WHO'S REALLY WORKING FOR NADER

On today's Yahoo News (direct from the AP wire), more information about Ralph Nader:

Watchdog Group Complains About Nader Aid

WASHINGTON - A watchdog group says it will file a complaint with federal election officials, accusing two conservative organizations of illegally helping Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, possibly with support from President Bush's re-election campaign.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington planned to file its complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. It says the Oregon Family Council and Citizens for a Sound Economy violated election laws last week by telephoning people and urging them to help Nader get on Oregon's ballot in November.

Both groups acknowledge trying to influence Nader's petition drive Saturday in Oregon, in hopes that getting him on the ballot would take votes away from Democrat John Kerry and help Bush win the battleground state.

Melanie Sloan, the watchdog group's executive director, said Tuesday that the conservative organizations are also corporations that are prohibited by election law from making campaign donations.

Sloan said she also would name the Nader and Bush campaigns in her complaint because of reports that some Bush-Cheney volunteers may have made similar calls from Bush campaign offices.

"If Bush-Cheney was soliciting those corporations to assist the Nader campaign, then that's a violation," she said.*

Chris Kinnan, spokesman for Citizens for a Sound Economy, said an outside lawyer assured him the phone calls were proper. "We're confident that we can answer any charge," he said.

Sloan's group also filed an FEC complaint against Nader last week saying the consumer advocate violated federal campaign laws by accepting office space and telephone service from a public charity he created.

* For being "against" reactionaries and big corporate influence in politics, Ralph sure doesn't mind using their cash and help, does he?

Are you a neoconservative?

Take this quiz to find out.

In Green Party news in today's My Wise County (Virginia), information about Ralph Nader:

Battleground State Ballot Access Puts Ralph Nader Campaign At-Risk

Wise, Va. -- Ballot access is everything to a struggling third party candidate like Ralph Nader but the former two-time Green Party candidate was suffered a serious blow to his national effort by his former party when they opted not to endorse him in the 2004 national election contest and thereby denying him ballot access in key states.

Nader is blamed in (sic) nearly every Democrat in the nation for handing the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush by taking away votes in Arizona, Florida, and New Hampshire and thereby tip the Electoral College balance away from Al Gore in the historic Supreme Court decided outcome.

Many Democrats fear and political analysts note the possibility of history repeating itself with Nader denying John F. Kerry the White House under similar close-vote circumstances.

Nader is a bleep in the national polling data but his potential impact in key electoral vote states may have yet another far reaching impact. And, Republicans hope Nader will.

Two Republican leaning groups are working to get Nader access to the battleground state of Oregon . Meanwhile in Arizona, another battleground state, Democrats are going to court contesting thousands of signatures on Nader petitions to gain ballot access there.

More than 25,000 signatures are needed by Aug. 2 to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania, a key electoral state, where doubts are now being raised that Nader will make the high-stakes ballot.

In a head-to-head race against the incumbent Republican, the independent Quinnipiac University poll showed Kerry would win 49 percent of the vote and Bush would get 43 percent of Pennsylvania voters. A similar survey in May showed the two running about even, with 45 percent for Kerry and 42 percent for Bush.

But in the three-way race, the latest survey showed Kerry attracting only 44 percent, with Bush at 43 percent, Nader with 7 percent, and 4 percent undecided in Pennsylvania.

Similar results are found in other battleground states according to Zogby International, a highly respected polling firm, monitoring 2004 presidential battleground states.

But it was the Green Party that put a major damper on Nader's presidential ballot access Saturday after he was denied the party's endorsement for president. He carried the party's banner in the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections.

Green Party activists deemed Nader as betraying the party by bolting its organization and forming his own Populist Party.

Rebuffed by the national Green Party, Nader may have a more difficult time gaining ballot access in several states... Of the states with Green Party ballot access, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin are among 16-key closely-watched battleground states that may well decide the election between Bush and Kerry as the November 2 national presidential election approaches.

