Hannah's Blog

Governmental Imunity

As the nation begins deliberating over the nomination of John G. Roberts, Jr to the Supreme Court there are some aspects of the conservative mind-set to consider.

But for the moment, here's a quote I offer for consideration. It's from a law suit that was filed against a government official claiming negligence in his supervision of an employee that died.

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When established governmental policy, as expressed or implied by statute, regulation, or agency guidelines, allows a Government agent to exercise discretion, it must be presumed that the agent's acts are grounded in policy when exercising that discretion. For a complaint to survive a motion to dismiss, it must allege facts which would support a finding that the challenged actions are not the kind of conduct that can be said to be grounded in the policy of the regulatory regime. The focus of the inquiry is not on the agent's subjective intent in exercising the discretion conferred by statute or regulation, but on the nature of the actions taken and on whether they are susceptible to policy analysis.

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What that quote says, in effect, is that if a government agent is doing his/her job as directed and within the definition of that job, then it is to be assumed that official is well-intentioned and any negative consequences are the result of honest mistakes for which he should not be held liable (responsible). While this makes sense, it's actually a rather revolutionary thing to even consider whether a government official can be held accountable for how well or poorly he performs his duties by someone other than his superiors (which, in the case of elected officials, are the voters)--i.e. in a court of law.
I can't seem to find the date or case at the moment, but it wasn't until some time in the latter part of the 20th century that the principle of "government immunity" was challenged and found not to apply in all cases.

Note that I'm not talking here about people who commit criminal acts, intended to do harm to another or his property, and who just happen to be government officials (agents). What's of concern here is government officials acting in their capacity as government agents and violating the intent of their commission (what they are supposed to do).

The reason I'm bringing this up is because the question of whether government officials are immune from prosecution when they are carrying out their official functions is basic to the conservatives' antagonism towards the judiciary. When they talk about "judicial restraint" what they mean is that the courts should stop interfering with the acts of the executive. What they want is to go back to before the recent court decisions making government officials accountable and re-affirm the principle of immunity, which the representatives of foreign governments actually enjoy on our soil.

It's a really basic question. Does the power to govern lie with the people or with the individuals who have been designated or designated themselves to exercise control? If the former, then it seem logical to argue that the people should have some mechanism to demonstrate that power, other than by registering an occasional vote. Recently, the answer has been on the side of the people and the power of the people has been affirmed by the judicial branch--i.e. the courts.

Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. if you asked him, would tell you that he does not agree with this trend. The authority of government, which is, after all made necessary by the flawed nature of man, should not be challenged. In addition, given the difficulty of exercising authority to begin with, since flawed human nature is bound to resist being controlled, those who take on this onerous task should be immune from challenge. It's bad enough that they are liable to being removed at the ballot box or as a result of a political shift in the population.

As some of you may have noticed, I've been paying some attention to the performance (or non-performance) of some of our local law enforcement agents. This round started with a critique of a series of press releases from our local police which ended up as reports in the paper, touting their (non)achievements. In retort, there have been a number of commentaries by police union reps and spouses essentially espousing the position that it is unpatriotic to question the police, that they make all kinds of sacrifices for the community and should, therefor, be immune to being challenged. This is the conservative mantra in a nutshell.

While I understand the position that those who have been given authority want to be able to use it as they see fit (the hallowed principle of "discretion"), I just don't happen to agree with it. Unchallenged authority is always prone to excess and needs to be constantly watched. That's what's addressed by the quote, "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance." We don't have to fear attack from outside nearly as much as suppression from inside.

Anyway, one of the responses on the part of government, particularly on the local level, to the perceived loss of immunity ("need to be accountable" is the positive rendition) has been to come up with various strategies, usually involving "training" and "certification" which provide individual officials with "cover" for their actions. Individuals can't be held personally liable or accountable for their actions, regardless of how negative the results are for someone else, if their behavior was performed "under cover of law."
In other words, the purpose of programs like police agency accreditation is to shield the police from public accountability. So, the next time you read about police shooting an unarmed civilian and a hearing officer or review board finds that the shooter was not culpable, what it means is that the shooter was acting within the criteria set up by his supervisors, and probably signed off on by the legislative body that supervises them.

Sometimes it seems to me that everyone wants to have power and nobody wants to be held accountable for how they use it. On the local level, that's the reason behind the proliferation of "professional" managers and administrators, who have taken the place of persons elected to perform certain municipal and county tasks. To a large extent, these individuals act as insulators. They protect the permanent deliverers of public services from the wrath of dissatisfied citizens (who used to be able to throw the road commissioner or the sewer commissioner out if the service was inadequate) at the same time that he protects the elected "policy body" from the wrath of the electorate by removing all operational responsibility from them.

So, the next time an elected official in your town shrugs and says he only sets policy and has nothing to do with how they are carried out, that's what he's talking about. It's what makes being an elected official so frustrating. The electorate wants to hold you accountable for things over which you have no control and over which the bureaucracy doesn't want you to have control. 'Cause that's their bailiwick.

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Addendum --9/1/2005

What's the purpose of government?

If you think that the purpose of government is to control a population made up of unruly and anti-social individuals, then you'll be satisfied with having people locked up, sent off to war with other unruly nations, and otherwise left to their own devices and the vagaries of nature. That's what conservatives believe and that's what they deliver.

If, on the other hand, you think that the purpose of government is to co-ordinate services and community efforts in order to make them more effective and able to respond to the inevitable vagaries of nature, then it's Democrats that should be elected.

You see, it's the conservative prejudice which sees all human beings as basically flawed and deserving of all the bad things that befall them, which enables them to refer to social support as bribes and to prefer to rely on threats and punishment to get the desired results (the elimination of recalcitrant individuals).

God's punishment has been visited on the poor and undeserving residents of the Gulf Coast and those that survive are sure to be better for their experience. I actually heard George the Lesser say that this morning, though he left out the mention of God. He is, after all, a secular ruler.

What should one conclude from the above musings, other than that the abject failure of the Bush Administration to deliver adequate public services was to be expected?
Well, among other things, that if government functions are all and only directed at law breakers and recalcitrants, it makes sense that government officials should be immune from retaliatory prosecution.

Louisiana Update

News of the Riggs/Smith family in Convington, La.

Billie called and said "I don?t where I am but come get me."  She is at
the Goodwood Church of Christ in Baton Rouge.  She is with her landlady
Anita and another woman friend who sought shelter with Billie and
Anita.  I think they thought they would have a fun hurricane party.
Billie fell out of bed and her face is swollen but other wise they seem
fine.  Just want to get to Houston.  I am going to drive to Baton Rouge
and either drive them all or guide them.  Anita is fairly young.

Ellen and Laura?s friend Pete just called from Baltimore.  She was able
to get through.  Beth?s house had two huge pines fall on it.  Extensive
damage but everyone okay.  Ellen and LC?s house is fine thought eight of
the big pine fell all around it.  like pick up sticks. Lud is spending
the night with them.  They are so fragile. 

We also may have two women from New Orleans arrive tomorrow.  Mother and daughter, mother just had knee replacement and can?t sweat so needs air conditioning. She may be able to say with her sister.  I hope so.  The problem is for the New Orleaneans, they don?t have homes to go back to anymore. They are covered with water.  And the infra structure is gone, I believe. It seems like it will burn when the gas and oil all ignite.
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8:17 AM

Beth called after I wrote you last night. A huge tree did take off a
wing of her house. There are eight more trees down around the house. She
said Ellen and LC are oblivious to what has happened.  Asked her to
bring a generator next time she stopped by.  LC convinced he will be
able to drive to store today.  So many trees down on street and around
their house that Lud and the boys will have to chain saw the street to
make a path. The plan is to put them both in hospital. 

But here is the problem.  Covington like New Orleans has gas leaks
everywhere.  So the city will be turning off the gas supply today or
tomorrow.  The whole place will be evacuated within the week and no one
allowed back in for four to five weeks.

Beth's mother is outside Covington.  She and the boys will head
somewhere. Maybe to Phil's house in North Carolina.  That is another
story but Phil and family are staying in a friends house and have put
their house on the market.  Friends will be in Europe till next spring.
So that puts a whole house available. 

As far as Billie I will have to assess.  She is pretty shocky right now,
so will see how she does.  We have some great assisted living
arrangements near my house, but I fear she may need more care than I can
or want to give at this point.  And there are some safety issues about
our house that have to be considered.  But for a time, I will have a
house full so somehow we will manage for the short term that is going to
get long term pretty quick. 
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jc wrote on August 31, 2005 01:03 PM:

I just heard from the son of one older woman friend. She didn't evacuate. Her home is in Metairie (suburb of New Orleans) and didn't flood, but they have no power or water and are experiencing oppressive heat. Her son-in-law lives about two blocks away and has two feet of water in his house. This is in Jefferson Parish, and my friend's son says the parish water pumps are still working there. The police are still trying to figure out how to get them out, because the roads that would get them out are still under water. They've been told to stay put for another day or two, and that once they leave they won't be able to return for at least a month.

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More reports: This one from Alabama by Caroline French

I just spoke with my daughter, Rebekah, who lives and has a business in Auburn Alabama.  If you divided Alabama into quarters, Auburn is in the northeast quarter about an hour + from Atlanta,  Ga.  She has a business, For Paws (same name as the fictional one  Ruth had in 6 feet under on hbo), and does grooming, daycare, boarding, obedience lessons and sells related stuff.  They have about 40 extra doggie boarders right now...refugees from the south.  These people drove 6 hours to get away from the storm and are staying in places that don't allow animals.    She says  that these people come to walk their animals and have no place to go.  They have lost everything.   
 

More Sensitive Police

A bunch of law enforcement stories in the Boston Globe this morning that all come together in my head.

First, there's a ruling by the Superior Court of Massachusetts that witness statements taken by police officers can't be admitted as evidence in court, unless the witness shows up in person to testify. People who agitate on behalf of abused spouses are upset with this ruling, which grew out of a case of a woman who was beaten, but later refused to show up in court to testify against her spouse.

Now, while appreciate the advocates' concern, the problem, as I see it, is with what the responding officers focus on. Instead of recording their own observations of the victim's condition and basing their reports of an incident on their objective assessment, they prefer to simply write down, as best they can remember, what the victim, obviously in an emotionally precarious condition TOLD them. In other words, they are forcing prosecutors to go into court with hear-say evidence, which will never stand up if the defendant's attorney is half-way competent. Not to mention that the police reports are notoriously inaccurate to begin with, and cases often get thrown out because the officers don't show up in court on time, or at all.
So, what it boils down to is shoddy police work. And that's what the court is trying to address by making second-hand accounts in-admissable.

