July 5, 2007
Jul 05 03:35 EXPOSED: Twin Cities Anti-War Committee Jul 05 09:56 AP Hit Piece Alert Jul 05 10:49 Broder Swerves Into the Truth Jul 05 14:55 Targeting AQI Jul 05 22:53 White House Pushes Back
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Prior Years: 2006
EXPOSED: Twin Cities Anti-War Committee
Several days ago, Michael posted something about Al Franken's answer to an impeachment advocate at the Gay Pride parade on June 24. I did some digging into who was all there & found out about an organization called the "Twin Cities Anti-War Committee." It "began in December 1998, with 13 people who committed civil disobedience to protest the bombing of Iraq." Here's what its website says about the events it's participating in:
GLBT Pride FestivalThat's just part of what this group is involved in. Here's something else that they participated in:
Sat 6/ 23 & Sun 6/24, all day @ Loring Park, Mpls.
Come help take our anti-war message to the queer community. We are looking for tabling volunteers for Saturday & Sunday at our booth & for folks to march with us on Sunday under our banner "Out Now! Queers out of the closet! US out of Iraq!"
Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice
Tuesday 6/26 @ 12noon -1pm @ TWO LOCATIONS: Senator Norm Coleman's office (2250 University Ave. W, Suite 100N, St. Paul, MN 55114).
Representative John Kline's office (101 W. Burnsville Pkwy #201 Burnsville, MN 55337).
This is a rally to demand of Congress and the President a restoration of the great principles upon which this country was founded. The America we know is disappearing, it has been replaced with a program of secret prisons, the elimination of habeas corpus and due process, the use of torture, unlimited detention, and unfair trials. It is crucial that we urge our lawmakers to reverse this course. It is crucial that we urge our lawmakers to : Restore due process and the power of courts to hear habeas corpus cases ; Reform the abuses of the Military Commissions Act (MCA) by passing the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 ; End torture and abuse in secret prisons ; Stop extraordinary rendition that allows secretly kidnapping people and sending them to countries that torture ; Close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and give those held there access to justice ; Investigate wrongdoing and ensure those who broke the law are held accountable; Restore American values and the rule of law.
PEACE VIGIL: Peace is PatrioticContinuing the fight "can only lead to more bloodshed, increased insecurity and little hope for Iraqis to reassert control" of their lives? These folks are downright nutty. If not for American troops, Iraqis would be subject to sharia law, where women wouldn't have rights. Women certainly wouldn't have the right to vote or hold office. It's obvious that these anti-war activists hadn't noticed that those rights were codified into Iraq's Constitution:
Wednesday 7/4 @ 5 pm, Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Peace Bridge.
Join with others to say "No to war and occupation!" The war and military occupation of Iraq have resulted in the deaths of more than 3,425 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Continuing the occupation can only lead to more bloodshed, increased insecurity, and little hope for Iraqis to be able to reassert control over their lives and their government. This weekly vigil, and other vigils in the Twin Cities, provide the opportunity for the people in the community to participate in an important ongoing act of public resistance to war, occupation, and empire. FFI: Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq at 612-522-1861 or WAMM at 612-522-1861
Article 14:These anti-war activists must also think that al-Qa'ida in Iraq terrorists will simply stop the violence. That's just plain foolish. If we left before we dramatically reduced the number of insurgents and terrorists, you'd have true 'civil war' between AQI terrorists and the Iranian-financed Mahdi Army.
Iraqis are equal before the law without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, origin, color, religion, creed, belief or opinion, or economic and social status.
Here's the details about an upcoming event:
Civil Disobedience TrainingTalk about delusional. Civil disobedience was effective in bringing about change in the 1960's and 1970's but it's been ineffective at best in the late 1990's and thus far this century. If you did a word association drill, starting with civil disobedience in the 21st century, I'd bet effective wouldn't be many people's first choice.
Wednesday 7/18 @ 7pm @ Mayday Books, 301 Cedar Ave S, Mpls
The U.S. Civil Rights Movement, the United Farm Workers union, the environmental movement, anti-war movements, queer and women's movements, and others have all used direct action to challenge war and injustice. U.S. history - like world history - is full of examples that prove that civil disobedience can be an effective way of creating change. We need to learn from them and use militant and creative tactics as part of our strategy to end the war on Iraq and confront the RNC in 2008! This is a practical training that will give you the information you need to participate in these kinds of actions ; whether directly or as a supporter.
Let's look at this another way. The immigration protests two years ago were attended by millions of activists and illegal immigrants. That year's protests were the most attended protests in ages, with the WTO meetings being the next most attended. Those protests got congress into action but I think it's impossible to say that they affected any change in policy.