Nader was endorsed by the Reform Party in 2004 giving the three-time presidential candidate ballot access in at least seven states including Florida, Michigan, Colorado, key battleground states.

But the political smack-down given Nader by the Green Party may actually result in ending his 2004 ballot access in many states and boosting Kerry's chances in closely contested states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

Nader's strategy was to gain the endorsement of the Reform Party and the Green Party while pushing his own ballot access in remaining states as the Populist Party.

Three parties? I won't share my take on this, save to point out how important it is to vote for the candidate in this election who you really want to not lose an extremely closely contested race.

AHEM. Dear Testpattern blogger.
I called it. And I want credit for the call!

Back on May 17, 2003, Voltaire's Child posted this on testpattern.org:

Know the facts behind Michael Moore's next documentary

Michael Moore's next film, "Fahrenheit 911," will look at the links between the families of Bush and Osama bin Laden. If you don't read the rest of this or follow the links, know this much: Bush was on the board of directors of an oil company - Harken Energy. Salem Bin Ladin was a stockholder in the company, represented by a man named James Bath. (Harken won a contract to drill off-shore of Bahrain, which got interrupted by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Bush illegally sold his stock in Harken just before that.). James Bath was suspended from flight status in the Texas Air Guard on the same orders that suspended George W. Bush.

Read the rest of this clairvoyant posting (the screen is not blank; scroll down) as you watch Fahrenheit 9/11 again, and agin, and agin.

Man, I love being right!

A TestPattern.org exclusive

If you're not reading Thomas Vorce's Gila Wilderness Report, you should be:

Our ideal politic is about honest commitment to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. When the method to achieve these principles becomes polluted, it's time for a reevaluation of the state of our affairs. I’m heartened to see that the Greens are rising to the occasion by providing a place for courage and conviction to withstand the strip malling of America, the cabal of special interests and the collapse of good will in public service.

Hats off to the objectivity the Greens are bringing to this madness. May we come to that place where we see each other’s energies as necessary and contingent for the well being of us all and merge this unnecessary “gap” between truth and beauty that placed us, unwittingly, in this horrid mess that threatens to undermine everything we have historically stood for.

My condolences to Korea for the senseless death of Kim Sun-il

I was deeply troubled by the news this week of the abduction and subsequent beheading of Kim Sun-il, a 33-year old translator working for a Korean company supplying US troops in Iraq. Kim was just a few months younger than me. I grieve for his family and his countrymen who find themselves stuck in the middle of a conflict that isn't theirs.

I spent a year teaching English in Seoul and made many friends there. I found Koreans to be kind, generous and deeply spiritual people. As an American who lived as a guest in their country and was treated like a son, I feel a debt of eternal gratitude. I was shocked, saddened, angered and disgusted that terrorists would kidnap an innocent bystander and execute him just to get the attention of a foreign government that is aligned with the United States.

On the first videotape, broadcast yesterday by the Korean media, a voice off camera asks Kim questions and he replies in halting English.

He gives his name and birthplace, says he was born Sept. 13, 1970 in Busan.

He also describes U.S. President George W. Bush as a terrorist and says he does not like the United States because they are killing Iraqis.

"I saw George Bush attack here because of Iraqi oil," he said. "So I don't like George Bush or America."

"I like Iraqi people. The Iraqi people are very kind," Kim said. "I think they are poor because of war."

AP said the video was delivered to APTN on June 3, but was not aired because it was unclear if Kim was being held against his will.

However, the question remains why AP only released the videotape three days after Kim's kidnapping was made public on June 21.

It's horrifying enough to see our men and women coming home in body bags. It's another thing to see our friends being killed on account of our friendship. It saddens me further to think that Kim's death might have been preventable.

They have long complained about the highhandedness and the lack of cooperativeness among their envoys. The blunder appears even larger in light of the fact that the Japanese government succeeded in rescuing three of its citizens kidnapped by a group of Iraqi insurgents in April.