The other story is about the Boston Police Union which is upset that the officers are going to have to list their badge numbers on their reports of police traffic stops. The forms were recently re-designed to help administrators track whether there are an excessive number of stops of people driving while black. Their union argument is that having to provide indentification of themselves would be a form of racial profiling in itself when taken with the racial identification of the driver.

But this is a smoke-screen. If the officers' signatures on the forms were legible (which they are not because they don't want people to know who they are), then it wouldn't be necessary to require their badge number. Moreover, what's really at issue here is management's ability to check on who's doing what. If the supervisors have stop reports identifying the officers, they'll be able to check who's working and who's not. And that's the issue. Police do not want to be told what to do, even indirectly, by a public asking for accounts. So, the racial rationale being pushed in the media is a fraud, IMHO.

Another story is about police training of Iraqis in Jordan and how the whole program is certain to fail, largely because of poor management criteria and poor pay and poor instruction. From other things I've read, much of the training focuses on doing things "by the book" a book that has little relevance on the streets in the US and even less in Iraq. There's a lot of building of "esprit de corps" and less or nothing about learning how to use weapons, or not, making accurate observations, responding in a timely manner (when called), etc.

Of course, the fact that they are not getting paid regularly in Iraq is another matter. Not surprisingly, the op-ed was penned by a female military officer, who also claims that 40% of her class have left the service because of mis-management. She's now going for a PhD at Harvard.

Oh, yes, and Barney Franks is in the news because he's upset that a US Marshall in MA, who didn't show up for work to his politically appointed position, got to sit in his job for five more months after a report by the inspector general suggested he be let go, and didn't get dismissed until the Globe got a copy of the report through an FOIA. Franks is arguing that people appointed to such positions should be qualified with skills that go beyond having driven a GOP Governor around the state. Which strikes me as a valid critique.

Indeed, having properly qualified public servants is, IMHO, a potent issue for Democrats. Can't go wrong on that, especially when the GOP does so much according to the "crony scale."

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Addendum---LTE

The Town of Durham's administrator considers it important that he set goals for the departments he directs and one of his top goals for the Police Department is to make sure that it continues to receive high marks from the organization commonly referred to as CALEA, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.

CALEA has an interesting history as an outgrowth of federal revenue sharing, in the form of law enforcement assistance grants in the '80s, which successive Republican administrations in Washington managed to do away with. So, as the money dried up for community policing and other accountability programs, CALEA gradually evolved into a preformance auditing program for which those looking to be certified as meeting standards set by others in the profession pay.

One could say that another social service has been privatized, especially if one assumes that those who pay call the tune. But the premise for selling this program to small departments which, presumably, can't afford to maintain a full-time personnel training staff, is as a risk-management tool. What that means is that being accredited by CALEA is supposed to enable the department to avoid liability, in case it gets hauled into court because of the actions, or inactions, of its employees.

In other words, as a result of training their personnel to certain standards of performance, police agencies are supposed to be able to argue, when one of their own messes up, that it wasn't the department's fault--that, if there was malfeasance or negligence, the perpetrator was just a "loose cannon," sort of like those hapless National Guardsmen at Abu Ghraib.

Now, I'm all for training. In particular, I'm keen on our public servants being able to interact well with the public, being responsive to requests for service, keeping accurate records that will hold up in a court of law, being familiar with the laws they are supposed to enforce (including the Bill of Rights), and being prepared to bring forward suggested adjustments to the law, if what's on the books doesn't work. But it seems to me that in a community such as ours, a university town, these skills ought to be able to be acquired right here. Indeed, when it comes to writing clear reports and keeping accurate records of events, I would argue that no-one should be hired who doesn't already have those skills or cannot readily acquire them.

One of the most common complaints heard in police departments all around the country is that the courts keep throwing out their cases and that this is a large factor in lowering the morale, which the CALEA process is supposed to raise. Well, it's true that many cases are either not filed or thrown out before they are even heard. But one of the primary reasons for that, which doesn't seem to be covered by what CALEA provides, is that the information on which charges and cases are based, the information which the police collect and write down, is often unreliable, incomplete, un-timely or just plain false.

In fact, they often can't even get the simplest automobile accident report right. Which is why most citizens are forced to rely on their own risk management strategy--insurance--without any hope that the bad drivers will ever be taken off the road and the annual carnage on our roads and highways (still over 40,000 dead) will ever be reduced.

Green Zone Has it Worse

Trying to set up a new computer without internet access is trying---but, as Dahr Jamial reports, the people in and out of the green zone (probably dubbed that because of the color of money) have it a lot worse. What will cooler weather bring to Iraq?

   August 27, 2005

      Two ?Green Zones?

As the US-backed Iraqi puppet government flails about arguing over the
so-called constitution, Iraq remains in a state of complete anarchy.
There is no government control whatsoever, even inside the infamous
?Green Zone? where the puppets seem to have tangled their strings.

Why the harsh tone for the conflagrations of the so-called Iraqi government?

Because the price paid for this unimaginably huge misadventure of the
neo-conservative driven Bush junta is being paid by real human beings
who shed real blood and cry real tears. Because well over 100,000 Iraqis
and over 1,800 US soldiers would be alive today if it wasn?t for the
puppeteers of Mr. Bush.

The coward sits behind his guards in Crawford, Texas, too afraid to deal
with the reality of the grief he and his masters have caused to
thousands of military families who have lost loved ones in Iraq.
Meanwhile, fires are raging out of control not only in Iraq, but right
here in the US.

?I ask you, Mr Bush, if you believe that this war is for ?Our Freedom?
and ?Our Values? why don?t you send your daughters to fight for
freedom,? wrote Fernando Suarez del Solar recently, who lost his son in
Iraq due to the lies of Mr. Bush.

He continued, ?Why don?t your closest associates send their children to
defend these values? Why are the children of immigrant families dying?
Why are children from working families who are the least privileged
dying? Why Mr. Bush? Why??

Of course Suarez del Solar knows the answer. It?s a rhetorical question
asked of a prep school punk who has never earned nor risked anything. A
smirking dimwit, who has never truly served his country, let alone
fellow human beings outside of his gangster corporate crony pals who
inserted him into the highest office?twice.

Today he chooses to ignore the fire which is spreading across the US as
he ignores the debacle in Iraq, where the US military must leave, will
leave, but are unable to leave for fear of tarnishing what is left of
the now sordid reputation of the US.

I get emails daily from sources throughout Iraq?both Iraqi and American.
Even inside US bases in the newest colony things don?t seem to be going
so well, according to an American man who is working there as support.

?I don?t know how much longer I can stand working for these idiots and
their brothers? mothers? sisters? cousin,? he wrote me recently, ?They
have acres of armored air conditioned trucks but won?t pay to fix the
alternators, so the drivers must use the worst of the equipment?no
armor, no air conditioning?You know the heat here, now add the heat of
an engine to that cab and throw in a few rockets, mortars, and IED?s
[roadside bombs] and it makes for a very bad day. I?m trying to expose
the corruption of the Third Country National contractors by finding them
a forum to send the truth. Prisoners, slaves, concubines. My life may be
a contradiction, but I will not compromise with evil. The enemy is
inside the wire.?

Wars for empire don?t change?and Iraq is the perfect example. Invading
armies using slave labor (foreign in this case due to their deep
distrust of Iraqis), taking advantage of those who lack privilege, the
poor, minorities, to do the dirty work while the top 1% make more money
than ever before.

And the pirates behind the US policy-making in Iraq have chosen, perhaps
to their chagrin at this point, to disregard some of the latest history
from a past occupation of Iraq.

During the previous British occupation of Iraq, the resistance began in
Fallujah. As a response the British shelled half of that city to the
ground, much like the US military did recently as part of their failed
policy. (US soldiers are now dying in and near Fallujah again.)

It was said that if the British left Iraq civil war would ignite. Just
as we are hearing today, even though state-sponsored civil war is in
full swing, thanks to the occupiers.

The rule of the British Empire over Iraq went on for three decades
before the Brits withdrew. Every year of that time found an uprising
against the occupiers?and now less than three years into the failed US
occupation, lesser uprisings occur daily.

Attacks on US forces in Iraq are now back up over 70 per day?we?ll cross
the 2,000 dead mark before too much longer, and things are about to get
much, much worse. As Iraqis continue to say, ?Today is better than
tomorrow.? The same goes for US troops there.

There is a reason why a relatively recent Army survey found that 54% of
all soldiers in Iraq reported either ?low? or ?very low? morale.

There is also a reason why, again according to the Army, that 30% of all
soldiers returning from Iraq develop mental health problems 3-4 months
after their return.

And there is a reason why soldiers like Nicolas Prubyla come home and
join organizations like Iraq Veterans Against the War.

?Up until five days ago, I had large amounts of blood in my stool,? he
told me recently, ?I?ve felt tired all the time, I have had loss of
hair?loss of the feeling in my right arm?I?m battling this stuff.?

What he is battling is exposure to uranium munitions in Iraq. He is
battling radiation sickness as the result of the most recent nuclear war
waged by the United States of America. There is a reason why over 11,000
veterans from the ?91 Gulf War are dead today, and over 250,000 others
are on medical disability. That reason (hundreds and hundreds of tons of
uranium munitions dropped on Iraq) is the same thing Prubyla is battling
today.

?As the years go on this is going to effect a hell of a lot more people
than we think?radioactive dust and the clouds of smoke and dust from
firing the DU [depleted uranium] is getting to us now,? he said, ?And I
know I?m not the only person in my unit-my boss got diagnosed with
cancer, one of my other buddies who is 23 years-old is getting
rashes?.every time I do more research on DU-I?m seeing that I have all
the side effects.?

Prubyla has realized what more and more veterans understand?that the
powers that be in our military plutocracy (also known as the US
government) could care less for their well being. One of the shadow
members of the current plutocracy who is also an exalted
neo-conservative, Henry Kissinger, has referred to military men as
?dumb, stupid animals to be used? as pawns for foreign policy.

People like Prubyla get this; they have had enough, and are now doing
something about it.

Meanwhile in the Crawford ?Green Zone,? Mr. Bush chooses to ignore the
resistance movement that is standing outside his fence. But that is
alright, because the hundreds of people there now protesting represent
tens (if not hundreds) of millions across the country who, like the
Iraqi resistance, are not going to go away.

