michelle
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Post by michelle on Nov 30, 2005 2:59:54 GMT 4
Tue 11/29/05 Urgent Message on Genocide in DarfurSpecial message from Marianne Williamson Dear Friends, I've asked before; I'm pleading now. Today please make the time to call your two Senators and your Congressional representative, expressing your desire for the American government to help stop the genocide in Darfur. To read more about this human slaughter and how you personally can help stop it, go to www.savedarfur.org. All you have to do is make one call. To find out the contact info for your Senators and Congressman, go to www.congress.org, or you can call the U.S. capital switchboard at (877) 762-8762 or (202) 224-3121. To make your case stronger when speaking to your Congresspeople or their aids, you might want to make these points: 1) The U.S. should help build the African Union Security Force (Congress recently cut out the $50 million dollars from the federal budget that would have been used for this purpose). 2) There needs to be an expanded U.N. security force in Darfur 3) The U.S. should support a no-fly zone to protect civilians 4) The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act should be passed in the House of Representatives 5) We want President Bush to talk about this issue whenever and however possible, to awaken the American people to the horror of this situation and to our moral responsibility to address it. It has been said that if one hundred people in each Congressional district in the U.S. had contacted their representatives about the Rwandan genocide, then that would have generated the political will to stop it. The Rwandan horror is being repeated today in the Sudan, and the U.S. is not yet doing everything we can to help. Not even close. Dante's famous quote resonates: "There is a special place in hell reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral." Genociate in the Sudan is a moral crisis of the first degree. And we can stop it. Amen. [/color] Please help spread the word.... Thanks. All my best, Marianne Williamson The Peace Alliance www.thepeacealliance.orgOur postal address is P.O. Box 3259 Center Line, Michigan 48015 United States
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 6, 2005 13:15:30 GMT 4
Tue. 12/06/05 Let's Keep the Pressure on Congress to do the right thing. Please call, e-mail and/or fax your representatives TODAY.....MichelleTUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, IS NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY TO END THE WARTuesday is the day! Congress Members get back to DC today, and we want to welcome them. We're asking you to call, Email, and fax your Congress Members and ask for an end to the war in Iraq. This National Call-In Day - organized by Democrats.com, Progressive Democrats of America, and After Downing Street, together with United for Peace and Justice and many other peace organizations - aims to flood Congress Members' offices with our message for bringing this war to a close. Our message is simple: "I am calling to let Rep. ______ know that I think the Iraq war is wrong and all our troops should be brought home immediately!" Take Action Below, or call the Capitol toll free 888-818-6641. www.afterdowningstreet.org/congress
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DT1
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Post by DT1 on Dec 6, 2005 23:28:53 GMT 4
Thank you,Michelle. It only took about five minutes to send them the message,with a note of my own... Honorable sir: This administration has shown blatant incompetence,if not outright criminal negligence. They have lost the"moral high ground"in this illegal war,if they ever had it.We are very aware that Mr.Cheney holds 50,000 shares of Halliburton stock,which has increased in value by 400%.In light of the fact that war proffiteering is TREASON,how do you justify this?For this,and many other scandals which seriously damage American credibility here and abroad,I feel that Impeachment,Indictments,and Convictions are the only possible course of action at this point. Your reply would be most welcome,sir. Sincerely:***** ******** I strongly urge everyone to follow the link www.afterdowningstreet.org/congressand let your voice be heard. Remember that the only thing required for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing... If not now,then when?
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 14, 2005 20:18:51 GMT 4
Take Action: Criminalizing Hard Workers is Un-American!Wednesday 12/14/05
This is frightening. Once again, lawmakers will use American job insecurity as a means to justify this rotten piece of legislation. A 2,000 mile wall between The U.S. and Mexico?! For what other purpose besides keeping aliens out of the U.S.? This would also mean containment of citizens within the United States. Couldn't this bill also be used against U.S. citizens with small jobs on the side, work exchange between friends, and even our children who try and make extra cash cutting lawns to be guilty of an "aggravated felony," by being an undocumented worker?!