If only the Korean government hadn't waited three weeks to act on Kim's behalf, let alone reconsider its decision to send 3,000 additional troops to Iraq to help fight in an unjust war that was started by their friends.

What a Dick!

The appointed vice president of the United States, Dick Cheney (former CEO and still on the payroll of Halliburton), garnered the #2 spot on Democratic Underground's Top 10 Converative Idiots List.

So the question remains - if Cheney is so sure that al Qaeda was working with Iraq because he "probably" has information that the 9/11 Commission doesn't, why didn't he give that information to the Commission? After all, surely the vice president of the United States wouldn't want to sit on information which could assist the people investigating the worst terrorist attack in history. Especially if that information proved beyond all doubt that the administration had a good reason for going to war with Iraq. Oh - wait a minute. He's just making it up, isn't he.

The leaders of the Sept. 11 commission are, kinda sorta, asking if he wouldn't mind sharing with them what he says he "probably" knows that they don't. (New York Times)

So, Working For Change has set up a page whereby you, too, can kinda sorta ask Dick to put up or shut the hell up.

Join in the fun. Maybe Dick will personally give you the middle finger, too. Enjoy.

A View Into Kerry's Foreign Policy
From The Atlantic Monthly

When you run up a debt, someone eventually has to pay it. When you make a mess, someone eventually has to clean it up. When you run a company into the ground, your replacement has to not only run the company, but fix your mistakes.

We got tricked into invading and occupying another country. Like words and bullets, we can't take that back. We're there. We've done it. We've made that bed. Someone has to sleep in it. Here is some of what John Kerry has in mind.

As the situation in Iraq has worsened, Kerry has stepped up his criticism of the Bush Administration. In an April 30 speech at Westminster College, Kerry laid out a three-part plan for the occupation and reconstruction of the country. First he would expand and internationalize the security force by seeking the support of the UK, France, Russia, and China, and also NATO, which, he suggested, might take control of the borders and train Iraq's army. Second he would propose an international high commissioner to oversee elections, write a constitution, and organize the reconstruction efforts. Third he would launch a "massive training effort" to expand Iraqi security forces. Taking those steps, Kerry declared, "is the only way to succeed in the mission while ending the sense of an American occupation." ... a fundamental difference in world view between Democrats and Republicans—a difference in how they see the nature of the threat facing America. This, more than any distinction between hawk and dove, is also the fundamental foreign-policy difference between Bush and Kerry.

...The fixity of this mindset also explains why the Bush Administration spent its first months so heavily focused on the issue of national missile defense, and seemed so surprised by al-Qaeda's transnational terrorism. The Bush team didn't discount the problem of weapons of mass destruction; it simply expected trouble to come from an ICBM-wielding "rogue state" like Iraq or North Korea, rather than from Islamic terrorist groups.

Viewed through this lens, the Administration's fixation on Iraq after 9/11 becomes somewhat easier to understand.

To the Democrats in Kerry's orbit, this approach is at best inefficient and at worst akin to fighting fire with gasoline—for example, it has created terrorism in Iraq where little or none previously existed. Last fall, when I asked the presidential candidate General Wesley Clark about Feith's characterization of the threat, he said it was the "principal strategic mistake behind the Administration's policy." Clark went on, "If you look at all the states that were named as the principal adversaries, they're on the periphery of international terrorism today."

George Bush is the worst president in the history of the United States.

Who's Lying?

"THIEVES! THIEVES AND LIARS !" - Ministry

In today's Voice of America, news about Dick:

Cheney Differs with 9/11 Commission on Iraq, Al-Qaida Connection

WASHINGTON -- ...In an interview with CNBC television, Vice President Cheney repeated his assertion that the ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida were substantial.

"There clearly was a relationship. It has been testified to. The evidence is overwhelming," he said. "It goes back to the early 90s. It involves a whole series of high level contacts between Osama bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence officials."

