Memorial Day: Did you know it did not originate with the Indy 500?

It's another Memorial Day weekend -- the pools are opening for the summer season, grills are on sale at Lowe's, and we all get a day off from work today.

Yes, it's yet another opportunity for Americans to take something solemn and serious, and turn it into a mindless party.

Indeed, try to wrap your head around this: with our economy in a shambles in large part because we are fighting 2 impossible wars, and with thousands of our soldiers dead because of those wars, our government has sent us an "economic stimulus" check  -- which merchants nationwide are encouraging us to spend this weekend on things we really don't need.

So not only will we ignore the meaning of this national holiday, we'll do so in comfort and frivolity -- with a party!

If you've read this blog much at all, you know I'm an anti-war, peace lovin' librul. But I do respect and honor those who have had to stand and fight. So please join me today, and stop for just a moment to remember those who have gone before us. There is a nice history of Memorial Day over at Wikipedia. Please don't let the crass commercialism that is our national mood take over this day, which has truly honorable and solemn origins:

According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. The freed slaves reinterred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to individual graves, fenced in the graveyard & built an entry arch declaring it a Union graveyard - a very daring thing to do in the South shortly after North's victory. On May 30, 1887? the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they'd picked from the countryside & decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the 1st Decoration Day. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.

The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the birthplace because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter, and because it is likely that the friendship of General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who led the call for the day to be observed each year and helped spread the event nationwide, was a key factor in its growth.

General Logan had been impressed by the way the South honored their dead with a special day and decided the Union needed a similar day. Reportedly, Logan said that it was most fitting; that the ancients, especially the Greeks, had honored their dead, particularly their heroes, by chaplets of laurel and flowers, and that he intended to issue an order designating a day for decorating the grave of every soldier in the land, and if he could he would have made it a holiday.

Read the rest of the Wikipedia entry here.

Wednesday poetry break

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— John McCrae

The American mindset: we can't even imagine a peaceful world

A few months ago when I was getting a flat tire repaired, I had an unexpected discussion about peace with the mechanic. It began when he saw the Kucinich bumper sticker on my car, and asked "Who's that?"

Now, I'd never been to this shop before, and I didn't know this guy. But he was really very sociable, and more talkative than some mechanics I've dealt with. He was kind of short and stocky, and had the shaved head look, which looked a little bit military to me, but who knows. Of course you can't judge a person by their looks, but in general I just didn't get the feeling he was a raging left-wing liberal — you know, like me.

So when he said "Who's that?" I tried to get a read on whether he was being serious, or making a joke about the long odds of the Kucinich campaign. I said, "Oh, he's just some guy running for president." The mechanic responded that he'd never heard of him, and he asked me a little about him. Well, again, I didn't feel like getting into a debate, but it seemed pretty open-minded of the guy to ask about Kucinich. So without going into great detail, I told him that Kucinich's basic platform was peace.

What the mechanic said next floored me. He said "Well if there was peace then I'd be out of a job — see, I'm in the National Guard."

"But there will always be floods and hurricanes," I said. "There will always be natural disasters here at home that will need the National Guard."

He looked up from his clipboard and said, "Huh, I guess you're right."

Meanwhile, remember Osama bin Laden?

Osama bin Laden. He's the one who masterminded the 9/11 attacks. Remember him? We used to hear all about him. In 2005, CNN did a huge special report you can read here. The report refers back to a September 15, 2001, article that states, “The 19 men suspected of Tuesday's hijackings were either directly or indirectly linked to Osama bin Laden.”

Osama bin Laden is still on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, although his page there hasn't been updated since 2001. In reality, no one even knows if bin Laden is still alive. ABC news reports:

Earlier this spring, coalition forces in Afghanistan launched a major offensive in the Eastern Kunar province, a lawless frontier area where bin Laden was rumored to be hiding. Just a few days earlier, however, the Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told Congress that he believed bin Laden to be in Pakistan. Many experts believe that bin Laden is able to travel somewhat freely between both countries along the border where tribal leaders are quite sympathetic to Al Qaeda. McConnell said just last week, that wherever they are, bin Laden and Zawahiri are still engaging their followers.