Below are two recent updates from Progressive Democrats of America. I strongly urge you to call your representative TODAY or we could all, some day, be entering through gates on our way to work similar to those in Nazi Germany which read, "WORK IS FREEDOM."......Michelle
You can take action here:capwiz.com/pdamerica/callalert/index.tt?alertid=8312866 Take Action: Criminalizing Hard Workers is Un-American! Take action against cruel anti-immigrant bill that threatens millions. Take Action! 12/12/05 11:32:46 PM Eastern Standard Time Vote may occur any day! The U.S. House of Representatives votes this week on a Republican-backed bill that would make it a felony to be an undocumented worker and gut the due process rights of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens. On Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005, the House Judiciary Committee passed along strict party lines the measure by Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). This GOP-sponsored bill, H.R. 4437, would among other things make the crime of being here illegally an "aggravated felony," meaning the entire undocumented population, including 1.6 million children, would be permanently barred from the U.S. Extreme provisions buried in the bill would target legal immigrants, citizens and those applying for citizenship--taking away basic rights like a day in court and a meaningful defense. H.R. 4437 subverts America's most deeply held values, including a day in court, checks and balances, and freedom from unjust and arbitrary detention. Instead of fixing our broken immigration system, this bill will make matters worse by turning millions of decent, hard-working people into criminals, driving them further underground and pushing more workers into the black market of smugglers and criminals. What we need is a system allowing people already here to earn the right to stay by continuing to perform work crucial to the U.S. economy, reforms such as the bipartisan, broadly supported AgJobs bill, cosponsored by both Democrats and Republicans. The cruel and extremist Sensenbrenner bill is headed for a vote by the entire House this week. Your House representative needs to hear from you about why this bad bill should not pass. Instead, he or she should support comprehensive immigration reform such as the AgJobs bill (H.R. 884.) Please call and e-mail your U.S. Representative. Ask him or her to vote against this bill. 12/13/05 12:50:13 PM Eastern Standard Time Progressive Democrats of America 12/13-14: National Call-In Days To Defeat The Anti-Immigrant Bill! 12/13-14: National Call-In Days To Defeat The Anti-Immigrant Bill Take Action! TAKE ACTION NOW TO DEFEAT SENSENBRENNER BILL (H.R. 4437) CALL YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 AND 14, AND ASK THEM TO VOTE AGAINST THE "BORDER AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2005" (H.R. 4437). TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY VOTE ON THIS BILL AS EARLY AS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2005. PLEASE CALL NOW! Background: Last week Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the "Border and Immigration Enforcement Act of 2005" ( H.R. 4437). The House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 4437 last Thursday; the bill is expected to go to the full House of Representatives this week. We also expect that an amendment to eliminate birthright citizenship for babies born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants and an amendment to build a 2,000-mile wall along the U.S.-Mexico border will be offered. Among its many provisions, H.R. 4437 would: · Place religious groups, employers, and even private citizens at risk of criminal prosecution as "smugglers" if they aid or transport an undocumented immigrant. · Classify all 11 million undocumented immigrants working in the U.S. as "aggravated felons," subjecting them to deportation and imprisonment and depriving them of any access to a hearing prior to deportation. · Disrupt the U.S. economy by creating an overly broad and retroactive employment verification system without creating legal channels for needed workers to work lawfully. · Deputize local police forces in border communities to act as immigration agents, despite the objections of many police officials. · Make it more difficult for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens Contact your representatives TODAY and urge them to OPPOSE H.R. 4437.
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 16, 2005 9:39:12 GMT 4
"House Backs McCain on Detainees, Defying Bush" On Wednesday night the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported Senator John McCain's anti-torture amendment. The latest news reports say that as a result, President Bush may finally accept the torture ban later today.1
The final decision on whether to include the anti-torture amendment rests with a House/Senate conference committee; Wednesday night's vote was a "motion to instruct" that committee to support the ban on torture. This is a big deal. The vote was lopsided -- 308 to 122 -- and 107 Republicans joined in supporting the torture ban even though the Administration opposed it. The New York Times has called it "an unusual bipartisan rebuke to the Bush administration."
1 "Sources: White House to Accept Torture Ban," Associated Press, 12/15/2005. tinyurl.com/7vhac
Here's the New York Times article:"House Backs McCain on Detainees, Defying Bush" By ERIC SCHMITT Published: December 15, 2005 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 - In an unusual bipartisan rebuke to the Bush administration, the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly endorsed Senator John McCain's measure to bar cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners in American custody anywhere in the world. Although the vote was nonbinding, it put the Republican-controlled House on record in support of Mr. McCain's provision for the first time, at the very moment when the senator, a Republican, is at a crucial stage of tense negotiations with the White House, which strongly opposes his measure. The vote also likely represents the lone opportunity that House members will have to express their sentiments on Mr. McCain's legislation. The Senate approved the measure in October, 90 to 9, as part of a military spending bill. But until Wednesday, the House Republican leadership had sought to avoid a direct vote on the measure to avoid embarrassing the White House. The vote was on a motion to instruct House negotiators, who had just been appointed to work out differences between the House and Senate spending bills, to accept the Senate position on the McCain amendment. The House bill, providing $453 billion for military programs, has no provision like Mr. McCain's, but if the negotiators follow these instructions to the letter, the final bill passed by Congress will. The House vote was 308 to 122, with 107 Republicans lining up along with almost every Democrat behind Representative John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who sponsored Mr. McCain's language and who has become anathema to the administration on any legislative measure related to Iraq since his call last month to withdraw American troops from Iraq in six months. "Torture does not help us win the hearts and minds of the people it's used against," Mr. Murtha said on the House floor. "Congress is obligated to speak out." Unlike the tumultuous three-hour debate that Mr. Murtha's Iraq-related measure provoked last month, this measure met with just 10 minutes of statements to a nearly empty House chamber. Mr. Murtha, a former Marine colonel who is the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said Mr. McCain's legislation was essential to standardizing American interrogation methods and sending a clear signal to the world that the United States condemned the abusive treatment of detainees. "If we allow torture in any form," Mr. Murtha said, "we abandon our honor." Representative C. W. Bill Young of Florida, head of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, was one of 121 Republicans who voted against Mr. McCain's language. One Democrat, Jim Marshall of Georgia, voted