_______________________________________________
More writing, photos and commentary at http://dahrjamailiraq.com

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Crawford Adventure--part II

Cindy Sheehan returned to Camp Casey after Ted and Jere got back home, but these pictures from the Iconoclast seem appropriate to illustrate this report:

http://198.65.14.85/News/2005/31-40/34news13.htm

I am glad that you appreciate the basket with roach droppings.  That basket has been beckoning to me for a long time.  It now has such a nice new home.

I was so tired from the sun.  it is a four hour drive but so beautiful.
Wonderful little towns that are becoming antique malls but also retain
their flavor as they are working towns for the ranchers and the retirees
who run B&Bs.  We stopped in one town and found a really wonderful
Mexican Restaurant.  We had the Beef Enchilada lunch special for $2.99.
They sell beer for 99 cents but I passed as I had to drive.

~~~~~
OK, Warren, the owner of the Lodge house that we stayed in was very
talkative, and a wonderful story teller. He and his wife, Linda, are in
their fifties. They are regular people who have lived in the Crawford
area for 20+ years. They have a son who is in high school. Warren is the
administrator of the community college for that area.  By the by this is
ranching country but Waco, which is a sizable city, is very close.

Warren built the house we are staying in. He had a stroke a year ago,
but is recovering quite well. For many years he built two houses a year.
But has had to discontinue that since his stroke, so the Lodge is very
good for him.  He obviously enjoys it.  Has state of the art sound
system, games for children, as well as a sleeping loft, walk ways down
to the gulley or gorge.  He builds stone embankments and god knows what.
Reminds me of my brother.  Perpetual motion machine.  No that is not it,
he creates beauty and order. Not quite as environmental as my brother,
but not too bad.  His customers are city Texans and they like the
comforts of home.

"You have to understand about Crawford.  They didn't invite the
President to live in their town. Some people support him and some don't.
But they try to get a long with their neighbors.  But Bush being
president has brought in some excitement to the town. And people like
their privacy. Around here, 'what's mine is mine. I'll share it, but
don't intrude.'"

I have to mention.  Crawford is a whistle stop town. It is really small.

"The sheriff when we moved here was kind of a Barney Fife character.  He
didn't carry a gun much and when he did he carried the bullet in his
pocket. Things really haven't changed.  We don't have a lot of crime out
here. The secret service must love to kick back out at the Ranch. It
really is good land.  Bush has some of the most beautiful cliffs in the
county. Little further down the road is the crown of the hill country."

The following is my perusing. (I kind of thought about the story of
Jesus in the desert with the devil tempting him with all the power in
the world. Some Christians might think that George sold his soul to the
devil.  Jungians might see that story as a metaphor for the inflated
ego. Either take is pretty valid I think. Standing on cliffs in the
crown of the hill country is going to make a man feel pretty small or
pretty big. I think in this case, this small man felt huge in this
setting.  And all of his advisors must have caught the complex. Because
there is powerful lying and lack of judgment coming out of the Bush
Ranch.)

"Now Cindy and her gang are really trying to be good neighbors. And she
has something to say.  And she got rid of the radicals. Just told them
they weren't helping things.  The worst time was when the Falun Gong
(www.mchagerty.com/ffa.html) came to town. There must have been 6,000 of
them. Maybe 8,000.  They were not good neighbors. Did you ever see that
movie about the ants that ate through all the crops and floated across
the canals the farmers in Africa dug to stop them. It was like that.
These people walked across people's yards.  They went to the bathroom on
front lawns.  They broke down bushes and they even broke, destroyed all
of Mr. Fitzgerald's roses.  Flowers, bushes the whole rose garden.  You
know when folks destroy Mr. Fitzgerald's rose garden then you know
they're not friendly."

Warren's young son, all six feet of him is standing next to his father.
I can tell he has heard this story many times.  He has that gazed
expression that spouses of joke tellers develop.  Warren began to extol
the schools of Crawford.  They have a 100% rate of kids who graduate
from high school  they have a 65 percent rate of kids graduation from
University and that will go up when Mary Smith finishes her medical
school studies.  It is actually better than that, but you have to go
with the statistics with the kids still in college.  I asked how many
returned to Crawford to work.

"There are no jobs here for the children when they finish.  They all go
to other places."  The son is making a face as in, who would come back
to Crawford. There is nothing to do here. Of course I knew that.
Friends who were raised on ranches in West Texas have fond memories, but
never return, and when their parents die, they hold on for a few years
and then sell the land or they leave it to their children to do what
they could not.

So that is it for now.  The people who are there are there to support
one another and take a stand even if they are ridiculed.  In years to
come folks in Crawford will tell tales about the Sheehan and the other
mothers and the veterans and all the old and the young folks who came to
stay awhile and share a tent and drink bottles of water during the dog
days of summer, 2005.  And the folks will remember the lack of
hospitality on the part of a foster son of Texas, who never learned his
manners. He could have just shook a few hands and kissed a few cheeks of
grieving mothers.

I think this president will be remembered as a waster. He has wasted so
many opportunities and (as our driver reminded on that the trip out from
Peace House) lives. People will come to recognize that and remember.
History really does judge a man by what he fails to do more than what he
accomplishes.  I think I am not going to worry about George so much any
more.  He is a weak man and he will know that till his dying day.  May
he eat the dust of the soldiers he so misguidedly led to war and the
dust of the innocent lives that he and his spokesmen call collateral
damage.

Note, a correction to the first part.  The name of the restaurant is the
Coffee Station.

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To the Editor (of the New York Times)

In response to Cindy Sheehan's letter of August 25, 2005 and her comment about the volunteer army.  On a recent trip to Crawford, Tuesday morning, August 23, I spoke at some length to a woman named Mona who wore a picture of her son Jeremy on her shirt. 

Jeremy, 28, is deploying to Iraq in September.  He did volunteer and serve his hitch. He was finishing up his reserve commitment when his unit was called up for special training and deployment to Iraq.  In his original hitch he was trained as a satellite and communications technician. But the only job they had for him if he deployed with his reserve unit was as a truck driver.  He "chose" to reenlist because if he did so he would have a job that he trained for, and better benefits for his family. 

I think this is an example of blackmail not an argument for the willing volunteerism of the troops.  It is a moral argument for the resumption of the draft. How long can we use the word Volunteer to justify our killing of innocents in Iraq, both our own and those of Iraq. 

A Rant

Only read the paper for about ten minutes this morning and then rose from my bed in disgust.

What are they thinking? The DOT announces "new" fuel standards for light trucks and SUVs that will increase to 21 mpg in SIX years!!!!! What are they thinking? My extend-cab Ford Ranger gets 28-30 mpg, depending on whether I'm on the highway or dawdling along the country roads in NH. And that vehicle is now 17 years old and has I don't even know how many hundreds of thousands of miles (the odometer goes back to zero every time it hits a hundred thousand and it's hard to remember how many times that's happened. The last number I'm sure of is 250,000)
Anyway, it is beyond me how a technologically advanced nation can keep going backward in regard to its use of energy.
Somebody must think that Americans get a particular kick watching those numbers on the gas pump roll over faster and faster.
Don't get me wrong. I don't fault people for wanting to get in their cars and DRIVE........
How else are they going to get away from the really depressing way of life we've managed to create for ourselves?

The other story, actually a column by Scott Lehigh, that got me out of bed is about Judge John G. Roberts' family. Now, while I think it is absolutely tasteless to critique a person's familial arrangements when considering their qualifications for high office, Roberts invited some of it by dragging his small children into the lime-light, long after what should be their normal bed-time (my pre-school children were always in bed by seven PM). Indeed, I considered this tasteless display of their children a mark against the Roberts. Lehigh's column does nothing but magnify the tastelessness by making light of what might be the judge's attitude to parents who spoil their children and fail to make them behave properly in restaurants.

Of course, Lehigh is not as far off the mark as one might think. On the front page of the Globe there's a story about a judge setting bail at $250,000 for a twelve year old who shot off a bb gun on a street corner because the judge thinks he needs to "send a message."
I'm not sure whom he's sending a message to. The 12 year old, reported to be developmentally delayed probably has no idea what 250,000 of anything means. His mother has never seen that much money and any other kid who discharges a bb gun is unlikely to think about how high his bail (if he even knows the word) will be set.

Crazy--absolutely crazy. But, that's what republicans believe--that what you do to one person will affect how another acts. That's why we're attacking Iraq--to keep China from going ahead with whatever nefarious plans it's got.

BTW, perhaps I should confess a bias. We have some really good friends whose daughter married a man born and reared in China. When they visit his family there, guess what they do in their leisure time for fun. They go dancing. Now, it seems to me, a person who's married to a man who does not dance (hence the bias), that people who go out dancing in the evening aren't really into attacking people who drive around in SUVs and get fatter by the hour (there's also a report today about how adults are getting fatter all over America).

Ted and Jere's Excellent Adventure at Camp Casey

Jere is a play-write, so her report is bound to be a bit dramatic.

Brother, it was an experience. I don't know if I can write about it yet.
I am very tired, sunburned even though I wore a lot of sun screen, and
other protection and was under the big tent part of the time, it was
such a humidly change, like from 90% to 0%. One thing I will say, none
of the press talk about the beauty of the land.  It is awesome.  Such
wide horizon and the crown of the hill country.  I met a naturalist who
said it was overworked prairie, but he still found wild flowers  that
were over 150 years old.

I packed the brownies in a green basket that flowers must have been in
sometime over the last three years since we moved into this house.  I
hosed out the cobwebs and the roach droppings and lined it with foil and
old cotton napkins.  I brought it to the kitchen area at Camp Casey.
Later the cook caught up with me to say thanks and talk for a bit.  She
is a chef from Western Mass who cooks for three vegan conference centers
in Mass.  She laughed because she said people were trying to cook for
vegans and said look around.  Most of the volunteers were obviously
coniferous with fat around our middles. And most of the volunteers are
Texans.  While Texas has its share of vegans, the ground we were
standing on and the land around it is cattle country.  The crops are
corn, maize, hay, and soy beans.  These are not crops that are consumed
in first person by humans.  People plant food for the cows partner.

Our host had suggested that we eat breakfast at the Coffee Stop, the
local restaurant. I might have the name slightly wrong, but Coffee is
the first word.  It is a combination, gas, convenience, and restaurant.
The owner is one of those salt of the earth Texas women, not to be
scoffed at or made fun of because of her sentimental attachment to the
cattle she has raised and loved and cursed.  She and her husband had a
small ranch, 300 head near Crawford.  They still own the land and lease
it out and sold the cattle or most of them. She serves coffee with
stories and gossip about the doings around town, but I want to know
about her life, the life of this woman in this small town in Texas made
infamous because a rich boy from the East Coast decided that this was
land that would make him the man he wanted to be or appear to be.  She's
telling me about buying this business after she and her husband retired
from ranching.

We had such trouble letting them go.  Even when it was our business.

I had an uncle, by marriage, who had a small ranch in Mississippi, they