That view conflicts with the findings of the independent, bipartisan commission investigating the 2001 terrorist attacks.. In a report released this week, the 9/11 panel said there were contacts between Iraqi officials and al-Qaida operatives prior to 2001. But commission staff member Douglas MacEachin, a former CIA official, said the two parties never really established a working relationship.

"There have been reports of contacts between Iraq and al-Qaida (that) also occurred after bin Laden returned to Afghanistan, but they do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship," he said. "And two senior bin Laden associates have adamantly denied any ties existed between al-Qaida and Iraq and so far we have no credible evidence that Iraq and al-Qaida cooperated on attacks against the United States."

So who is telling the truth? A former CIA official, or a guy whose company has been caught robbing the military in already bloated contracts in a war fought under deeply suspicious circumstances? Just want to make sure.

WANTED: Enterprising 1st year Law Student to draft (as yet undrafted) Writ
Ideal candidate would be a 1st year law student with no experience, hoping to make a name for him/herself by charting unexplored Constitutional ground.

What is a "writ of duchebagary" and how does one invoke it?
"Daily Show clip: Stewart, Durbin, and Biden tear Ashcroft a new one."

Here is a fascinating article about how Crashcart got chosen as AG, after losing his Senate seat to a dead man.

It's also terribly interesting to watch neocons spin this editorial.

WANTED: Enterprising Criminal Justice major to develop and test Frog Marching procedures.
Question: Who is tasked with investigating the outing of a CIA operative? -- John Ashcroft

Ex-Ambassador Joseph Wilson at Democracy Now, about who was behind the smear campaign against him and his wife.

At the end of the day, it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frogmarched out of White House in handcuffs. (cheers and applause) And trust me when I use that name, I measure my words.

---

President George Bush's closest political adviser, Karl Rove, was yesterday at the centre of a criminal investigation into allegations that he leaked the name of a CIA agent in an attempt to suppress criticism of the administration's Iraq policy, in what is fast becoming the administration's worst scandal since coming to office.

---

Deep political ties between top White House aides and Attorney General John Ashcroft have put him into a delicate position as the Justice Department begins a full investigation into whether administration officials illegally disclosed the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer.

Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, whose possible role in the case has raised questions, was a paid consultant to three of Mr. Ashcroft's campaigns in Missouri, twice for governor and for United States senator, in the 1980's and 1990's, an associate of Mr. Rove said on Wednesday.

---

No Democratic presidential candidate has missed the chance to denounce him in the most censorious terms, from Howard Dean ("John Ashcroft is a descendant of Joseph McCarthy") to John Kerry (a crowd "of every creed, every color, every belief, every religion" is "John Ashcroft's worst nightmare"). In November, Al Gore, standing before a cheering crowd of 3,000 in Washington's Constitution Hall, declared that the USA Patriot Act—drafted under the auspices of the Justice Department and passed in the aftermath of 9/11 to strengthen America's defenses against terrorist attacks—should be repealed and that the Bush Administration's treatment of aliens after 9/11 "was little more than a cheap and cruel political stunt by John Ashcroft." Intellectuals have been no less scathing in their denunciations. Gore Vidal declared recently that "the Founding Fathers ... would have hanged anybody who tried to get [the Patriot Act] through the Constitutional Convention," adding that Ashcroft was part of an "alien army." "Many conservatives are sorry they ever supported former Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft's appointment as attorney general,"

Oh my god, we are so totally screwed! Why, oh why, didn't I take the BLUE pill?!

More News of Halliburton Corruption

To the recent news that two Halliburton staffers in Iraq were fired for taking kickbacks of up to $6 million, spokeswoman Wendy Hall said the company had reported the "irregularities" to the authorities.

"We found it quickly, and we immediately reported it."

"We do not tolerate this kind of behaviour by anyone at any level in any Halliburton company."

In case anyone has forgotten, Halliburton overcharged the Pentagon for fuel in Iraq and Dick Cheney orchestrated massive tax evasion schemes as their CEO before becoming our Vice President. So as to Hall's comments, this behavior is clearly regular and tolerated at the highest levels.