The group even puts out fliers to 'get the word out' about the 'occupation':
Next Day of International Protest:This is a flier that they've currently got listed on their website. When I saw the date, it didn't sound right so I went to this calendar website to find out the last time June 30 fell on a Wednesday. What I found was that the last time June 30th fell on a Wednesday was 2004. Talk about your material being a bit dated.
NO to Occupation of Iraq and NO to Fake Sovereignty
Wednesday, June 30 (time and location TBA)
Here's another dated flier:
America's criminal occupationThere's more to that article but you get the gist of it. These people either can't afford new fliers or they're content with living in the past. Either way, it's difficult to take these protesters seriously.
By Roger Normand, Electronic Iraq, 10 July 2004
There has been much speculation as to whether Washington's neoconservative rulers actually believe the nonsense about freedom and human rights or whether they are driven solely by power and profit. It makes little difference to the people of Iraq. After 30 years of Western-sponsored domestic tyranny, they must now suffer the brutal
depredations of foreign occupation. As the popular Iraqi saying goes, "the student is gone; the master has come."
The American script portrays all Iraqi opposition, not just attacks against civilians, as terrorism, even though international law recognises the right to resist occupation through armed struggle. The same script dismisses U.S. abuses as isolated excesses. But the dehumanisation of Iraqis evident in the photos from Abu Ghraib prison is not the handiwork of a few "bad apples." It is part and parcel of an
American policy that seeks to justify imperialism in an explicitly postimperial
world order. In this respect, torture is only the visible tip of a vast iceberg of lawless behaviour. In the routine grind of maintaining occupation, U.S. forces are committing war crimes and human rights violations on a daily basis.
Check out the opening paragraph in this Strib article:
Twin Cities antiwar leaders on Thursday announced the route for a march that they said will be a "massive demonstration" at next year's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.Then check out this quote:
Jess Sundin, of the Anti-War Committee, and Marie Braun, of Women Against Military Madness and the Twin Cities Peace Campaign, predicted the march would draw at least 50,000 participants and perhaps more than 100,000. They said protesters will come from across the country.Of course, the Agenda Media will 'flood the zone' with coverage if 20 demonstrators show up. (No, I'm not predicting that. I'm just saying that that's how the Agenda Media would cover it.) Of course, if 100,000 people gathered for a Right to Life rally, they'd be buried on page 37A but that's another story.
Here are some of the other organizations that co-sponsored the Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice:
CODEPINK, Human Rights Watch, Islamic Society of North America, MoveOn.org, NOW, NAACP, No2Torture, Peace Action, People For the American Way, United for Peace and Justice, Amnesty International and the ACLU.In other words, a veritable who's who of the anti-war nut fringe groups.
BTW, if you watch the Franken video, you'll notice he tried to distance himself from the anti-war protester in a heartbeat. I wonder why.
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 3:38 AM
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AP Hit Piece Alert
The title to Liz Sidoti's article about Fred Thompson is what you'd expect from the AP:
Analysis: Thompson lacking substanceHere's where they got that headline from:
Still, for all Thompson's style, he left others waiting to hear more substance.Those were the last three paragraphs of the article. Sheesh. Here's some of what Ms. Sidoti wrote before that:
"I like him a lot, but the jury's still out on him until he tells us more," said Thomas Gilbert, 76, who traveled from Fayetteville, Ga.
His wife, Margaret Gilbert, 73, agreed: "He's a good speaker and said things I think that essentially most Americans agree with, but I really don't know that much about him or what he'd do."
The White House aspirant put his Southern-tinged style on display in Columbia, S.C., last week. He pleased GOP activists with a 30-minute speech peppered with plainspoken points and folksy sayings. They clapped at his applause lines and laughed at his jokes as he commented on hot-button issues from Iraq and immigration to terrorism and taxes, and the dispirited state of the GOP.Something stands out for me from the negative ending. The retired couple said that they drove "from Fayetteville, GA" to Colombia, SC to hear Sen. Thompson speak. I checked Mapquest to see just how long of a drive that was. Here's what I found:
At ease behind the podium, he grinned broadly and spoke in a conversational manner, glancing at notes before him and gesturing often, his eyeglasses in one hand. He made a self-depreciating joke about the Senate and Hollywood, invoked Reagan and, in his deep drawl, used phrases like "hitched up our belts" and "the dogs ain't eatin' the dog food when they put that one out there."
Republicans raved.
"His style was very different. It's a little folksy, a little refreshing in a race that's going to get spirited," said Katon Dawson, the GOP chairman in South Carolina. Added Chip Felkel, a Republican consultant in the state: "I was impressed. He has the ability to talk to people like he's sitting on their front porch."