still call it a farm down there.  He used to name his cattle.

It's the naming that gets you in trouble. We named all of ours. We had a
big black longhorn.  Huge animal.  Couldn't let that animal go. Finally
he died.  I wanted him buried, didn't want to let him go, sell his body.
But the ground here is rocky - rock is close to the surface.  And he was
so large it would have taken a big hole - bigger than we could manage.
So I took him to the taxidermist.  Had his head mounted from the
shoulders. I have one of those two story entranceways.  His head fills
one whole wall.  I'll have him with me till I die. I had his hide tanned
and made into a rug.  But my grandson loved that beast. So I gave it to
him and he keeps it hanging over his bed. You all here to attend one of
the rallies?

Yes.  We want to visit with the women and men supporting Cindy Sheehan
and the other mothers who have come to protest the war.

Now you know you all need to go to Peace House. That man I was just
talking to that was sitting over there, he's been here a long time.  He
is one of them Veterans for Peace. Jim. A nice man.  People come in here
from all sides.

________________________________________________________________________
____

Right now Ted and I are the only people in the restaurant.  Its about 8
am.  I want to go out to Camp Casey before it gets to hot.  We forgot
our sun screen and buy the last bottle in the store part.  Have to pay
two bills to keep it all straight. Peace house is on the other side of
the silos and the rail road crossing.  A small while wood frame house,
it was bought by a group shortly after George Bush is declared the
winner of the 2000 election.   I can't even go there emotionally.  But
it is comforting to know that people man the peace station year round.
These are the coordinators of the visitors to Camp Casey and the first
camp.  There are two or three parking lots and a tent and bathing area
around Peace House.  People live in tents for weeks and days at a time.

I talked with Jim the Vet for Peace and he said it wasn't so bad except
for the fire ants.  Fire ants have a history in the southern and western
states.  They can kill animals and humans alike. But mainly they just
bring misery with their bites.  They have some kind of wicked
communication system and that allows them to gather on the victim and
bite in unison.  The sensation of even one bite is like sticking a lit
cigarette on your skin and holding it down.  Something akin to turning
on the news and finding the President talking.  It smarts long after you
have changed stations.  Jim is in his late fifties with white hair that
is tied back into a long pig tail, his scalp is protected by his
identifying hat.  He and his group march with the School of the Americas
Watch in Fort Benning every November. Later he and his fellow veterans
will have a meeting under the big tent at Camp Casey near the entrance
to the Bush Ranch.  Maybe 15 men sitting open stanched on folding chairs
set in a circle, heads bowed in toward the center.

I'm nervous about giving peoples real names because I didn't ask for
permission though everyone wears name tags.  But I met a women at the
Peace House tent area who was wearing a picture of a young man.

Your son, I ask.

Yes.  He is shipping out to Iran in September.

What will he be doing?

He's a communications specialist. He served his hitch and was in the
reserves.  They called his unit up, and told him all they had for him to
do was drive a truck.  He was a trained specialist.  So he reenlisted.
He figured it would be better for his family.  More money, more benefits
and soldiers were stuck over there and ....
How old is he?

Twenty eight. Will you talk to people on the other side?

If I meet any, sure.

________________________________________________________________________
_

I didn't.  One of the shuttle drivers took Ted and I out to the bit camp
but since we were his only customers we drove by the first camp site
along the road side.  It was filled with tents and umbrellas and cases
of water and people getting ready for another hot day.  The Veterans
supporting the war had umbrellas and chairs set up but no tents.  And no
supporters of the war. Perhaps because the President wasn't in residence
or because Tuesday morning was obviously a slow day after a busy
weekend.  The two sides face each other across a broad stretch or road
that forms a Y.  two small farm road meet and form a single road that
leads to the new camp site.

I talk to the driver about the beauty of the open land.  He agrees that
it is awesome, but says that some of his riders that are from the urban
areas of the south find it intimidating.  It is now after nine in the
morning and we can see the moon in the sky before us.  Too much sky for
the initiated. I am from the tall pine areas of East Louisiana, but I
have learned to love this abundance of land and sky. Then the large
white tent appears on the horizon.  I know we are near.  I see the first
state trooper car of the day.  It is the drive way to the Bush Ranch and
we have to cross it to get on the property.  A volunteer directs the
van, "get both wheels off the road, we have to keep the driveway clear."

Later I will talk with the traffic director; he is a reporter from West
Virginia.  He is on a leave of absence from his paper. It is a bus man's
holiday.  He writes about the homeless by living with them for a month,
or sleeps in a homeless shelter for two months.

Joan Bias (sic) is there but I do not meet her.  She cancelled her trip
home after her Sunday night performance and will be living at Camp Casey
all week. Cindy Sheehan will arrive on Wednesday and Thursday they will
come to Houston, for a big church gathering with our Congresswoman,
Sheila Jackson Leigh.

I do meet a naturalist, a Phd, retired school teacher who is dedicated
to preserving and studying prairies. He lives in Kansas and since
retirement does things like this.  He drove down with a friend and they
are sleeping in a tent and volunteering for a week or two.  It is cool
under the tent.  There is a soft breeze. It will not remain so.  The sun
which already burns your skin will grow much hotter and the breeze with
disappear as the sun heats the land.  There are maybe fifty, sixty
people gathered all working and visiting under the tent or smaller ones
that cover registration table.  The traffic director endures the sun.
He made his job.  On arrival he saw the need and took the job on.  Under
the tent jobs are spelled out.  Emptying the trash cans, sorting
recyclables into  bags on one side of the cook tent and regular trash on
the other side.

Some women are making signs.  Three porta-cans stand in the hot sun.  It
is not pleasant.  These people have been there a day, two weeks, some
will leave today, tomorrow but others will fill their spaces. Tents are
left behind for the new comers.  It is a well run camp. Not fancy, but
orderly.

Oh, our accommodations were luxurious.  It was a three bedroom house set
in a grove of trees and rocky cliffs.  Just knock down beautiful.  More
stories about the town later.  Do know that the local police and some of
the county sheriffs pass the peace sign to the folks.  But I have to
tell you that people know it could turn dangerous very easily.  There is
a sense of it particularly for the people on the road, but for all.
There is hard core anger directed at the women.  Not the men, the women.

Hello Alaska from Crawford

Thanks to Kim in Crawford:

Poem from Bayou Vista

Don't Forget Those Who Are There

WOW wrote on August 22, 2005 07:38 PM:

The following poem was printed in the Galveston Daily News and I am posting it here for all to read.....

Don?t Forget Those Who Are There

It was a hot and sunny day, and the warm sand was blowing through my hair.

It was Iraq, and I was there.

I looked down to see the warm blood of an American boy flowing into the foreign sand.

He had just lost his right hand.

It was Iraq, and I was there.

I turned again to see a medic cutting off another boy?s clothes

And then apply a tourniquet made of rubber hose.

He had just lost his leg.

It was Iraq, and I was there.

I lifted my head only to see what was left of an unarmored Humvee.

The medics were removing the bodies, piece by piece.

It was Iraq, and I was there.

I entered a building, and there on the floor

Laid soldiers trying to get some sleep for an hour or more.

No showers, no hot beds. Just a floor to lay their heads.

It was Iraq, and I was there.

Where are your children and children of your congressmen, Mr. Bush?

Certainly, not there. Yet, you still say ?we.?

Dedicated to those who have given and are still giving. Your veteran?s benefits are being reduced as you read this.

Franklin F. Godek
Bayou Vista

Report from Salt Lake City

kheart is a DFA blogger

OK here goes. When I got wthin about six blocks of Pioneer Park on the South side the streets were all blocked off, so I drove up a side street and parked. What happened next is still freaking me out, on the corner of the street where I parked a van pulled up, a man got out who was wearing fatigues, he pointed a friggin rifle at me and asked me what I was doing. Well I was shaking pretty bad, I told him I was going to the Peace Rally in Pioneer Park, he asked me what I had in my pockets, I showed him my drivers license, keys, debit card and cell phone (I had left my purse at home). He also looked at my camera. He was very nice all the time, he told me he was sorry, they just had to check things out in that particular area.

At the rally there were people of all ages. Lots and lots of men and women wearing military uniforms. Lots of hand made signs with very good slogans. I took photos which I am going to send to jc, kindly she is going to put them on the blog. Next time I go to a rally I'm taking a notepad so I can write down all the slogans. There were musicians, all very good, all singing antiwar songs. There was a old man there who stood out from the rest, he had on a coat from an old uniform, he looked very frail, even before the program started he had a heart attack, at the program they mentioned his name, said he got up from his sick bed to come because he thought it was important to protest the war, they said he was either the last or one of the last remaining survivors of Hamburger Hill. A true patriot in my book. All kinds of speakers, one was from Hubert Humprey's campaign, one an advisor of the Dahli Lama. I got to tell you about this wonderful man, he is a Spanish leader here in Salt Lake, at the end of his speech he apologized, said he hoped no one would be offended but f--- you George Bush, bring our troops home now. The crowd of course roared. There were various religious leaders, one from India. And of course there was Mayor Andersen, a favorite of the crowd of course, everyone was chanting Rocky, Rocky, Rocky, some Rocky for President (not a bad idear). There was a Democrat official who had been at the GWB speech, said he had actually gotten sick and had to go throw up during the speech. I don't know his name but he was a very good speaker, I really need to take a notepad next time. Celeste Zappala who lost her son in Iraq while he was looking for WMD gave a marvelous speech, I wish everyone on the blog could have heard it, it was simply awe inspiring. Program ended with everyone singing Give Peace A Chance, everyone was hugging everyone. Wow what a wonderful feeling. Then some, not all, marched to the City and County Building.
Lots of honking from cars and trucks passing by. Kind of on a cute note a Budweiser truck honked, and of course everyone cheered loudly. What I really liked best was all the young people and little kids holding peace signs, singing Give Peace A Chance, and then hugging old and young alike. I haven't had a day like this, well, come to think of it I've never had a day like this. I feel energized, I feel hope. My husband saids I am shining.
On the 24th of Sep, there is going to be another peace rally at Pioneer Park to coincide with all the others on that day. I'll be there.
The guy with the rifle, nor the military copters flying over our heads don't matter. There is a new movement, you can feel it. Don't believe the news - there were 4,000 people who attended a peace rally today in Salt Lake City, the heart of neoconsevatives. It can only get better and bigger. As one of the little kids signs read Power to the Peaceful.

Why Iraq 'Looks-like' Vietnam

Iraq is no more about spreading Democracy than Vietnam was.

Iraq is no more about oil than Vietnam was. And it's not about stopping the spread of communism as the domino theory held, even though Iraq under Saddam Hussein was a socialist state in the sense that land and production facilities were not privately owned. America isn't waging war on Iraq because the central authority controlled all the physical assets in the land. Indeed, one of the main reasons the drafting of the new constitution is being held up is because the US is insisting on continued central control of the land and natural resources which the Kurds and the Shiites and the Sunis want to claim for themselves.

But, it's not just the disinclination to have the country's resources controlled by the several districts or governorates (as they're called in Iraq) which is a sure sign that Democracy is not a high priority. The US support for the imposition of Sharia law, which discriminates most stringently against women, is yet another clue that the goals of this military adventure aren't just being missed, but weren't there from the start--just like in Vietnam.