It amazes me that Martha Stewart is facing jail time while crooks like Cheney are walking the streets.

Music and Kites Return to Afghanistan

This is an excerpt from today's meeting between George Bush and Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Three years ago, the smallest displays of joy were outlawed. Women were beaten for wearing brightly-colored shoes. Even the playing of music and the flying of kites were outlawed. Today, we witness the rebirth of a vibrant Afghan culture. Music fills the marketplaces, and people are free to come together to celebrate in open.

PRESIDENT KARZAI: Afghanistan has problems, too. Among the problems is the question of drugs. The Afghan government is adamant, the Afghan people are adamant to fight this menace, to end it in Afghanistan and receive your help in that.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. It's been nice visiting the United States again. One likes to stay here and not go, it's such a good country. (Laughter.) Thanks very much.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Get home and get to work, will you?

PRESIDENT KARZAI: Thank you, yes. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll answer some questions, in the tradition of democratic societies. Are you ready? We'll start with Hunt.

PRESIDENT KARZAI: I'm ready. I now know, Mr. President, what the free press means. We have it in Afghanistan.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's good.

It warms my heart to see Bush teaching one of the more hallowed traditions of our democratic society -- answering questions. Give Bush credit, he seems to have a flair for hypocrisy.

Kerry a Caged Hamster?!

Props to Air America Radio's Marty Kaplan for catching this one. In the opening sentence of her Sunday piece, "Behind the Scenes, a Restless and Relentless Kerry," Jodi Wilgoren refers to John Kerry as a hamster.

Like a caged hamster, Senator John Kerry is restless on the road. He pokes at the perimeter of the campaign bubble that envelops him, constantly trying to break out for a walk around the block, a restaurant dinner, the latest movie.

A caged hamster? Of all the metaphors Wilgoren could have used -- caged tiger for instance -- this seems like the weakest, and most pejorative. What comes to mind when you think of a hamster? A rat, but with a lot of hair.

I'm glad that the New York Times leads our liberal media. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these?

What's the Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America

Economic inequality is on the rise in the United States. Despite the hype about the glorious "New Economy" during the 1990s, four out of five Americans had their share of net wealth decline in that decade. Those in the top fifth, on the other hand, saw their share of net wealth increase from 59 percent to 63 percent. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing, and the middle class' share of the wealth is shrinking.

Things have never been better for the top 1 percent of Americans, who have seen their real income soar by 59 percent. But those in the middle or near the bottom of the American economic pyramid are struggling to find affordable housing, attain good health care and maintain the quality of their children's education.

When George W. Bush took office he addressed these realities by giving a huge tax cut to the wealthy, while the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased. If working-class Americans have gained little economically from the Bush economy, they have been given the opportunity to do most of the fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, because the president has asked the well-off to do little else than shop hard.

Despite the harsh realities that confront working-class America, President Bush can expect a good portion of the blue-collar vote to choose the Republican ticket this November. How can this be? How is it that so many Americans have gotten into the habit of voting against their own economic and social interests? What ever happened to good old-fashioned populist class anger?

In "What's the Matter With Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America," Thomas Frank has the answer: "It is culture war that gets the goods."

This book has just been added to my summer reading list. You'll find the complete review here. And the author's website here.

Move Over Al-Qaeda, Here Come The Environmentalists!

Today on the San Francisco Chronicle website you'll find the following tease:

FBI Eco-Terrorism Warning
SF and nine other U.S. cities
alerted of possible protests
and violence by radical
environmental group.

Read the story and you'll find that using the term "eco-terrorism" seems excessive, if not completely irresponsible. Look at this website and you'll find that there is no reason to believe that today's protests will be violent.