against it; 200 Democrats and one independent supported it. Mr. Young was quick to point out that he was in no way endorsing torture as an interrogation technique, but said he opposed the measure because it wrongly bestowed the full protections of the Constitution to terrorists and tied the hands of Congressional negotiators. Another Republican who voted against the measure, Representative Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, said he opposed it because he said laws already barred torture and abusive treatment. "It's absolutely unnecessary," said Mr. Tiahrt, who is on the House Intelligence Committee. It was unclear what effects the vote would have on the negotiations between Mr. McCain and President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, and on the Congressional negotiators for the two military bills now in conference committee. A spokeswoman for the Arizona senator, Eileen McMenamin, said Wednesday night that he had no comment on the vote. "I don't think it will have any effect on the negotiations," Mr. Young said. Mr. Murtha said the vote bolstered his previous assertions that the military spending bill would include Mr. McCain's provision after the conference committee completed its work. "It's going to be in there, period," Mr. Murtha said after the vote. Earlier in the day, Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican who is the senior member of the Appropriations Committee, echoed Mr. Murtha's prediction, telling reporters that Mr. McCain "wants it in there, and I think it will stay in there." The negotiations over provision intensified on Wednesday. Early in the morning, Mr. McCain met in his office with Mr. Hadley. When asked whether the two had narrowed their differences, Mr. McCain told reporters: "We're still talking. We'll get this resolved one way or another. We have the votes." Mr. McCain also attended the weekly Senate Republican policy lunch on Wednesday, but senators who attended the private gathering said that Mr. McCain did not address his colleagues and that the subject of his amendment did not come up. After the lunch, however, Mr. McCain was mobbed by reporters seeking comment on his talks with Mr. Hadley. Mr. McCain was uncharacteristically tight lipped, saying he did not want to discuss details of the continuing discussions. Two Senate Republican colleagues who voted for Mr. McCain's measure in October said Wednesday it was important for Congress to back the language. "We need to have clear guidance, in law, that makes it very clear that inhumane treatment of detainees in American captivity is absolutely unacceptable," Susan Collins of Maine said. "This problem is hurting us around the world. It's contrary to our values, and we simply must have this as part of the final bill." Senator John Thune of South Dakota said: "Because it has become such a high-profile issue here of late, not only around the country but around the world, I think it's in our best interests to address it. A strong unequivocal statement that we don't apply or tolerate torture in any form is probably right now a good thing to do." www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/politics/15detain.html
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michelle
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Post by michelle on Dec 16, 2005 23:05:53 GMT 4
Friday 12/16/05 TODAY HOORAY!!![/b] Senate Blocks Extension of Patriot Act By Jesse J. Holland The Associated Press Friday 16 December 2005 Washington - The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders. In a crucial vote early Friday, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a threatened filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47. President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Republicans congressional leaders had lobbied fiercely to make most of the expiring Patriot Act provisions permanent, and add new safeguards and expiration dates to the two most controversial parts: roving wiretaps and secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries. Feingold, Craig and other critics said that wasn't enough, and have called for the law to be extended in its present form so they can continue to try and add more civil liberties safeguards. But Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have said they won't accept a short-term extension of the law. If a compromise is not reached, the 16 Patriot Act provisions expire on Dec. 31. Frist changed his vote at the last moment after seeing the critics would win. He decided to vote with the prevailing side so he could call for a new vote at any time. He immediately objected to an offer of a short term extension from Democrats, saying the House won't approve it and the president won't sign it. "We have more to fear from terrorism than we do from this Patriot Act," Frist warned. If the Patriot Act provisions expire, Republicans say they will place the blame on Democrats in next year's midterm elections. "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without these vital tools for a single moment," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The time for Democrats to stop standing in the way has come." But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people inside the United States. Previously, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations. "I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001. "It is time to have some checks and balances in this country," shouted Sen. Patrick Leahy, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "We are more American for doing that." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statement of US Senator Russ Feingold Friday 16 December 2005 Remarks as the Senate considerd ending debate on reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act. Mr. President, on Wednesday evening, I laid out in detail my concerns about the Patriot Act reauthorization bill that we are now considering on the floor. In its current form, I cannot support the conference report, and I cannot consent to limit debate on it. The leaders of this Congress need to figure out a way to change this report to address the important civil liberties issues that I and other Senators from both sides of the aisle have discussed over the past three days. This morning we saw an astounding story in the New York Times. Since 2002, the government has been reportedly wiretapping the international phone and email conversations of hundreds, even thousands of people inside the Untied States, without wiretap orders. You want to talk about abuses? I can't imagine a more shocking example of an abuse of power, to eavesdrop on American citizens without first getting a court order based on some evidence that they are possibly criminals, terrorists or spies. Mr. President, it is truly astonishing to read that this Administration would go this far beyond the bounds of the statutes and the Constitution. We as an institution have the duty, the obligation, to get to the bottom of this. I hope that this morning's revelation drives home to people that this body must be absolutely vigilant in our oversight of government power. And I don't want to hear again from the Attorney General or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care. This shocking revelation ought to send a chill down the spine of every Senator and every American. With that in mind, let me review my main concerns about this conference report. First, section 215. Remember, this is the section where Attorney General Ashcroft once said that librarians concerned about the privacy rights of their patrons were "hysterical." But then the current Attorney General conceded at his nomination hearing in the Senate Judiciary that some changes would be justified. Unfortunately, the Administration was not willing to make real changes to the provision to protect the rights and freedoms of innocent Americans. The other night, I described in detail the evolution of this provision through the legislative process. The bottom line is this - the Senate bill had a three prong test requiring some connection between the records sought and a person suspected of being a terrorist or spy. The