"I don't see any political correctness. He tells it like it is," gushed Charlie Lybrand, a county registrar in Charleston. "He is who he is."
Fayetteville, GA US-Columbia, SC US: Total Est. Time: 3 hours, 41 minutes Total Est. Distance: 229.25 miles.The fact that the Gilberts drove almost 4 hours to hear Thompson's speech is pretty incredible. They obviously think highly of him.
That should've been the AP's lead to this article.
Instead, the headline focuses on their desire to learn more about him. They certainly weren't slamming the door on Thompson. Quite the contrary. They're doing a great job of doing their due diligence. Sen. Thompson has obviously made a great first impression on them so they're 'kicking the tires' on Thompson. I suspect that they'll commit to him the minute they learn more about Sen. Thompson's beliefs and policies.
A headline that would've been appropriate would've been:
Thompson Makes Great First Impression in South CarolinaNow let's talk about what the other candidates should worry about. This phrase really stands out:
"I was impressed. He has the ability to talk to people like he's sitting on their front porch."I've often said that there are several thresholds that presidential candidates must meet to be taken seriously: the fundraising threshold, the policy threshold and the likability threshold.
Based on the crowd's reaction, he's clearly passed the likability test. Sen. Thompson should be encouraged by the fact that they're curious about his policies. They aren't passing final judgment on him just because they don't know everything about him. Some politicians never get that type of benefit. Once people like the Gilberts learn that Thompson's policies square with his Goldwater libertarianism, I suspect that he'll pull in alot of support, both in terms of financial support and organizational support.
(By the way, visit the I'm With Fred button at the bottom of this page if you want to contribute to Sen. Thompson's campaign.)
That leaves the fundraising threshold as the last threshold to surpass. Based on what we've read here, I don't think that'll be a problem. Where there's enthusiasm, the cash is soon to follow.
Finally, the crowd's reaction should worry Hillary bigtime. The reason why Bill's campaigning with her is because she's as likeable as a cactus. Fred Thompson clearly knows the issues cold, he's likeable, he's the personification of gravitas and he's a straight shooter.
His campaign bus is this year's Straight Talk Express.
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 9:59 AM
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Broder Swerves Into the Truth
David Broder often sounds like the liberal that he is. Then there's times like this where he stumbles into the truth:
Former senator Fred Thompson has begun his unannounced quest for the Republican presidential nomination by telling audiences in New Hampshire that Washington is badly out of touch with the country.Fred Thompson was one of the leading advocates for defeating the immigration bill. He knew that politicians weren't paying attention to activists who knew what they were talking about. He noticed how politicians seemed taken aback by uppity activists. He noticed Lindsey Graham saying this:
As a senior campaign adviser put it to The Post's Michael Shear, Thompson believes that "the politicians have lost their connection with what people really want and what they really expect."
Few if any of the other 17 men and one woman vying for the presidency would be bold enough to challenge Thompson's claim. The belief that official Washington is deaf to the people's wishes is a staple of political rhetoric for both Republicans and Democrats, even those, including Thompson, who have operated inside the Beltway for decades.
"There's racism in this debate," Mr. Graham said. "Nobody likes to talk about it, but a very small percentage of people involved in this debate really have racial and bigoted remarks. The tone that we create around these debates, whether it be rhetoric in a union hall or rhetoric on talk radio, it can take people who are on the fence and push them over emotionally."Fred Thompson, like many of his colleagues who are seeking the GOP presidential nomination, have noticed how out of touch people in Washington have become. When politicians like Trent Lott whine about how bloggers take him to task about his reckless spending habits, it shows an uptick in politicians' arrogance. When Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin talk about bringing the Fairness Doctrine back, it's a sign that they don't like the fact that Joe and Jane Citizen can get their hands on information that they used to be able to bury.
As refreshing as Sen. Thompson's views on the issues have been, his running against Washington's arrogance has been my favorite part of his campaign.
Keep it up, Fred. We've got your back.
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 10:53 AM
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Targeting AQI
According to this article, the MNF-I are targeting AQI cells in Iraq. It appears as though they're having good success:
U.S.-led coalition forces killed a suspected terrorist and detained nine others in raids targeting al Qaeda in Iraq, a military statement released Thursday said.It's obvious that the Petraeus Offensive, aka Operation Arrowhead Ripper, is making life miserable for AQI terrorists and operations planners. The longer they're targeted, the more terrorists that will be killed or captured, which will have a direct impact on the amount of sectarian violence they can stir up. We've already seen how Sunnis in Anbar have turned against AQI. While this article doesn't speak of people turning against AQI, it talks alot about how many AQI operatives have been killed or captured:
An operation west of Baghdad on Thursday focused on a cell making roadside bombs. Coalition forces killed one person and wounded another, the statement said. Three suspected were detained. Coalition forces detained another suspected al Qaeda terrorist in a separate raid in the Tarmiya area Thursday.