Which brings us back to Afghanistan and Pakistan, in an extremely complicated region of the world. Our leaders sent troops in with a grand yet simplistic plan to overtake the enemy (sounds familiar, doesn't it?). And in typical Bush Administration behavior, at same time playing down the actions, as if we don't really care so much about it. In March 2002, Bush was asked about bin Laden at press conference and replied:

And, again, I don't know where he is. I — I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.

So while we spend a lot of time right now focusing on bringing our troops home from Iraq, let's not forget that we have soldiers and marines in Afghanistan, also in harm's way because of the misguided policies of the Bush Administration. Today, a suicide bomber killed 17 people in Afghanistan. Look for the story, it's buried in the news. Also look for this from the Associated Press, because it didn't get much airtime, either:

As of Sunday, July 8, 2007, at least 342 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.

When all the evidence points to Osama bin Laden as the leader of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and other terrorist acts against the US, it is unconscionable to throw American lives and money into a misguided war in Iraq. The Iraq war was initiated on the basis of lies and deceit by President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Please join me in calling for their impeachment.

"Creature Comforts" takes on the Iraq War

I think Rumsfeld's my favorite, but Condie's pretty good, too. Enjoy.

Not worth impeaching?

From BuzzFlash:

On a Thursday phone call with Bloggers (BuzzFlash was on), Nancy Pelosi reconfirmed that her eyes are on winning the White House for the Dems in 2008 rather than pursuing impeachment.

She sincerely believes that an incremental series of revelations of GOP illegalities will sink the Republicans. The challenge to that viewpoint is that Cheney and Bush still have the power to precipitate an international crisis to get Americans to "rally 'round the flag."

Secondly, if they are not held accountable for their flagrantly illegal behavior, how can you expect anyone charged in our court system to respect the rule of law if the President and Vice President of the United States violate it with such impunity?

It's also hard to maintain control of Congress when you have a 14-21% approval rating, largely because the public perceives the Dems as weak and unable to end the war or rein in the power of a rogue, lawless Executive branch.

Yikes. Are we really stuck in such a political quagmire that even though the Democrats hold a majority in Congress, there is no momentum to bring Bush and Cheney to justice for their many, many illegal acts? He "only" has 2 years left in office? Folks, that's a lot of death and destruction at the hands of these two.

How Dick dodged the draft

With the recent series of articles by The Washington Post revealing the extent to which Dick Cheney has been running this country, it seems appropriate to revisit an old but relevent topic. When the Vietnam war was "surging," what exactly was young, healthy, intelligent Dick doing?

As we know from an earlier interview he gave to the Post, he stated that he did not fight because "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service." I'm sure today's servicemen and women also have "other priorities." But they serve when called. Dick found an interesting way to get out of his service. From Slate:

• Aug. 29, 1964: Dick and Lynne Cheney marry.
• May 19, 1965: The Selective Service classifies Dick Cheney 1-A, "available immediately for military service."
• July 28, 1965: President Lyndon Johnson says draft calls will be doubled.
• Oct. 26, 1965: The Selective Service declares that married men without children, who were previously exempted from the draft, will now be called up. Married men with children remain exempt.
• Jan. 19, 1966: The Selective Service reclassifies Dick Cheney 3-A, "deferred from military service because service would cause hardship upon his family," because his wife is pregnant with their first child.
• July 28, 1966: Elizabeth Cheney is born.
• Jan. 30, 1967: Dick Cheney turns 26 and therefore becomes ineligible for the draft.

Dedicated students of obstetrics will observe that Elizabeth Cheney's birth date falls precisely nine months and two days after the Selective Service publicly revoked its policy of not drafting childless husbands. This would seem to indicate that the Cheneys, though doubtless planning to have children sometime, were seized with an untamable passion the moment Dick Cheney became vulnerable to the Vietnam draft. And acted on it.

Carpe diem!

Who says government policy can't affect human behavior?

American support for the war in Iraq continues to drop

The latest poll by CNN shows that 67 percent of Americans oppose the war in Iraq. The number of Americans who support the war in Iraq is at a record low of 30 percent. With this clear majority, how can our elected officials continue to blatantly ignore the mandate of the people?


Other interesting numbers from the CNN poll:

• 63 % of Americans are ready to withdraw at least some troops from Iraq


• 38 % of Republicans now saying they oppose the war


• 54 % of Americans do not believe U.S. action in Iraq is morally justified

Two prominent Republican senators have now woken up to these figures. Senator Richard Lugar stated "In my judgment, the costs and risk of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved."