conference report abandoned that connection and instead relies on a standard of relevance to an intelligence investigation. That is pretty much an "anything goes" standard that fails to protect the records of law-abiding Americans. There is no requirement in this conference report that will prevent government fishing expeditions. Read the provision and it is as plain as day. The three prong test has been turned into three examples of relevance. They are not protections at all against government overreaching. The provisions of the bill relating to National Security Letters are also seriously deficient. There is no requirement that the records sought under that authority, which doesn't involve a court at all, have some connection to a suspected terrorist or spy. The judicial review that the conference report allows after the fact, of the NSL itself and the mandatory gag order, is a mirage. After what the Times reported this morning, no one in this body should be comfortable with the government having this kind of unreviewable power. Finally, there is the issue of so-called sneak and peek searches, when the government secretly enters and searches someone's home. The question here is when the government has to notify someone that a search has taken place. The Senate bill allowed seven days for the government to get back to the court and justify continued delay in providing notice of a sneak and peek search. The conference report, unfortunately, permits 30-day delays. Some have argued that the difference between a week and a month is not that big a deal. It is a big deal, Mr. President. We are talking about an important constitutional right, the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. No one in this body should take that right lightly, and I think most people would agree that having to wait thirty days to find out your home has been secretly searched is a very big deal. So this conference report is inadequate and it should not be passed. I believe it will not pass. So let me talk for a minute about what happens next if, as I expect, the cloture motion fails. Do those who oppose the conference report want the Patriot Act to expire? Of course not. It is false to suggest that we do, and it is shameful to threaten that that is what will happen if the Senate does not approve this conference report. The only way that the Patriot Act will expire at the end of this year is if the proponents of the conference report, in this body or the other body, block alternative reauthorization bills that can easily pass with widespread, bipartisan support. Now is not the time for brinksmanship or threats. Now is the time to do the right thing for the American people and for the constitutional rights and freedoms that make our country great. It is becoming more and more clear that this conference report cannot pass. So it is time to figure out what can pass. I submit that the Senate bill is the consensus that we seek. We should pass it again, as we did by unanimous consent before, and send it to the other body. And we should with one voice call on the House to pass that bill and send it to the President for signature. That should have happened months ago and it is what should happen today. Mr. President, I am very proud to be part of a bipartisan coalition working together to strengthen protections for civil liberties in the Patriot Act. I think the demonstration of bipartisanship on this floor over the last few days has been remarkable. I remember well a hearing on the SAFE Act in the last Congress when the Senator from Idaho, Senator Craig, was still on the Judiciary Committee. He said something that struck me at the time and has stayed with me since. I don't have his exact words here, but he basically said that the Patriot Act will not be reauthorized without addressing the issues we raised in the SAFE Act. He was making a prediction and a promise then. And soon I believe we will see that he was right. We have stayed together ever since our bill was first introduced. We knew the time would come when we would have to take a stand. And now we have. We are united today, as we were then. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue. This is a constitutional issue. We can come together to give the government the tools it needs to fight terrorism and protect the rights and freedoms of innocent citizens. And we can do that before the end of this year. But first, we must keep this inadequate conference report from becoming law by voting No on cloture. I yield the floor. Source: www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121605Y.shtmlI think it would be a good idea to send a word of thanks to Senator Feingold for his commitment to upholding Americans' privacy and liberty. Here is his website where you can contact him.........Michelle:feingold.senate.gov/
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 18, 2005 3:13:22 GMT 4
Senator Russ Feingold Responds to the President's Radio Address December 17, 2005 United States Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) made the following statement today in response to the President's weekly radio address. The statement is available as a radio actuality at the following number: 800-511-0763, Code 4945. The text follows: "Yesterday morning, Republican and Democratic Senators blocked a flawed bill that extended parts of the Patriot Act that are set to expire without fixing the fundamental problems with the law. Nobody wants these parts of the Patriot Act to expire -- we want to fix them before making them permanent, by including important protections for the rights and freedoms of innocent American citizens. With a few modest but critical improvements, like making sure that when the government seeks library records it has to show that those records have some connection to a suspected terrorist or spy, we can give the government the powers it needs while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. The President can sign a bill into law tomorrow to reauthorize the Patriot Act if he will agree to the bill that the Senate unanimously passed in July or he could extend the law for a short period so negotiations can continue. The President's shocking admission that he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens, without going to a court and in violation of the Constitution and laws passed by Congress, further demonstrates the urgent need for these protections. The President believes that he has the power to override the laws that Congress has passed. This is not how our democratic system of government works. The President does not get to pick and choose which laws he wants to follow. He is a president, not a king.On behalf of all Americans who believe in our constitutional system of government, I call on this Administration to stop this program immediately and to fully cooperate with congressional inquiries and investigations. We have had enough of an Administration that puts itself above the law and the Constitution." tinyurl.com/dzqgk
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DT1
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Post by DT1 on Dec 18, 2005 12:51:40 GMT 4
The Comander in Terror has now taken off the mask,and the gloves.He now stands in open defiance of the the Constitution and has stated in no uncertain terms that he will continue to commit crimes at will"as long as I'm president" ,by which,I'm sure he believes,will be a very long time... by davidkc at dailykos.com; The line has clearly been crossed...between democracy and fascism,and how we as citizens and a country respond to these unconstitutional actions will say a lot about what kind of country this will be for our children. How many of these apply? Powerful and Continuing Nationalism Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause Supremacy of the Military Rampant Sexism Controlled Mass Media Obsession with National Security Religion and Government are Intertwined Corporate Power is Protected Labor Power is Suppressed Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts Obsession with Crime and Punishment Rampant Cronyism and Corruption Fraudulent Elections These are the 14 Characteristics of Fascism.