So what's the point? Why is the US attacking a 90 pound weakling, yet again? (Granted that Iraq did not start out as an insignificant entity like pre-war Vietnam, but it sure was after Gulf I, the embargo and being bombed for almost a dozen years). The answer, I would offer is that it isn't. Yes, a weakling is being pounded to smitherenes, but it isn't happening again. When you look at the strategic location of the two nations, on either side of the Indian Ocean basin, it's pretty obvious that the effort to establish a permanent base of operations for the US military in the region never actually stopped.

The instigators of the aggression against Iraq are the same as the architects of the misadventure in Vietnam and the real purpose remains the same--to contain the giant that is China by demonstrating, in a surrogate engagement, the might of the American military and the US determination that it will not be matched. In other words, Vietnam and now Iraq were attacked to serve as an example and send a message to China, at the same time that the US attempted to satisfy its own territorial ambitions--not to govern, but to stay as long as it wants.

Considering that targeting unimportant weak individuals in order to send a message to those that are strong is the essential ingredient of terrorism, it could reasonably be argued that the US is terrorist number one. But, never mind. What's really important from the American perspective is that it has been necessary to deceive the great majority of its people because an empire is the last thing they want the US to be. The explanation, that Vietnam was merely an exercise in securing and maintaining military bases which would help keep China in check, would have been unacceptable then and is unacceptable now. Which is why it's not been revealed and why George W. Bush can't answer Cindy Sheehan's question.

Indeed, this explanation, which would have been unacceptable in 1963 when our anxiety about communism in China was still high, is even more unacceptable now that China has demonstrated that a communist or socialist system of property ownership is not inconsistent with the capitalist principles of profit and investment. Which is why there's a renewed emphasis on democracy and human rights which, unfortunately, are being denied by events on the ground.

Having born witness for decades to repressive regimes and dictatorial leaders which tried to pass off a rubber-stamp electorate as democratic, the American public is no longer fooled. They can tell when a government is responsive to the will of the people by watching it replaced when it's not. They can tell when all citizens enjoy their human and civil rights when they can see and hear them expressing what they expect from their civil servants, and they can see them going about their business without fear of repression or aggression. None of which is anywhere near being achieved in Iraq.

Of course, if Iraq is merely the continuation of Vietnam, one has to wonder if that's what John Kerry meant when he said "it's the wrong war, in the wrong place, and at the wrong time." If so, then why didn't he say so? Is it because he discovered the real reason for Vietnam too late and, if he had known it earlier, wouldn't have opposed it as he did? But if that's so, why did he state during the campaign that the US should have no permanent bases in Iraq--a position that's obviously the basis for his advice (in a speech on June 28, 2005) to George W. Bush that he should publicly abjure any interest in permanent bases?

Is the answer that this is a very dangerous position to take? Is it because other leaders who have taken a similar position are no longer with us? John F. Kennedy, for example? We all know that JFK made a secret deal with Russia that in exchange for the removal of their missiles from Cuba, the US promised to dismantle some military assets in Turkey. Is it possible that JFK made further commitments to withdraw the (600 - 1000) "advisers," that were already in place in Vietnam when he came into office, and that this position proved even more unacceptable than his having bested Richard Nixon in the election--the same Richard Nixon who was Vice President when the first American advisers were secretly dispatched to Vietnam. (1)

Yes, I know. Nixon went to China. Nixon promised to end the war. Perhaps the final agreement that made the final withdrawal possible was a commitment from China that it would not seek to challenge the territorial integrity of Vietnam, if the US got out. What I don't know and will probably have to look up is how soon another potential location for our permanent bases was identified.

In any event, Vietnam is now Iraq.

(1)http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/06/papers_reveal_jfk_efforts_on_vietnam/

Dean in Concord

Cindy in Dover

Vigil Stories: Dover, NH

Vigils for Cindy Sheehan were held across the nation last week. Over the next few days, Democracy for America will be featuring photographs and stories from those vigils.

Jaimie Wolf shares a vigil story from Dover, NH.

This vigil was held in front of City Hall on the main street in Dover, NH last night. There were at least fifty people attending.

A pregnant attendee holding a sign saying,
"Will we be out of Iraq before my baby is 18?"

We were on a very busy street, so many cars drove by us. There were lots of honking and flashing of peace signs. I didn't notice any negative reactions. It was great.

?Jaimie

Have a vigil story or photograph you would like to share with the Democracy for America community? Mail it to vigils@democracyforamerica.com and we'll feature it here.
Posted by Guest Writer at 06:46 PM

The Roberts Catechism

Though I'm not personally acquainted with Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. from the things he has written and the postitions he has espoused, the belief system he has bought into seems pretty clear. So, let's have a look at the Roberts Catechism. That Roberts is a practicing Roman Catholic seems entirely coincidental. The person who's designated him for a spot among the Supremes shares the same antagonistic beliefs.

First in the Roberts Catechism is probably the conviction that man (both male and female) is basically born bad. But, the evidence for this intrinsic characteristic is not to be found in acts which harm or injure someone else. No, bad is the man who fails to do what he's told to do. In other words, evil exists whenever authority is opposed.

While this position might seem to conflict with a belief in free will. It really doesn't. That's because man was endowed with free will for only one purpose, to give greater significance to his submission to the will of another.

How does this principle mesh with the assertion that the authority of the American government, as outlined in its Constitution, is derived from the "consent of the governed?" Quite simply by locating this consent in one moment in time, when the Constitution was approved, so that, in effect, ever after, the relationship between the government and the governed is no different than if the ruler were divinely installed.

The origin of authority, under this schema, is not nearly as important as that authority is maintained. And the way to maintain authority is to make sure that authority is the focus of all social relationships and that this essential component is continually reinforced by the law. Which is why Roberts not only does not recognize that the government should be accountable to the populace, but considers the very notion anathema. It's not possible for authority to be accountable to those whose sole function is to obey and, if at all possible, do so cheerfully.

Of course, when obedience to authority is the essence of good behavior, then any mechanism which promotes this attitude, such as a religious institution devoted to modulating free will and expression in its membership, is properly supported, not to be interfered with, by the secular authorities. So, the Constitutional prohibition against interfering with the establishment of religion is designed not to protect such institutions from secular restrictions, but to make sure they have free rein in their efforts to make wicked people good. Religious establishments need to be promoted, not restrained.

Indeed, the same principle is evident in Roberts' commitment to the principle of "judicial restraint." While common sense might argue that this principle refers to judges restraining their urge to correct legislative ommissions or conflicts with Constitutional and human rights, what it really means in the Roberts catechism is that the judicial branch of government should, like the legislative, serve as a handmaiden to the executive by re-enforcing authority, not raising issues of accountability. "Judicial restraint," in effect, makes the principle of "checks and balances," which seeks to insure that authority does not become oppressive, nul and void.

Perhaps it is unfair to refer to these principles as components of Roberts' Catechism. After all, the Catechism is central to Christian religions and Christianity is a new dispensation, based on the recognition of God-given individual human rights--of individual innocence until some guilty behavior has been proved. Despite the much-touted commitment by the Republican leadership over the past two or three decades to Christian principles, upon closer consideration it seems fair to argue that a hankering for the absolute authority of the pre-christian era has proven more attractive to them.

To the extent that Roberts shares this predilection, a commitment to the absolute authority of government and a disregard for man's God-given human rights, he must be considered unfit for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Cause and Effect Considered

The good Lord has given man a brain which enables him not only to remember events, but the sequence in which they occurred. This ability then makes it possible to reflect and try to determine what led to what and, if the result was bad, to try not to repeat that sequence of behavior again.

The common term for this process is that we "learn from out mistakes."

But, history seems to indicate that we're not very successful in avoiding doing the same stupid things over and over. Why?

Some people thinks it's because people are either stupid or inattentive. I'm inclined to think that just maybe unravelling the right sequence of events is harder than we think. Also, sometimes our emotions interfere with making logical connections. We prefer one scenario to another, maybe because it's more consistent with what we expected. In other words, we're prejudiced by our prior experience or information and allow that pre-judgement to color our interpretations.

The current war against Iraq seems to be a good example. People who are inclined to think well of their leaders (whom they helped select) are persuaded by the argument that the invasion was good for the United States and for the people of Iraq, even if the latter don't appreciate it now. People who are inclined to think that the oilmen from Texas, where the fields are running dry, were wanting to exploit the black gold lying under Iraq, are persuaded that the invasion was driven by greed--a desire to have something that belongs to someone else without giving something of equal value in return.

The problem I see is that if both these scenarios are wrong, if the truth remains unknown (as it did, for example, about Vietnam), then it's likely that the same mistakes will be made again. Indeed, if the real reason for the invasion of Iraq is the same as for the effort to conquer Vietnam--i.e. establishing a permanent base of operations for the American military in the Indian Ocean region--then it's likely that the result will be the same, withdrawal without any contracts for cheap oil and no prospect of a democratic government for many decades to come. In addition, if the true intent, to counter or contain the burgeoning power that is China remains unaddressed, it's anybody's guess where we will make the same mistake next.

But, that's not what set me to thinking about prejudice today. My concern is a lot closer to home--the role that prejudice plays in filling up US prisons and jails. Or rather, the common assumptions we derive from experience and friends, not really antagonistic in intent (prejudgements that are neither positive or negative) which keep us from recognizing the true cause of this national scandal. And that's what it is--the number of poor minorities that are being locked up is truly scandalous.

The scandal, however, isn't in the number of mostly young males of modest means who are found guilty and sent to jail and prison. It isn't in the logical conclusion that the society draws from this number--that this population is particularly prone to criminal behavior. And it isn't in the contrary conclusion, formulated by those who identify with the plight of this population, that they are the victims of racist attitudes which target them for arrest, prosecution and incarceration because of an unalterable animus towards them. No, the scandal lies in the fact that if this population had access to even minimally competent legal representation, such as their counterparts in the majority community can afford, they might still get arrested, but they wouldn't be convicted and sent to jail because most law enforcement investigations and reports are so shoddy that they don't stand up court. Any minimally competent attorney can get most charges dismissed, if a prosecutor even decides to go forward, because the evidence as presented is unreliable, incomplete, contradictory or false, or all of the above.