"We're continuing to target all levels of the al Qaeda in Iraq organization and are disrupting both their leadership structure and operations," said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver.
In raids Wednesday, forces captured a man suspected of being the al Qaeda in Iraq administrative emir for a Baghdad neighborhood. He is thought to handle logistics and financing for terrorist cells in the area. Three people believed to be his associates were also detained.
The military launched the operations "to capture or kill terrorists suspected of providing logistical support to insurgent groups."It's just a matter of time before terrorists start showing the effects of Operation Arrowhead Ripper. Based on Col. Garver's statement, it sounds like they've got a pretty good handle on where these secret cells are located. Don't think that targeting these terrorists doesn't have alot to do with the dramatic drop in Iraqi civilian casualties, too:
"Coalition troops will continue to target terrorists who have a penchant for killing coalition forces, Iraqi security forces and innocent Iraqis." said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesman. "Coalition forces will target secret cells wherever they are."
At least 1,227 Iraqi civilians were killed in June along with 190 police officers and 31 soldiers, an officer at the Iraqi Interior Ministry's operations room said. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the figures. That represented a 36 percent drop from the ministry's May figures , 1,949 civilian deaths along with 127 police and 47 soldiers.The more that information gets into the American people's hands, the more difficult it becomes for Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha to talk about the surge's failure. If Operation Arrowhead Ripper keeps the pressure up on AQI, the bigger the drop will be in Iraqi civilian casualties, which makes it impossible to claim that our troops are stuck in the middle of an out-of-control civil war.
It's my strong believe that once people see genuine progress being made in Iraq, the entire debate changes. If Iraq finally turns into a success story, that puts Hillary and Obama in awful shape for November, 2008. If Iraq stabilizes and the oil revenue bill passes, the Democrats will see their best issues disappear.
Another predictable consequence of the war turning into a positive is that it gives GOP presidential candidates to hammer Hillary and Obama on the issue. Let's put it this way: If there's a steady stream of good news from Iraq, I'd bet the ranch that Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney will put Obama and Hillary on the defensive in a big way.
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 2:56 PM
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White House Pushes Back
Based on this article, it's obvious that the White House is about to go on the offensive against all the 'oversight hearings' that the Democrats keep running. My only question is "What took you so long"? Here's the best shot they took at Democrats:
"They've launched over 300 investigations, had over 350 requests for documents and interviews, and they have had over 600 oversight hearings in just about 100 days," Stanzel said. "So that's about six oversight hearings a day."It's about time. No...It's long past time for this White House to pick a fight with these liberal nincompoops. In fact, the day after the election massacre, I said that President Bush should pick some fights with Democrats. I said it then and I mean it more now. Look what pushing back did for the Minnesota House GOP and Gov. Pawlenty.
It works because activists want to have something to believe in and a cause to fight for. I've said many times that I don't mind being sent out into battle. My only expectation is that they send me out with enough ammunition.
Simply telling the American people how investigation-driven this Democratic Congress isn't enough by itself, though. This is another way of putting Democrats in a defensive position:
Stanzel said of Congress, "I would say they have a lot to show in terms of activity and requests and letter-writing , and that sort of thing, but not much to show in the way of real legislation-whether it's legislation on health care, education, comprehensive immigration reform. All of those things are important issues that we think the American people care about and would like to see Congress move forward on."Talk about a shot across Reid's and Pelosi's bow. I've written about the Do Almost Nothing Congress before. There's a reason why their approval ratings have hit rock bottom: They've done virtually nothing to tell people that their first priority is making life better for the average voter. Frankly, I'm glad they haven't because it means less of a mess to straighten out.
If Pelosi's and Reid's stewardship of House and Senate Democrats doesn't improve, they'll be a single term majority. They've worried more about investigations than about legislation. The only legislation that they've tried passing was the immigration plan that eighty percent of the people hated. That isn't the way political parties build their base. That's the way they destroy their base.
Let's hope that the White House vetoes a few spending bills like Rob Portman promised. If President Bush vetoes a bunch of spending bills, fiscal conservatives will go on the offensive. Similarly, liberals will be pushed into a fetal position defensive posture.
That's right where they deserve to be.
Posted Thursday, July 5, 2007 10:54 PM
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