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Anwaar
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Post by Anwaar on Dec 18, 2005 18:46:21 GMT 4
Brilliant DT1.
Allow me to very humbly add some more signs of fascism to the list;
A demand for blind loyalty, nationalistic jingoism, unquestioning obedience, twists and cover-ups, fear, ad nauseam repetition of outright lies, self-righteous grievance, messianic rhetoric, the finality of authority, traditionalism, a hateful disdain for human rights, ascendancy of the military, controlled mass media, an alarming obsession with national security, the intermixing of religion and government, unbridled nepotism and corruption, blatant state sponsoring of ethos of duty, honor and comradeship, a witch hunt of voices of reason and dehumanizing the purported enemies usually comprise the arsenal of weapons in such states.
The state media is always the medium of choice for launching these weapons.
Hello all !
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DT1
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Post by DT1 on Dec 19, 2005 0:18:07 GMT 4
Anwaar; I am truly frightened by this week's events. As the MSM continues to run interference,And Congress blathers on endlessly about commemorative coins(!?)this illegitimate,tyrannical president has just jettisoned all restraint,and is engaged in a power-grab of unprecedented magnitude.He does not need the wretched Patriot Act-He's simply making it up as he goes along!!! Although you would never know it watching T.V. news,we are now in a state of Constitutional crisis. Update:after my initial shock concerning these developments,I sought the opinion of one of the most brilliant legal minds on the web,Mr.Jeffrey Feldman. Here it is: www.frameshopisopen.com/?ABCDEFGH
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Dec 21, 2005 16:52:55 GMT 4
CensureBush.org Campaign Launched in Response to New House LegislationThe AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, an alliance of over 100 grassroots organizations, has launched a new campaign called CensureBush.org in order to support new legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers that would censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney and create a select committee to investigate the Administration's possible crimes and make recommendations regarding grounds for impeachment. H.Res.635 would create a select committee - modeled after Sam Ervin's Watergate committee - to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, and retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment. H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 would censure, respectively, Bush and Cheney for failing to respond to requests for information concerning allegations that they and others in the Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq, misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for the war, countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of persons in Iraq, and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of the Administration, for failing to adequately account for certain misstatements they made regarding the war, and – in the case of President Bush – for failing to comply with Executive Order 12958. These two efforts are complementary - H.Res.635 seeks accountability for the Bush administration's monumental crimes, while H.Res.636 and H.Res.637 seek accountability for their coverups. Ask your Congress Member to support these efforts!capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176More information: www.censurebush.orgIMPEACHMENT HITS THE NEWSTime for Impeachment By Doug Ireland www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/87Rep. John Lewis Calls for Impeachment www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/88Se. Barbara Boxer Seeks Expert Opinions on Impeaching Bush www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/90Raising the Issue of Impeachment By John Nichols, The Nation www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/97 Washington Post Polling Editor Is Furious Because People Want Impeachment www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/98
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michelle
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I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
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Post by michelle on Jan 3, 2006 5:03:53 GMT 4
Make sure you read Rep. Conyers full report at the link provided below.......MichellePress Release Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Michigan, 14th District Ranking Member, U.S. House Judiciary Committee Dean, Congressional Black Caucus www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/index.htmlFor Immediate Release: Contact: Dena Graziano December 20, 2005 202-226-6888 CONYERS RELEASES REPORT ON MISCONDUCT OF BUSH ADMINISTRATION CONCERNING IRAQ WAR Calls for Censure of President Bush and Vice President Cheney WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding today’s release of a staff report entitled “The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retributions and Cover-ups in the Iraq War.” The Report is my best effort to examine all of the charges of misconduct by the Bush Administration concerning the Iraq War. Conyers Report: www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/iraqrept.html “In brief, we have found that there is substantial evidence the President, the Vice-President and other high ranking members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq; misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraq; and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration. There is at least a prima facie case that these actions that federal laws have been violated – from false statements to Congress to retaliating against Administration critics. In response