This day will mean many things to many people - we say do what fits your local situation and your desires. Some ideas are film screenings, protests at SUV dealerships, wheat-pasting campaigns, letter writing and outreach, music shows and direct actions. The important thing is that you ask yourself: will this action help Jeff's situation? Remember that what we do on the outside has an impact on his life on the inside-sometimes its positive and sometimes negative. Consider this crucial bit of information when planning your event.

Let's stop casually labelling everyone we disagree with to be a "terrorist." Let's try to maintain our sanity and composure during these troubled times. No doubt, there are real enemies out there who want to destroy the American way of life, but it's not environmental activists, nor was it Iraq. Let's stay focused on our real enemies, and try not to create new ones.

"Quack You Very Much"

Monty Python's Eric Idle sends a musical love letter to Cheney, Bush, Condoleeza and the lot of Republican quacks running the country.

Remembering a Great American

We lost a great American genius yesterday, and the world is a better place for having had him in it. Take a moment today and tune in to your local jazz station. You're sure to hear the smooth piano playing and singing of Ray Charles.

We'll miss you, Ray.

Ashcroft and Biden Swap Barbs

Attorney General John Ashcroft gave testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and "insisted that the Bush administration does not condone torture, even of al-Qaida terrorist suspects." Of course this flies in the face of the reports and photographs coming out of Abu Ghraib, not to mention the White House memo reported in the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

“We now know that at the highest levels of the Pentagon there was a shocking interest in using torture and a misguided attempt to evade the criminal consequences of doing so,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “If anyone still thinks the abuses at Abu Ghraib were only dreamed up by a handful of privates and sergeants, this memo should put that myth to rest.”

Finally some Democrats are starting to hold the Bush administration accountable for their criminal behavior.

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., his voice booming, suggested that American military personnel could be in greater danger of torture because of the U.S. mistreatment.

"That's why we have these treaties. So when Americans are captured, they are not tortured. That's the reason, in case anybody forgets it," said Biden, noting that his son, Beau, is in training for the Delaware National Guard's judge advocate general office.

Glaring back at the committee, Ashcroft responded that his son, Andy, recently returned from duty in the Persian Gulf aboard a Navy destroyer, the USS McFaul, and is scheduled to return there soon.

"Well, as a person whose son is in the military now on active duty and has been in the Gulf within the last several months, I'm aware of those considerations," he said.

Ashcroft is aware of those considerations? Could have fooled me.

The President Knew It, Approved It, Authorized It, But He's Not Responsible
And that's all I have to say about that

Don't you miss the days of Ari Fleischer? He could have handled this whole Abu Ghraib mess a long time ago. That new guy is no use whatsoever. He's not even fun to watch anymore.

Still, I never quite figured out why John Ashcroft would so blatanly refuse to answer Senators' questions. He all but gave them the middle finger.

Contempt Citation

Senator Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, challenged Ashcroft to say whether he was invoking executive privilege in refusing to give Congress the Justice Department memos. Ashcroft said he wasn't invoking executive privilege.

The committee's chairman, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, gave no indication that he intends to pursue a contempt citation against Ashcroft. The citation, if approved by the full House or Senate, triggers a criminal investigation by a federal prosecutor.

That's quite a sword to fall on. There must be a flurry of buck passing going on over there. I wonder if they're afraid they went too far. But why?! They already decided they could do whatever they wanted, didn't they?

Lawyers Decided Bans on Torture Didn't Bind Bush

A team of administration lawyers concluded in a March 2003 legal memorandum that President Bush was not bound by either an international treaty prohibiting torture or by a federal antitorture law because he had the authority as commander in chief to approve any technique needed to protect the nation's security.

Federal antitorture law? There's a federal law against torturing people? Go figure.

TITLE 18 - PART I - CHAPTER 113C

Sec. 2340. - Definitions
(A) the intentional infliction or threatened infliction of severe physical pain or suffering;

(B) the administration or application, or threatened administration or application, of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or the personality;

(C) the threat of imminent death; or

(D) the threat that another person will imminently be subjected to death, severe physical pain or suffering, or the administration or application of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or personality;

Sec. 2340A
(c) Conspiracy. - A person who conspires to commit an offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties (other than the penalty of death) as the penalties prescribed for the offense, the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.

