-trained intelligence.
Today, Governor Richardson reiterated his belief that the so-called "surge"in U.S. forces in Iraq has been a failure, and responded to Senator Clinton's change of heart regarding the lack of progress in the war.
"I am pleased that Senator Clinton, today, recognizes that the surgehas produced no progress of any long term significance to the Iraq debacle.That is different from what she said yesterday to the Veterans of ForeignWars. But, it is that audience, who has sacrificed more than any of us, whodeserves to hear a clear statement that our sons and daughters and mothersand fathers are not going to be sacrificed because of an irrational commitmentto a failed strategy.
... The only way out of the Iraq mess is to remove all U.S. troops, and to usethat leverage to get the warring parties to resolve their differences, andsurrounding Muslim nations to help stabilize the countr Any residual U.S. force reduces the chances for success, and exposes our troops as targets. Our brave troops, and the American people, deserve better."
Go to No Troops Left Behind to learn more.
Full Disclaimer: I work for Governor Richardson's campaign.
Foster's Daily Democrat, which is not a Democratic-leaning newspaper, says the war is lost and we need to let Iraq's leaders know that we have a plan to get out.
If you're not part of solution, you're part of the problem. Clearly, the United states is no longer part of the solution in Southwest Asia...
No, we're not suggesting a rerun of the last helicopter lifting from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, but the time has come to admit political and military failure in Iraq and quietly tell Malaki we have a plan in place.
It was never intended, but too many brave men and women already have died in vain.
Hillary Clinton came out today with a powerful message for President Bush: "Don't Veto the Will of the People on Iraq."
Here's the statement from Hillary's site:
Last week the Senate passed historic legislation that calls for a phased redeployment for our troops in Iraq while ensuring they have the support they need. It's an important first step in ending the war in Iraq. But President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.
The American people have had enough of the president's failed strategy in Iraq. Join Hillary in telling him to listen to the will of the people and to Congress, withdraw his veto threat, and begin phased deployment of the troops out of Iraq.
We should all sign her petition to show our support for this policy. She is right on.
I am organizing a letter to the editor writing campaign for progressive candidate Dennis Kucinich. If you are interested, drop me a line at dwa@unh.edu