to the Report, I have already taken several initial steps. First, I have introduced a resolution (H. Res. 635) creating a Select Committee with subpoena authority to investigate the misconduct of the Bush Administration with regard to the Iraq war and report on possible impeachable offenses. In addition, I have introduced Resolutions regarding both President Bush (H. Res. 636) and Vice-President Cheney (H. Res. 637) proposing that they be censured by Congress based on indisputable evidence of unaccounted for misstatements and abuse of power in the public record. There are a number of additional recommendations in the Report that I expect to be taking up in the coming weeks and months. The Report rejects the frequent contention by the Bush Administration that their pre-war conduct has been reviewed and they have been exonerated. No entity has ever considered whether the Administration misled Americans about the decision to go to War, and the Senate Intelligence Committee has not yet conducted a review of pre-war intelligence information, while the Silberman-Robb report specifically cautioned, that intelligence manipulation “was not part of our inquiry.” There has also not been any independent inquiry concerning torture and other legal violations in Iraq; nor has there been an independent review of the pattern of cover-ups and political retribution by the Bush Administration against its critics, other than the very narrow and still ongoing inquiry of Special Counsel Fitzgerald.” ##JUD-109-12/20/05##
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Jan 21, 2006 18:04:07 GMT 4
Sat. 01/21/06 Did anyone watch this hearing on C-Span yesterday? Thank the Creator for John Conyers Jr; many blessings on him and those who stand with him against this Fascist administration. Keep your thoughts on a positive outcome...... MichelleDemocrats Hold Hearing on Illegal Spying By Congressman John Conyers Jr Friday 20 January 2006 There can be no doubt that today we are in a constitutional crisis that threatens the system of checks and balances that has preserved our fundamental freedoms for more than 200 years. There is no better illustration of that crisis than the fact that the president is openly violating our nation's laws by authorizing the NSA to engage in warrantless surveillance of US citizens. The Bush Administration offers two arguments to justify their actions. First, they assert, that warrantless searches were authorized by the Afghanistan use of force resolution. Second, they say, the Constitution permits and even mandates such actions. To this member and indeed to most of our nation's legal community, neither argument is remotely plausible or credible. As for the Administration's claim of statutory authority, a plain reading of the text of the resolution reveals that there is no reference whatsoever to domestic surveillance. Former Majority Leader Daschle told us that the resolution was narrowed from the Administration's initial request to avoid such construction, and the Attorney General went so far as to admit that they were told by Members of Congress that it would be "difficult if not impossible" to amend the law to authorize such a program. As Harvard Law Professor Larry Tribe wrote me, "to argue that one couldn't have gotten congressional authorization ... after arguing that ... one did get congressional authorization ... takes some nerve." In terms of inherent constitutional authority, this too flies in the face of both common sense and legal precedent. If the Supreme Court didn't let President Truman use this authority to take over the steel mills during the Korean War in 1952, and wouldn't let President Bush use the authority to indefinitely hold enemy combatants in 2005, it is quite obvious the constitution doesn't allow warrantless wiretapping of US citizens today. As Justice O'Connor wrote, "a state of war is not a blank check." Perhaps what is most troubling of all is that if we let this domestic spying program continue, if we let this president convince us that we are at war, so he can do what he wants, we will allow to stand the principle that the president alone can decide what laws apply to him. I submit that is not only inconsistent with the principles upon which our Republic was founded, it denigrates the very freedom we have been fighting for since the tragic events of September 11. That is why we are holding today's hearing. January 20, 2006 Text of Letter from Rep. John Conyers, Jr., to Presidents and CEO's of 20 Telecommunications Companies Concerning Bush's Secret Spying ProgramClick here: www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/letters/telecomspyingltr12006.pdf House Judiciary Democrats have been at the forefront of many of the most important issues facing the country. Among other things, we have successfully fought efforts by the Republicans to unconstitutionally limit a woman’s right to choose, break down the wall separating church and state, undermine our nation’s historic commitment to immigrants and refugees, erode our citizens’ civil justice protections, and use impeachment as a device to undermine our constitutional form of government. At the same time, we have aggressively pushed for new laws to reduce crime and the incidence of gun violence, and protect all of our citizen’s civil rights and liberties. We have also worked with the Majority on a bipartisan basis in taking the lead in enacting copyright and patent laws which will help maintain our nation’s leading role in innovation and high technology. This web site includes information on these and other important Judiciary Committee matters. John Conyers, Jr. Ranking Democrat www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/index.html
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michelle
Administrator
I have broken any attachments I had to the Ascended Masters and their teachings; drains your chi!