Oh. See, I thought Bush was consulting with outside lawyers (non-White House) because of the Grand Jury Investigation into the Valerie Plame outing, which was, of course, a violation of TITLE 50 - CHAPTER 15 - Sec. 421

It's so hard to keep them all straight these days.

Michael Franti Brings Peace to the Middle East

Musician, activist and poet Michael Franti left Baghdad yesterday. The lead singer of Spearhead is on a two-week peace mission to Iraq, Jordan and Israel, visiting bomb sites, hospitals, women centers, universities, radio stations, cultural centers, social justice organizations and refugee camps in Amman, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jayyous, Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip. Michael is also reporting for Democracy Now! and filming a documentary.

Here is an excerpt from Michael's diary:

I addressed the troops and told them I knew things were tough for them, that I knew they were facing a long haul ahead of them and that I wished them all safety in their journey. I told a few funny stories to break the ice about my time breaking down on the side of the road in the hot summer sun of Italy. after that I spoke about the war, I told them that it was difficult and confusing to understand how this whole occupation will end. that we were told it was about WMD's and sadaams links to terrorism, and these turned out to be untrue. I said you all have offered up your lives for your country and the least the rest of us could do in return was to not ask you to kill or be killed in a war that is under questionable circumstances. then I sang the song bomb the world...

...they cheered and afterward I hugged each of them and spent many more hours talking to them all about their time there, where they were from and what they though to the war, some thought it was their duty to follow their commander in chief no matter what. others thought they were fighting a loosing battle to win the hearts and trust of the Iraqi people (this is an understatement) others thought the war was ill conceived to begin with and they felt like they were the pawns in a big game of chess. every soldier I spoke to wanted to come home right now.

I gave the book I had been reading "house of bush, house of saud" to the sergeant in charge of the soldiers we were with. he was very, I emphasize very interested in reading about bush's family business connections to the Saudi royal family and especially interested in why bush allowed the Bin Laden family to fly out of America after 911 without being questioned while all other planes were grounded.

You can support this project of peace and understanding by making a tax-deductible donation to Spearhead's non-profit organization, Power To The Peaceful Fund.

Make checks payable to:

Power to the Peaceful
3470 19th St
San Francisco, CA 94110

These excerpts come from a recent essay by the always insightful William Greider, "Under the Banner of the 'War' on Terror."

What this President effectively accomplished was to restart the cold war, albeit under a new rubric. The justifying facts are different and smaller, but the ideological dynamics are remarkably similar--a total commitment of the nation's energies to confront a vast, unseen and malignant adversary. Fanatical Muslims replaced Soviet Communists and, like the reds, these enemies could be anywhere, including in our midst (they may not even be Muslims, but kindred agents who likewise "hate" us and oppose our values). Like the cold war's, the logic of this new organizing framework can be awesomely compelling to the popular imagination because it runs on fear--the public's expanding fear of potential dangers. The political commodity of fear has no practical limits. The government has the ability to manufacture more.

My advice for Americans is also an urgent warning: Get a grip, before it is too late. Take a hard look at your own fears, reconsider the probabilities of danger in the larger context of life's many risks and obstacles. The trauma of 9/11 stimulated infinite possibilities for worry--some quite plausible, but most inspired by remote what-if fantasies. A society bingeing on fear makes itself vulnerable to far more profound forms of destruction than terror attacks. The "terrorism war," like a nostalgic echo of the cold war, is using these popular fears to advance a different agenda--the re-engineering of American life through permanent mobilization.

Bush Makes the Pope Wait;
Protest Reports Vary Widely

This might not be newsworthy if Bush didn't make such a big deal about being on time.

ROME - President Bush arrived 15 minutes late for his meeting with Pope John Paul II - unusual for a president who makes no secret of his impatience when others keep him waiting.