The other senator, George Voinovich of Ohio, wrote this week that "We must begin to develop a comprehensive plan for our country's gradual military disengagement from Iraq and a corresponding increase in responsibility to the Iraqi government and its regional neighbors."

These comments are a move in the right direction, but clearly Congress continues to need to hear from the American people on this issue. Please continue to contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to bring out troops home.

Playing politics with the lives of children

An update from Crooks and Liars on that story last week about the deplorable conditions at the Iraqi orphanage, and the US soldiers who rescued the children there. As if the initial story was not upsetting enough, it now turns out that the U.S. military officials did not want the story released, and tried to stonewall the story.

CBS Reporter Lara Logan is a saint, and we are all lucky to have her in Iraq reporting for us. The Iraqi and US officials knew about this story for a week before Logan broke it. Then they tried to say the Iraqis discovered and saved the boys at the orphanage. Logan pursued the truth (hey mainstream media: there's an idea! pursue the truth!) with photographs from the event showing American soldiers rescuing the boys, with no Iraqis in sight. (The photograph above which includes an Iraqii soldier was taken later, when the boys were transported to a Baghdad hospital.)

According to Logan, "I was given a lot of support from the unit, a lot of support from the division. But as it started to go higher up the ranks, to the more political thinkers on the American side, I hit a wall."

The politics of this is shameful. According to CNN, "in the middle of the week the Iraqi labor minister put out a statement and said, 'We totally reject the tricks they use to manipulate and distort facts and show the Americans as the humanitarian party.'"

Logan continues that, "Prime Minister Maliki ordered all the people involved in this incident at the orphanage to be arrested. And yet, the minister of labor stood at that press conference where he made those remarks and had the manager of the orphanage next to him, standing there to publicly defend and justify his actions."

3,545 U.S. military personnel have died in the Iraq war

My lack of posting has been due to overload at an work, and certainly not from a scarcity of news — as the grim headline above demonstrates.

According to news reports, at least 12 military personnel — soldiers and marines — have died in the last 24 hours. The month of June has been gruesome: 68 soldiers have died this month alone.

The Baltimore Sun has a special feature recognizing those from Maryland who have given their lives in this war. It's short. Please read it. Look at the faces.

Then, please contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to stand up to the President and stop funding this war. Remind them why there was a change of power in Congress last November, and remind them of the power of the people to enact change.

Iraqi Orphanage Nightmare

We saw this story last night on CBS news and it brought tears to our eyes. Lara Logan is an incredible reporter, and this story was one of her best.

U.S. soldiers came upon "multiple bodies laying on the floor" of a facility in central Baghdad. According to Staff Sgt. Mitchell Gibson of the 82nd Airborne Division, "They thought they were all dead, so they threw a basketball (to) try and get some attention, and actually one of the kids lifted up their head, tilted it over and just looked and then went back down. And they said, 'oh, they're alive' and so they went into the building."

"The building" was a government-run orphanage for children with special needs. In the kitchen were staffers cooking meals for themselves, surrounded by fully stocked shelves of food and clothing. But in the courtyard where the soldiers entered were 24 boys, lying naked and emaciated on the floor, tied to their cribs.

At this point, we are not surprised to see news coverage of wounded civilians, even children. But what on earth is going on when the Iraqis are treating their own people this way? And this is the government our men and women in uniform are fighting (and dying) for?

Logan very aptly stated that "This is a tough test for the Iraqi government: How a nation cares for its most vulnerable is one of the most important benchmarks for the health of any society."

The Iraqi government has failed yet another test.

In a Glamour exclusive, America’s most famous female soldier straightens out the “war hero” controversy once and for all

I'll bet you didn't know I read Glamour magazine, did you? Okay, I don't really. But I do read Mother Jones, and they turned me on to this incredible story written by Jessica Lynch. Give it a read. You never know where you'll find the truth.

A Voice of Reason — The Man From Ohio

One of the reasons I got rid of cable was so that I wouldn't be paying for the privilege of listening to people like that assclown over at MSNBC, Tucker Carlson. Congressman (and Presidential candidate) Dennis Kucinich appeared on his show recently and spelled out a very well-thought out plan for getting out of Iraq, which involves getting the support of other countries in the region to provide stability so that our troops can leave.