Posts: 2,100
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Post by michelle on Feb 19, 2006 21:28:54 GMT 4
February 19, 2006 latimes.com Advise and assentTHAT THE UNITED STATES Senate has a body called the Intelligence Committee is an irony George Orwell would have truly appreciated. In a world without Doublespeak, the panel, chaired by GOP Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, would be known by a more appropriate name — the Senate Coverup Committee. Although the committee is officially charged with overseeing the nation's intelligence-gathering operations, its real function in recent years has been to prevent the public from getting hold of any meaningful information about the Bush administration. Hence its never-ending delays of the probe into the bogus weapons intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq. And its squelching, on Thursday, of an expected investigation into the administration's warrantless spying program. The committee adjourned without voting on a proposal to probe the National Security Agency program, under which government agents have set up wiretaps on Americans without the warrants required by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. President Bush has acknowledged that he greenlighted the program, essentially claiming that Congress gave him the power to break federal law and violate Americans' 4th Amendment rights when it authorized the use of force after the 9/11 attacks. Though the administration's legal defense has been laughable, its argument that the powers are essential to fight terrorism has scored political points, ratcheting up the pressure on the Senate. Roberts justified his committee's cave by saying the White House had committed itself to working with senators to pursue legislation on the matter. Translation: Bush won't accept any curbs on his power whatsoever, but he'd be happy to see a bill legalizing his wiretaps. There's a slim chance the House of Representatives might show more backbone. The same day the Senate committee was performing stupid pet tricks for White House table scraps, the House Intelligence Committee approved its own inquiry into the NSA program. Yet the House is still divided on whether the investigation's scope would involve an intensive look at operational details or merely examine the status of surveillance laws. There was one piece of good news last week. In a lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a federal judge on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to respond to a request for documents on the NSA program within 20 days. Meanwhile, a Kentucky man is preparing a civil-rights suit over the wiretapping. If Congress continues to dither, the courts will be Americans' last hope for an honest appraisal of the spy program — and for at least a slight brake on the White House's relentless pursuit of excessive executive branch power. www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nsa19feb19,0,5503861.story?coll=la-home-oped
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DT1
Moderator
You know, it's not like I wanted to be right about all of this...
Posts: 428
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Post by DT1 on Mar 3, 2006 1:38:38 GMT 4
So many debacles and scandals make it hard to focus on what these Neoconvicts are really up to at any given time.Here's an attack on us that hits close to home... February 26, 2006
Endangered lands
From almost any public-minded perspective, President Bush's plan to sell off up to 300,000 acres in the national forest system and 500,000 acres within the Bureau of Land Management is a mistake. From some vantage points, it looks like an outright scam.
Once this land falls into the hands of developers, it can never be reclaimed. And the Bush administration's excuse -- that it would use the money from the sale of forest land to temporarily fund a federal rural-school program -- doesn't hold water. The sale would produce enough revenue to make up a deficit from federal timber sales for six years. But the administration is phasing out the rural-school program, not saving it.
That fiscal reality undercuts the administration's position that the parcels proposed for sale amount to rag-ends, isolated and relatively useless to "meeting Forest Service needs," as Forest Service head (and former timber-company lobbyist) Mark Rey describes the land. Even if that were true, a sale this huge sets a lamentable precedent. Once the public trust is broken for this sale, federal lands across the country could shift from national treasures to political investments, ready to be cashed in at an administration's whim.
Rey's assertion doesn't even hold true for many of the properties in this year's proposed sale. Take the proposed sales in the Ocala National Forest, which include significant parcels of property near or on the Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers. This plan would encourage houses -- accompanied by septic tanks and fertilized lawns -- along two of Central Florida's most notable rivers.
The environmental impact won't be confined to the newly developed property, so sales threaten adjacent land as well. Nationwide, some of the parcels being sold are sizable, including a 900-plus acre site in Virginia. Many top 400 acres -- enough land to build a mid-sized subdivision.
The administration is right about one thing. Most of the parcels proposed for sale are scattered around the boundaries of national forests. But that doesn't mean the land doesn't have public value, as leverage if nothing else. Federal officials have successfully built forests by trading isolated parcels for more valuable land on the edge of or inside a forest's boundaries. Forest land can provide public access points to rivers and lakes, or serve as watersheds that preserve an area's drinking water supply.
During a press conference, Rey said he'd consider a proposal that would allow another government (either a county or state) to receive preferential treatment if it wants to buy property under the program. That doesn't cure this proposal.
A more responsible approach would look at the many companies drilling oil, logging, herding cattle or making other profitable use of public land. In many cases, the levies those corporations pay are criminally low. Asking them to pay a fair share of their profits constitutes a far better solution than selling off chunks of the nation's heritage.
PROPOSED OCALA SALES
· The Ocala National Forest covers 383,573 acres, mostly in Marion County, expanding southeast to include parts of western Volusia County and northeast to include parts of Putnam County.
· It is considered the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River within the continental United States. Its sand pine scrub ecosystem stands on deep, prehistoric sand dunes.
· The forest provides an important recharge for the Floridan aquifer, due to its porous sands and largely undeveloped character.
· It is home to the threatened Florida scrub jay, sand skink and Florida bonamia plant. Wildlife species include the bald eagle, Florida black bear, Florida manatee, gopher tortoise, indigo snake and red-cockaded woodpecker.