While it is becoming common knowledge that a large number of innocent people have been sent to prison for live, or even put to death, because of incompetent or even criminal acts on the part of law-enforcement agents, that this pattern is pervasive throughout the nation has received little attention. Besides, official negligence benefits from the protection of judicial prejudice in favor of the agents of the state. Law enforcement personnel are presumed to be honest, truthful, dedicated and objective and, though the defendant in an action is presumed to be innocent, that presumption of virtue, this prejudice in favor of the state, is difficult to overcome.

Which, I would argue, is why the elevation of someone like Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to the Supreme Court is particularly dangerous. His fundamental commitment to the proposition that the state is right, his adherence to the principle of "judicial restraint" in the face of government wrong-doing and negligence would make it almost impossible to right the wrongs that have been done, as the authority of the state has been usurped by people whose respect for the law of the land is virtually nil.

Vigil in Hanover

All over the country there were more than 1600 vigils in honor of Cindy Sheehan and all the other mothers whose children have been wasted in the Iraq War.

Sensitive Police --II

An exchange of letters---

To the editor:

Forty years ago, the residents of Durham relied on three police officers and an answering machine for the overnight shift, serving a population that was just two-thirds of our present census. So, any request for assistance had to wait until whoever had drawn the night shift and periodically checked the machine [and]could respond.

Now that the Durham Police Department has grown to 28 people, there are at least two officers available to patrol around the clock, while their supervisors man the station. In addition, the force is large enough to send six officers at a time off to Washington to get new equipment and training, presumably without any decrease in the services they provide.

However, while I don't question the accuracy of your report of the information provided by spokespersons of the Durham and University police departments, it strikes me as somewhat peculiar that while others are able to "recharge their batteries," detectives are still mulling a case that is long over and done with and the arrest in response to a BOLA is being touted as an extraordinary event.

In addition, while the information that patrols are being conducted on bicycle and on foot is surely welcome, neither has been observed in my part of town. And there are rumors that the patrol officers on the night shift prefer the comfort of watching videos in the station to going out on the road. Since the relocation of the station to the Dover Road has doubtlessly increased the response time considerably, service is often little better than it was 40 years ago when the chief still lived in the center of town.

Of course, during inclement weather, when there are few citizens out and about during nighttime hours, it makes sense for the officers to remain in the station reviewing the disposition of their cases, brushing up on the latest legal decisions and otherwise improving their mental and physical fitness with the help of tapes from C-SPAN, Court TV and exercise programs.

Unfortunately, since the town administrator has already determined that reviewing the disposition of cases is not a priority, my expectations may be unrealistic. So I wonder, what is it the officers actually do when they are not out on patrol?

Monica Smith

Durham

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
What Durham police do when they're not on patrol

By SGT. BOBBYJOSLIN
President

Since 1829, the year Sir Robert Peel organized the London Metropolitan Police District into what is recognized as the first modern law enforcement agency, citizens around the world have been asking questions about the functions of their respective agencies.

Over the years, agencies have tried to answer those questions through programs such as local "ride alongs" or printing their activities in-end of-year summaries such as town reports. The Durham Police Department offers both to help the citizens they serve better understand the function of their agency.

The Durham Police Department goes beyond the norm and hosts a strategic planning session each year. The department invites residents, community leaders from the town of Durham, the University of New Hampshire and local business leaders, and shares with them the functions of the police department. The officers who take part in this effort every year are volunteers from each level within our organization.

They are taking time away from their families to try to answer questions such as the one posed by a citizen of Durham in the July 21 Foster's Daily Democrat.

In her recent letter to the editor, Monica Smith, who identifies herself as a citizen of the town of Durham, asks the question, "What do the Durham Police do when not patrolling?"

In addition to your comments Ms. Smith, and using your own words, it strikes us as somewhat peculiar that you did not take the time to get your facts correct about the makeup of the department that serves your community. Still, that apparently did not stop you from making numerous baseless remarks. Since you are so concerned about this question, it is important for you to have the correct facts.

Ms. Smith, your police department is not made up of 28 people, but, in fact, only employs 23 people, not including one part-time officer.

Three of these are administrative assistants, three are administrative officers and three are assigned to detectives. One more is assigned as the middle school and high school resource officer. Thirteen officers make up the patrol function of your police department. This does not include the parking enforcement officer.

You allege that the supervisors "man the station" while the patrol is out on the road. On television that may be fine, or in a larger agency with enough people that may be required; but, we would not hesitate to point out to you that the sergeants within your agency make as many arrests and investigate as many cases as any patrol officer.

Were you there when one of your sergeants was struck by a drunk driver on Route 4 and sent to the hospital? Were you there when a sergeant had to be tested after having blood spit on him, or when he was injured responding to another fight call?

Did you accompany the sergeant as he checked a burning building to make sure no one was left inside? You make the comment as fact, but we find it peculiar that we did not see you there on any of those occasions.

We did not see you in the detective's office working on cases, day and night, although you comment on what underlying factors go in to working a specific case. How do you know what information has developed on a case, recent or not?

We know our detectives are highly trained, so are we to assume that you are from a law enforcement background because you speak so knowingly about the proper methods they should use for each case?

Officers respond to BOLO's (be on the lookout) all of the time. It is not every day that a cop killer runs from one state to another in an attempt to hide out after violating his parole. But since you brought it up, you might want to talk to the families of those officers who live with the loss of their loved ones everyday.

We are sure that to them it was appreciated and in the law enforcement community it "is" considered an extraordinary event, even if you do not consider it one.

We are not going to hit every point that you noted because, frankly, most of them do not deserve a response. We will, however, answer your question.

When the officers of the Durham Police Department are not patrolling, they are doing the following things:

Every time an officer comes in from the road, he or she logs that time with the supervisor. We can account for every minute of a shift and would have no problem doing so for you or anyone else.

Officers write reports, fulfill administrative requirements, and do classroom training if needed. In addition, they volunteer their time as Explorer Scout Leaders within your community.

They participate in school functions and volunteer in youth hockey games with the school staff and hockey teams. They host cookouts for the elderly in your community. They honor Lt. Robert Hollis who died on duty as a Durham police officer, by escorting his wife to the law enforcement memorial each year.

They attend your community events by marching in your parades and directing traffic, often at the expense of not seeing their own children in parades and other events in the communities that they live in.

They host softball tournaments to help raise thousands of dollars for different charities every year.

And, they participate in strategic planning sessions, with the desire to avoid having to respond to rumors and false statements like the one in your letter to the editor.

Our question to Monica Smith is, "Why didn't you just ask us?" We would have been happy to share our experiences with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Needless to say, I'm not interested in sharing their experiences. I'd just like an answer to my question.

To the editor:

Since my original letter (written on June 28 and published on July 21) about the Durham and UNH Police Departments was in response to a report in Foster's and included information from the Globe North section of the Boston Globe, the Town Administrator's Friday updates, a written communication from the Chief of Police and the Town of Durham annual report for 2004 (where I miscounted the number of people pictured to be 28 instead of 24), I'm a bit puzzled by the personal tone of the response by the Durham Police Officers Union's spokesperson. The point I wanted to make, that while our population has increased by 50%, the police department's personnel has increased by more than 500%, still seems valid.

Questions about my whereabouts during several incidents requiring police attention, on the other hand, are downright strange. Surely the police do not expect citizens to be looking over their shoulders while the officers are on duty.

While I know nothing about strategic planning sessions designed to "avoid having to respond to rumors and false statements," I do know that our section of town has been asking for, and not getting, consistent enforcement of the speed limits. The explanation provided to one of my neighbors, that there is no need for enforcement because "there have been no accidents," (which must mean that nobody's been run over, since there have been multiple car crashes), is not reassuring.

Many of my neighbors are elderly and the inability to stroll or walk along the road without risking being hit by careening cars is a severe restriction on their freedom. My assertion in my letter that "patrols...conducted on bicycle and on foot...(have not) been observed in my part of town" was obviously one of those which "do not deserve a response."

Nor, for that matter, was the litany of community activities in which police personnel participate during their leisure time responsive to the question of what they do when they are on duty but not out on patrol, especially during the night shift.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The saga continues--August 25, 2005

Thursday, August 25, 2005
Lack of respect seen for Durham police

By AMY JOSLIN
Rochester

I recently had the opportunity to review a letter to the editor from Monica Smith from Durham. The beginning of the letter references police work as it was 40 years ago in the town of Durham.

To compare police work from 40 years ago to modern-day criminal justice responsibilities is absurd. Ms. Smith is referencing a period of time when she correctly pointed out the population is two-thirds of what it is now, a time when adult residents, students and children actually had respect for the law and the position a law enforcement officer plays in our communities.

Imagine if Durham continued to rely on an answering machine that was ?periodically checked? by personnel that had ?drawn the night shift.? Jack the Snipper would still have been snipping away in Durham last night. Since the students are gone for the summer, it may have been one of your daughters, sisters, or wives he would have to rely on to victimize.

I certainly would hope that the information provided by the spokespersons of the Durham and university police departments would not be questioned for accuracy. Thank goodness, the respective police departments now have people on staff to be able to obtain and keep track of such statistics for the sake of the presentation to the town and to be able to continually access whether the police force is adequate to protect and serve the residents. Forty years ago, the presentation may have consisted of ?we've been reasonably busy.?

Patrols being conducted on bicycle and foot are a welcome addition to any community. You may not see them in every neighborhood. Especially given the expanse of common and back roads in Durham, it would be unreasonable to expect a bicycle or foot patrol in every neighborhood unless we outfitted the bike patrol with expensive mountain bikes and our foot patrol with hiking boots. My children have been in our ?downtown community? a number of times and have encountered these individuals.