Carlson, of course, kept trying to set up Kucinich with claims that he didn't hear specifics from "you or any of the other Democratic candidates." Kucinich calmly replied with specifics. Why doesn't Carlson, or any of the other talking heads, ask the White House for specifics? See the interview with Kucinich for yourself.

Kucinich gets tagged in the mainstream media with being a "fringe" candidate, one who's "out there." Come on, people — just how petty are we? Yes, he's short and has big ears. But I think if you watch the interview, you'll be amazed to finally hear an honest candidate who has a real plan to get us out of Iraq now.

If you're not outraged ...

you're not paying attention, as the bumper sticker says. And here's an outrageous story in this morning's Washington Post.

This past spring, the FBI asked Congress for $3.6 million from that good 'ol war spending bill (you remember, the one the Democrats caved on?) to fund a Gulfstream V jet that it said it needs to combat terrorism by flying "crucial missions" in Iraq.

Except, it turns out that a good quarter of the time that jet is actually used by the FBI Director Robert Mueller to get to his speaking engagements and public appearances. I encourage you to read the entire article. And become outraged.

Aha! Now It's All Making Sense!

O.k. I understand that it's "non-alcoholic" beer (supposedly Buckler Beer from Germany.) (Thanks to Shakesville for the keen eye above.) But all non-alcoholic beer does actually contain some alcohol, about .5%. So, despite all of the stories of salvation, and quitting drinking after his 40th birthday, I do wonder if he's off the self-imposed wagon. Could it explain the forgetfulness mentioned in the previous story? And the "stomach ailment"? Well, he recovered awfully quickly for the stomach flu. But actually right on schedule for a little bender. I bet if you drank enough non-alcoholic beer to get a buzz, you would indeed have a "stomach ailment."

Some background from Wikipedia:

Bush has said he gave up drinking after waking up with a hangover after his 40th birthday celebration: "I quit drinking in 1986 and haven't had a drop since then." He ascribed the change in part to a 1985 meeting with Reverend Billy Graham, after which he began serious Bible study, as well as to gentle but firm pressure from his wife, Laura. Friends recall that Bush said nothing of his decision, even to Laura, until many weeks later when they realized that he had not had so much as a single beer in the interim. Despite his claims of having no alcohol since 1986, video of Bush at a wedding in 1992 has surfaced in which the president appears intoxicated, slurring his speech and saying odd things. A photo was also taken on June 7, 2007 of Bush drinking what appears to be a beer at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.

There's an awful lot of chatter in the blogosphere about whether Bush is hitting the sauce again. On the one hand this seems like gossip that fits perfectly with our society's current obsession with celebrity partyers (see, Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, et al.).

However, on the other hand, could drinking explain some of the more bizarre stories we've been hearing about Bush's behavior. For instance, there was the story recently reported in the Dallas news about private rantings and ravings about how misunderstood he is, thumping his chest and repeating several times, "I am the president!" Even the Drudge Report, normally no friend of mine, has reported on the bizarre nature of this event.

Then there was the dancing Bush. At an event marking Malaria Awareness Day, the president's behavior was anything but presidential, first dancing some sort of variation of the funky chicken, then banging on one of the drums himself. Don't believe me? Watch the video, and you'll see how painful it was for all involved.

And what about when he was in Jamestown, and decided that he wanted to live out his life-long dream of conducting an orchestra. Hmmmm. That's real dignified.

Beyond the pure titillating gossip angle of Bush binging, we do need to take these rumors seriously. Never forget that this is the man with his finger on the button. And if he's incapacitated (call it a "stomach ailment" if you must), you know who is standing by, ready to take charge. That's right, the Prince of Darkness. So maybe it's just gossip. But I think we should keep an eye on him.

I'm just sayin'

Will someone please send this little boy off to bed now?

It's time we stopped letting him play his war games with the lives of so many innocents around the world. He has lived in his own reality since the day he was born, and his own "service" has given him a bizarre sense of what war is really like.

He's not alone. A very interesting site examines the service of all the prominent politicians in the war debate. Take a look. You may be suprised at who didn't serve -- and who did. Turns out that when you've actually experienced battle, you tend to think it's a bad idea. Hunh.

And if you got 5 deferements (Cheney), 7 deferments (Ashcroft), were 4-F (Limbaugh -- "inoperable pilonidal cyst"), then I guess war just seems like a really great business opportunity.