It was a rare breach of protocol in Vatican City, too, and raised eyebrows in the papal delegation.

"The president is 15 minutes late," John Paul's secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, pointed out to Vatican reporters.

White House aides blamed Bush's tardiness Friday on a longer-than-expected preceding meeting with the Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

The real story here is not that President Bush disrepected the world leader of the Catholic Church, although he certainly did by choosing to spend 15 minutes more with the Italian President. The real story is that hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets to protest Bush's visit. But where is the coverage? Where are the photos of the crowd, estimated to be as many as one million strong? If you search the headlines for yourself, you will start to get a complete picture of what happened.

The Washington Times made a good stab at the crowd size -- "500,000 protest Bush's visit to Rome" -- while the New York Times dramatically understated it -- "Thousands Protest in Rome Against Bush Visit and Iraq War".

The San Francisco Chronicle, harkening back to the demonstrations that shut down the City last year, focused on the traffic effects of the protests -- "Much of Rome sealed off as protesters denounce Bush" -- while a Houston TV station cast the protestors as the bad guys -- "Rock-throwing and tear gas as thousands protest Bush visit". CNN ran an image of the police, appearing to be under siege, but none of the mostly peaceful protestors.

The Independent covered the Pope's criticism of Bush -- "Pope lectures Bush on America's duties" -- while Fox went out of its way to run a story on the positive reception received by Americans in France -- "France Welcomes Back U.S. Veterans". FOX did report on Bush in Rome, but didn't give away much in their headline -- "Bush Meets With Pope at Vatican" -- and tried to put a positive spin on what they did report.

So much for the liberal media and objective reporting standards.

On our new Faith-based administration ...

It is growing abundantly clear by the actions of president junior and his hand picked crew that "Going to church doesn't make you any more a Christian than going to the garage makes you a car."

Suppose this is important to know?

Fiscal Shenanigans

June 3, 2004

President Bush appears to be planning to run for re-election as a tax cutter without discussing what federal programs will be sacrificed to make up for the lost revenue.

...While Mr. Bush has been out crowing about spending increases in some popular programs, his Office of Management and Budget was instructing federal departments to prepare to pare them down.

...$925 million for Head Start and childhood education. That would come at a time when schools are already struggling to meet the demands of Mr. Bush's No Child Left Behind initiative without adequate resources.

...The same projections show that veterans' medical care would be cut by $1.5 billion (after a planned $380 million cut in 2005).

...environmental protection, housing programs and nutrition aid for poor pregnant women and children - would be $21 billion less in 2006 than today.

...homeland security, would be $45 billion below its current level and would be a smaller portion of the economy than it has been at any time since 1963.

....even all of the proposed cuts in the memo would barely begin to make a dent in the annual deficits, which are likely to range from $300 billion to $400 billion for the rest of the decade.

...Some of the staunchest tax-cut supporters in Congress are perfectly aware that the math doesn't work. They hope the accumulating pressure of the deficits will eventually force the federal government to go further and cut entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Very few of them, however, are prepared to run for re-election on that plan.

...Currently, tax cuts since 2001 account for 17 times as much of the swing from surplus to deficit as do increases in domestic discretionary spending.

...Candidates who insist on keeping the Bush tax cuts - whether they're running for Congress or the presidency itself - have to show us the math.

Why is it that in all the Bush TV ads the only mention of Bush is at the beginning, when he says "I approved this ad," followed by 60 seconds of attacks and accusations against Kerry?

Are we going to let Rove do to Kerry what he did to John McCain? I for one am tired of this group of idealogues destroying the genuine leaders in this country in service of their addiction to power. It may be slightly different if they did something when they get into power, but as we have seen, all they know how to do is get elected with no clue of how to lead.

Isn't it time to start doing what is right for this country rather than what is right for your party? I have always been amazed that things like Nazi Germany could exist, but after observing the mindless, unquestioned following by the masses during the past 3 years, I am beginning to see how it is possible.