Both children have been and continue to be taught that law enforcement personnel should be treated with the same respect as any member of the military fighting for our country overseas. When you think about it, who is responsible for fighting crimes of terror against us as citizens? The responsibility is solely that of your local and state police departments.

The reference to the police department being rumored to prefer the comfort of watching videos is another example of the disrespect we have grown to accept. When did we start giving validation to such rumors? The next thing you know, we'll make headlines with conversations we hear around the water cooler at work.

During any weather we would expect the officers to remain in the station for a period of time. What do the Durham police do when not patrolling? They are doing what any other officer in any other community is doing. They are reviewing dispositions of cases, placing telephone calls to make inquiries on cases they may be responsible for, returning telephone calls to residents, victims or family members and documenting the content of these conversations or simply typing the necessary reports that allow them to be prepared in cases needing to go to trial.

I truly hope the police officers don't need to rely on tapes from C-Span or Court TV to ?improve their mental and physical fitness.? I would hope the communities we live in would provide enough funding to allow some officers to attend educational seminars at the Police Academy in Concord which give them the opportunity to learn new skills, refresh on skills they may already possess and allow them to better themselves for the sake of their communities and police departments. Many employers offer their staff educational opportunities. Why should municipalities be any different?

My parents brought me up to have respect and appreciation for law enforcement officials and the role they must play in our community. The letter to the editor from Ms. Smith demonstrates the lack of value some have come to find acceptable.

Luckily, not everyone feels that the citizens of the communities have the right to micromanage our municipalities by asking them to account for every moment of their time, especially considering so few of us actually possess the knowledge and understanding of the intricacies involved in operating such an organization.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Thursday, August 25, 2005
Letters to the editor - 8/25/05

Durham could be a bit friendlier

To the editor:
Certainly the people assembled in 1,600 locations this past Wednesday, in all 50 states, to honor the memory of the young people killed in Iraq, were an inspiration to the nation, even if one community in New Jersey saw fit to arrest some of the participants for failing to get a permit to exercise the right of the people to peaceably assemble as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Perhaps, since it's Congress that's prohibited from passing laws restricting such peaceable behavior, states and local communities work from a different script. This may account for the somewhat combative communication from the Durham town administrator when he wrote in his Friday update that ?UNH students are due to arrive back in Durham on Friday, August 26th. As usual, the Durham police will be out in force in order to ensure appropriate behavior downtown during the late night hours and throughout our neighborhoods and residential areas.?

At the least, it does not project a welcoming attitude. Nor are his subsequent assertions reassuring.

?Anytime there is an injection of 12,000 additional residents or guests, we expect some challenges. In preparation for these events, the goal of the police department is to institute a 'high visibility patrol concept' between the weekend of August 26th and Homecoming weekend of October 15th. The department has developed a number of activities and strategies with which to address whatever challenges it may face during the opening of the University's 2005 academic year. The University is also working closely with us to mitigate the impact of school opening on the community.?

Using words such as injection, mitigate and impact to describe the return of the community's life blood -- the young people who are the guarantee of our future [EM] strikes this resident of Durham and property owner for over 40 years, as rather unfriendly. You'd think they were anticipating the arrival of a horde of barbarians.

It's my experience that when people are treated courteously, they tend to respond in kind. So, I do hope that one of the activities, developed by the Durham police, involves lessons in responding with courtesy and respect to all our visitors and residents.

Monica Smith
Durham

Petitions--40,000

Tomorrow, Congressional offices all over the country are going to be visited by voters bearing petitions, asking Congress to investigate the lies that got us into invading the sovereign nation of Iraq.
The damage that's been done is not going to be undone by letting them draw up a Constitution on a piece of paper. Nor will their people be resurrected by a promise to leave.

Be a Patriot

http://www.cafepress.com/designedforyou/574189

Cindy Inspires Poets

View image

Phil Specht and Shelley have been inspired by Cindy Sheehan

Also, Julie Li

Read their poems.

The Crosses Behind Cindy

Cast aside
left to lie
left by a lie
to die
ditched

uneven row
uneven sacrifice
now as always
a mother's grief
the gift
of war

not shared

unfathomed but felt
though...
Cindy knows we
are with her
with Casey
with the rows
that grow
uneven like the tears
in the fabric of our heart
that so torn
needs the love of quilters
to be reborn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phil Specht

******************************************************************************************

At Walter Reed

?You?re the only one can fix it?: film projector
In the janitor?s back closet, crammed with
Ancient science films the teachers showed
Over and over, tired of us rough-housing,
Cursing, starting fights. I should have studied
Harder: I was young. Still, they called me
The Projector, and I sat apart in darkness
Like a king, tinkering with that clattering
Machine, dust motes spinning in its
Beam as reels wound down. I said I?d
Be a pilot, so I had a girl. My favorite
Cartoon showed a smiling little man
Launched deep in space. Voice
Warned: ?So far away, we fear
He may lose all desire to come back home.?

I fix?I fixed?trucks. Stationed
In that desert. Air Force. Not
A pilot, like they?d said: called
Growing up. The guys stuck
With the rattling Humvee, they said,
Come on, you?re the only one can
Fix it, old jalopy?just a milk run
To Fallujah, say you?ll go. So I said
Yes. White sun: that?s the last thing
I remember. ?Trap!?, curse,
Dark. In war, things
Happen.

We get the best of care?oh, I?m
Cut off next month, some paperwork
Snafu?but PT, Physical Therapy, and
Surgery, the best. My mom, she lost
Her job to be with me. But every time I
Wheel out of the room, she looks up
Waiting, like there?s something
I should say. Hey Mom,
Relax! I?ll be back
Soon, and explain
Nothing.

Once she drove three days to see
The Wall. See my dad?s name. I hated
Grownups crying, so I ducked my head
And looked instead at all the funny stuff
Folks left?a cartoon lighter. One black
Boot. A silver ring. A letter: this guy
Writes that he can?t take his sons out
Fishing. Since he?s back, he always
Sees the deck flood
Red. ?The fish don?t
Bite now, like with
Someone else?s father.?

My leg ends in a curve. And then
A space that still can trick me
When I wake. Turns out
To live, you must know
Nothing: walk
On air. Stand on no
Ground. What?s left:
My mom, my dad,
The PT girl who?s
Knocking at my door?
It?s time?and a silver
Limb that some tech shined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by Shelley

**************************************************************************************
Wars

Who can write
another
poem about them.

Have they changed?
In some way, are they
sane
now, in ways they were not
when it took a crane to lift
a warrior onto his horse?

Is the blood less red
when spilled?
Are wives hearts less
fragile
when the letter arrives?
Or the friend?
Or the One in Charge?

Now the soldiers
no longer paint themselves
blue,

the orphans are happier,
Mothers more comforted?
Father don't grit their
teeth, and refuse to weep
any longer?

The ones who do come home
are saner, now that we
do not use
mustard gas?

Are fewer profits made on
war
these days?
Fewer fat cats get
less gold?

No more Pork Chop Hills
so every little thing is
fine?

And what of those
who love it?
Who see it as
"our finest hour" ~~
When we are brave
When we are golden
and full of good.
Banzai.

What of them:
they make it possible.
Don't they?

Julie Li
August 13, 2005

What Did Pelosi Know?

If the rawstory report is accurate about the executive order issued in October of 2001 limiting the dissemination of classified and sensitive information gathered by our intelligence agencies to just eight people, the leadership in the house and senate and the chairs of the intelligence committees, then the following would have been the relevant people in 2001:

Hastert
Gebhardt
Daschle
Lott
Graham of Florida
Shelby
Goss
Pelosi

and if the import of the order was communicated to their successors in those offices, the people now in the know would be:

Hastert
Pelosi
Reid
Frist
Roberts
Rockefeller
Hoekstra
Harman

Moreover, if the order was issued and if it hasn't been rescinded, then the meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 24, 2002 about which Sy Hersh reported, on the basis of confidential sources, that the CIA laid out the information on the supposed purchase of yellow cake uranium from Niger, either didn't happen and Hersh was used to transmit disinformation, or the Senate Committee was lied to, or the executive order was violated or waived and the Senate Committee got accurate information and someone decided to pass on false information to Hersh.

While this seems terribly confusing, it does seem interesting that of the original gang of eight, only Hastert and Pelosi are left in the loop.
Gebhardt, Daschle, Graham and Goss are no longer in Congress. Shelby has been timed out by an eight year rule. Lott is still on the Senate Select Committee but has not moved up to Chair.
So, maybe Nanci Pelosi is the person to ask for an explanation about what the President did and when he did it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Correction to This Article
A Jan. 19 article incorrectly said that the Congressional Research Service had determined that the 1947 National Security Act requires briefings for all members of congressional intelligence committees on issues such as the president's domestic eavesdropping program. The CRS legal analysis said that the law appears to require the executive branch to provide intelligence briefings for others besides congressional leaders. But it does not specify who must be kept apprised.
Congressional Agency Questions Legality of Wiretaps

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 19, 2006; A05

The Bush administration appears to have violated the National Security Act by limiting its briefings about a warrantless domestic eavesdropping program to congressional leaders, according to a memo from Congress's research arm released yesterday.

The Congressional Research Service opinion said that the amended 1947 law requires President Bush to keep all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees "fully and currently informed" of such intelligence activities as the domestic surveillance effort.

The memo from national security specialist Alfred Cumming is the second report this month from CRS to question the legality of aspects of Bush's domestic spying program. A Jan. 6 report concluded that the administration's justifications for the program conflicted with current law.

Yesterday's analysis was requested by Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, who wrote in a letter to Bush earlier this month that limiting information about the eavesdropping program violated the law and provided for poor oversight.

The White House has said it informed congressional leaders about the NSA program in more than a dozen briefings, but has refused to provide further details. At a minimum, the briefings included the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence oversight committees and the two ranking Democrats, known collectively as the "Gang of Four," according to various sources.

"We believe that Congress was appropriately briefed," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement last night.

Bush has publicly acknowledged issuing an order after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that allowed the National Security Agency to intercept telephone and e-mail exchanges between the United States and overseas without court authorization. The cases were limited to people suspected of al Qaeda ties, Bush and his aides said.

Cumming's analysis found that both intelligence committees should have been briefed because the program involved intelligence collection activities.