· Recreation areas: Alexander Springs, Fore Lake Recreational Area, Juniper Springs, Lake Eaton Loop Trail, Lake Eaton Sink Hole, Mill Dam Recreation Area, Salt Springs and Salt Springs Trail.
· Wilderness areas: Alexander Springs (7,700 acres), Billies Bay (3,120 acres), Juniper Prairie (13, 260 acres), Little Lake George (2,500 acres).
SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service
THE BUDGET PLAN
President Bush's proposed 2007 budget includes a legislative request to allow the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell off land in national forests, grasslands and scenic areas to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. The budget proposes to phase out the rural assistance act by 2012. This is a list of the known areas proposed for sale:
ALABAMA: 3,220 acres in the Talladega, Bankhead and Conecuh national forests.
ALASKA: 99 acres in the Tongass and Chugach national forests.
ARIZONA: 1,030 acres in the Apache-Sitgreaves and Kaibab national forests.
ARKANSAS: 3,612 acres in the Ouachita and Ozark national forests.
CALIFORNIA: 79,362 acres in the Angeles, San Bernardino, Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus, Eldorado, Tahoe, Plumas, Lassen, Trinity, Six Rivers, Shasta and Klamath national forests.
COLORADO: 21,572 acres in the Arapaho, Roosevelt, Gunnison, Uncompahgre, Pike, San Isabel, Rio Grande, San Juan and White River national forests and the Pawnee and Comanche national grasslands.
FLORIDA: 973 acres in the Ocala National Forest.
GEORGIA: 4,522 acres in the Chattahoochee and Oconee national forests.
IDAHO: 25,464 acres in the Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Kaniksu, Nez Perce, St. Joe, Boise, Caribou-Targhee, Payette and Sawtooth national forests and the Caribou-Targhee Curlew Grasslands.
ILLINOIS: 191 acres in the Shawnee National Forest.
INDIANA: 869 acres in the Hoosier National Forest.
KENTUCKY: 4,518 acres in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
LOUISIANA: 3,895 acres in the Kisatchie National Forest.
MICHIGAN: 5,880 acres in the Hiawatha and Ottawa national forests.
MINNESOTA: 2,622 acres in the Superior National Forest.
MISSISSIPPI: 7,503 acres in the Bienville, DeSoto, Holly Springs, Homochitto and Tomigbee national forests.
MISSOURI: 21,566 acres in the Mark Twain National Forest.
MONTANA: 13,948 acres in the Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Custer, Deerlodge, Flathead, Gallatin, Helena, Koot, Kootenai, Lewis & Clark and Lolo national forests.
NEBRASKA: 866 acres in the Nebraska National Forest and Oglala National Grasslands.
NEVADA: 2,146 acres in the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest.
NEW MEXICO: 7,447 acres in the Cibola and Lincoln national forests and the Kiowa National Grasslands.
NORTH CAROLINA: 9,828 acres in the Croatan, Nantahala, Pisgah and Uwharrie national forests.
OHIO: 420 acres in Wayne National Forest.
OKLAHOMA: 3,572 acres in Ouachita National Forest and Rita Blanca National Grasslands.
OREGON: 10,581 acres in the Deschutes, Fremont-Winema, Malheur, Mount Hood, Ochoco, Rogue River-Siskiyou, Siuslaw, Umatilla, Umpqua, Wallowa-Whitman and Williamette national forests, the Crooked River National Grasslands and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
SOUTH CAROLINA: 4,665 acres in the Francis Marion and Sumter national forests.
SOUTH DAKOTA: 13,961 acres in the Black Hills National Forest and the Buffalo Gap and Ft. Pierre national grasslands.
TENNESSEE: 2,996 acres in the Cherokee National Forest.
TEXAS: 4,813 acres in the Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston national forests and the Rita Blanca and Caddo-LBJ national grasslands.
UTAH: 5,998 acres in the Dixie, Fishlake, Manti-La Sal, Sawtooth, Uinta and Wasatch-Cache national forests.
VIRGINIA: 5,717 acres in the George Washington-Jefferson National Forest.
WASHINGTON: 7,516 acres in the Colville, Gifford Pinchot, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, Olympic, Wenatchee and Okanogan national forests and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
WEST VIRGINIA: 4,836 acres in the Monongahela National Forest.
WISCONSIN: 80 acres in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
WYOMING: 17,619 acres in the Black Hills, Medicine Bow and Bridger-Teton national forests and the Thunder Basin National Grasslands.
SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service Mod's note:I've never in my life seen a"relatively useless"tree. Do you share my outrage? We are NOT powerless in the face of this abominable administration,however much they would like you to think so. Are you aware that there are demonstrations and protest marches going on at the White House at this very moment? Not if you get your news from a TV set... E-mail your reps.Sign petitions. (We will soon greatly expand the links section). Try to spend a couple hours a week doing this. It's a drag,but it has to be done. Talk to your family,friends,co-workers and aquaintances about these critical issues. You should SPEAK UP,as though your life depends on it...
It does.
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