The only exception in the law applies to covert actions, Cumming found, and those programs must be reported to the "Gang of Eight," which includes House and Senate leaders in addition to heads of the intelligence panels. The administration can also withhold some operational details in rare circumstances, but that does not apply to the existence of entire programs, he wrote.

Unless the White House contends the program is a covert action, the memo said, "limiting congressional notification of the NSA program to the Gang of Eight . . . would appear to be inconsistent with the law."

Also yesterday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said it would file a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit today demanding information about the NSA spying. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed separate lawsuits Tuesday asserting that Bush exceeded his authority and violated Fourth Amendment guarantees in authorizing the NSA surveillance.

Evidence of Coup?

I've long been aware that it was very difficult for members of Congress who were provided classified information to make that public. What never occurred to me was that the distribution list of such information had been restricted to just eight people in the congress. If the order issued by George Bush on October 5, 2001 is as represented in the following document, then it looks to me like we've got evidence of a coup d'etat.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Washington

October 5, 2001
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
THE DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

SUBJECT; Disclosure to the Congress

As we wage our campaign to respond to the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, and to protect us from further acts of terrorism, I intend to continue to work closely with the Congress. Consistent with longstanding executive branch practice, this Administration will continue to inform the leadership of the Congress about the course of, and important developments in, our critical military, intelligence, and law enforcement operations. At the same time, we have an obligation to protect military operational security, intelligence sources and methods, and sensitive law enforcement investigations. Accordingly, your departsment should adhere to the following procedures when providing briefings to the Congress relating to the information we have or the actions we plan to take:

(i) Only you or officers expressly designated by you may brief
Members of Congress regarding classified or sensitive law
enforcement information; and
(ii)The only members of Congress whom you or your expressly designated
officers may brief regarding classified or sensitive law enforcement
information are the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader,
the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, and the Chairs and Ranking
Members of the Intelligence Committees in the House and Senate.

This approach will best serve our shared goals of protecting American lives, maintaining the proper level of confidentiality for the success of our military, intelligence, and law enforcement operations, and keeping the leadership of the Congress appropriately informed about important developments. This morning, I informed the House and Senate leadership of this policy which shall remain in effect until you receive further notice from me.

(Signed) George Bush

St. Patrick's Four

The first and only federal
conspiracy trial
arising out of civil resistance
to the Iraq War begins
September 19 in Binghamton, NY.

www.stpatricksfour.org

Summary. Two days before the invasion of Iraq, four Catholic Workers from Ithaca (NY), in an act of non-violent civil resistance, entered a military recruiting center, read a statement, and carefully poured their own blood around the vestibule. The four, all parents, were tried in Tompkins County Court in April 2004 on charges of criminal mischief. Nine of twelve jurors voted to acquit.

However, almost a year later, the US government decided to retry the four, now on charges of conspiracy. If convicted, they face up to six years in prison and $250,000 in fines. The St. Patrick's Four trial begins September 19 in Binghamton, NY.

Show solidarity, and please add your name or group's name to the support committee.

Sign the Letter in Support of the St. Patrick's Four

That Explains It!!!

Why men don't listen to women. They can't hear them.

Men do have trouble hearing women, scientists find

Sat Aug 6, 7:29 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - Men who are accused of never listening by women now have an excuse -- women's voices are more difficult for men to listen to than other men's, a report said.

The Daily Mail, quoting findings published in the specialist magazine
NeuroImage, said researchers at Sheffield university in northern England discovered startling differences in the way the brain responds to male and female sounds.

Men deciphered female voices using the auditory part of the brain that processes music, while male voices engaged a simpler mechanism, it said.

The Mail quoted researcher Michael Hunter as saying, "The female voice is actually more complex than the male voice, due to differences in the size and shape of the vocal cords and larynx between men and women, and also due to women having greater natural 'melody' in their voices.

"This causes a more complex range of sound frequencies than in a male voice."

The findings may help explain why people suffering hallucinations usually hear male voices, the report added, as the brain may find it much harder to conjure up a false female voice accurately than a false male voice.

Another take on yellow cake

Beginning to feel very petulent--

The point about the yellow cake story is that EVERYONE knew it was false and the reason it was included in the speech was because it was false. If it were true, it would have been "top secret" and even the President couldn't reveal it on national television.
Telling lies to "protect national security" and "confuse the enemy" is called "disinformation." The problem here isn't that the false information was disseminated, but that it was USED to justify an otherwise unjustifiable action.

Spreading false stories to keep bad things from happening is one thing; spreading false stories to make bad things happen is another.

Wilson telling the truth about top secret matters would normally lead to a charge of treason. That normal procedures won't work in this case is obvious from the fact that to prosecute him for telling the truth, they would have to admit that the nation (not just the press) was lied to.

That's why even now Hadley comes out to speak to Cindy Sheehan and tells her the President "believed" there were WMDs in Saddam's arsenal. Aside from the fact that one can't argue with belief, making this point at this time shows how important denying the lie is.

While it's OK to lie to your enemies, it's not OK to lie to your own people.

What Have They Done to my News?

Cindy Sheehan is in Crawford, Texas.

The Associated Press is covering it and Deb Richmann is writing the story. But, which version should we believe?

The version printed in a hard copy of the Boston Globe?

Soldier's mother protests near Bush ranch

by Deb Reichmann Associated Press

CRAWFORD, Texas--The angry mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq staged a protest near President Bush's ranch yesterday, demanding an accounting from the president of how he has conducted the war.

Supported by more than 50 shouting demonstrators, Cindy Sheehan, 48, told reporters, "I want to ask George Bush: Why did my son die?"

Sheehan arrived in Crawford aboard a bus painted red, white, and blue and emblazoned with the words, "Impeachment Tour."

Her son, Casey, 24, was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, on April 24, 2004. He was an Army specialist, a Humvee mechanic.

Sheehan, from Vacaville, Calif., had been attending a Veterans for Peace Convention in Dallas. She vowed she would camp out as close as she could get to the presiden't ranch until Bush comes out and talks to her.

Local law enforcement officials were keeping Sheehan 4 to 5 miles away from the ranch's entrance.

"If they won't cooperate, we won't," Captain Kenneth Vanek of the McLennan County sheriff's department, said of the marchers. He said the group was stopped because some marchers ignored instructions to walk in the ditch beside the road, not on the road.

Sheehan said she decided to come to Crawford a few days ago after Bush said that fallen US troops had died for a noble cause and the the mission must be completed.

"I don't want him to use my son's name or my family name to justify any more killing," she said.

Sheehan said Bush administration officials "don't have a mission, and they don't even ever plan on completing it." She said she fears that the United States plan to keep a US military presence in Iraq indefinitely.

Sheehan's bus pulled up at a house run by peace activists a few hundred feet from the town's only stoplight.

There, she met up with other demonstrators and then led a caravan of about 20 vehicles down a winding road toward Bush's ranch.

The group stopped along the way, and sheriffls deputies advised them that if they wanted to go farther toward the ranch, they would have to walk in a ditch along the road.

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or the version posted on the electronic version of the Boston Globe?

Soldier's mother protests near Bush ranch

By Deb Riechmann, Associated Press | August 7, 2005

CRAWFORD, Texas -- The angry mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq staged a protest near President Bush's ranch yesterday, demanding an accounting from the president of how he has conducted the war.

Supported by more than 50 demonstrators who chanted, ''W. killed her son!" Cindy Sheehan told reporters: ''I want to ask the president, 'Why did you kill my son? What did my son die for?' "

Sheehan, 48, did not get to see Bush, but did talk for about 45 minutes with national security adviser Steve Hadley and deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin, who went out to hear her concerns.

Appreciative of their attention, yet undaunted, Sheehan said she planned to continue her roadside vigil, except for a few breaks, until she gets to talk to Bush.

Her son, Casey, 24, was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, on April 4, 2004. He was an Army specialist, a Humvee mechanic.

''They were nice men," she said of the advisers. ''I told them Iraq was not a threat to the United States and that now people are dead for nothing. I told them I wouldn't leave until I talked to George Bush."

Trent Duffy, a spokesman for the White House, said Bush also wants the troops to return home safely.

''Many of the hundreds of families the president has met with know their loved one died for a noble cause and that the best way to honor their sacrifice is to complete the mission," he said.

Sheehan arrived in Crawford aboard a bus painted red, white, and blue and emblazoned with the words ''Impeachment Tour." The Vacaville, Calif., resident had been attending a Veterans for Peace Convention in Dallas.

She vowed to camp out as close as she could get to the president's ranch until Bush comes out and talks to her. Police were keeping her group about 4 to 5 miles away from the ranch entrance.

Sheehan said she decided to come to Crawford a few days ago after Bush said that fallen US troops had died for a 'noble cause' and that the mission must be completed. ''I want to ask him what that noble cause is," she said. ''I don't want him to use my son's name or my family name to justify any more killing."
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

Severodvinsk

Severodvinsk is a city of some 220,000 on the south shore of the White Sea.

These are our four "wild and crazy guys" who did their best to entertain us.

Iraqi Dispatch--What Have We Done?

    August 05, 2005

      "What Have We Done?"

As the blood of US soldiers continues to drain into the hot sands of
Iraq over the last several days with at least 27 US soldiers killed and
the approval rating for his handling of the debacle in Iraq dropping to
an all-time low of 38%, Mr. Bush commented from the comforts of his
ranch in Crawford, Texas today, ?We will stay the course, we will
complete the job in Iraq.?

Just a two hour drive away in Dallas, at the Veterans for Peace National
Convention in Dallas, I?m sitting with a roomful of veterans from the
current quagmire.

When asked what he would say to Mr. Bush if he had the chance to speak
to him, Abdul Henderson, a corporal in the Marines who served in Iraq
from March until May, 2003, took a deep breath and said, ?It would be
two hits-me hitting him and him hitting the floor. I see this guy in the
most prestigious office in the world, and this guy says ?bring it on.? A
guy who ain?t never been shot at, never seen anyone suffering, saying
?bring it on?? He gets to act like a cowboy in a western movie?it?s
sickening to me.?

The other vets with him nod in agreement as he speaks somberly?his anger
seething.

One of them, Alex Ryabov, a corporal in an artillery unit which was in
Iraq the first three months of the invasion, asked for some time to
formulate his response to the same question.

?I don?t think Bush will ever realize how many millions of lives he and
his lackeys have ruined on their quest for money, greed and power,? he
says, ?To take the patriotism of the American people for granted?the
fact that people (his administration) are willin