Boycott America
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Eminem - Mosh
Topic: WWWII: Hitler Resurrected
As a child of this colonial republic, a veteran of its military, a keeper of the flame of rebellion, I now see no hope of recovery for a dead horse poisonously floating down stream. America has been infected, subverted, polluted, corrupted, plundered, stolen by corporate raiders and warmongers. Its elections have been hacked, hijacked and sidetracked with partisan smears and lies, failed technology, and corrupted media. It has become mired in manipulations of terror, invasions and occupations of distant lands, and endless bloody warfare. It has been seized by the most hated men in history, with designs on running it into the ground while swindling the last of its treasure.


Therefore, I encourage the people of the world to resist this deadly corrupted regime at every turn. Challenge its false preachments of democracy. Boycott its bloody dollars. Invade it with music, media and magic. Shame us the way we deserve to be shamed. Do not allow your executives to support this war machine and its campaigns of extermination. Testify to the true Christian values opposed to murder, torture, theft and arrogance, which is what keeps the Bush regime afloat.


To my fellow Americans, I ask you to hold on to your principles, your power, your ideals. Do not sell your soul to the devils of terror and murder, regardless of how patriotically it is packaged. Do not see me as your enemy, but as your most idealistic countryman. I am not an alien occupying your outlands, I am not stealing your children's inheritance, I am not setting the world on fire in your name. I am telling you that this experiment called "America" can only exist with truth, justice, and inalienable power vested in the People. When elections fail utterly, impeachment must be carried out. It is our civic duty, and the last hope for survival.


-- B.Z. Bywyd, Volcano, HAWAI'I
http://burnbush.blogspot.com


George W. Bush Must Answer to the People:
Send Your Vote to Impeach to your Representative!
Impeach Bush

George W. Bush Must Answer to the People

- adapted from Ramsey Clark's address to the half a million demonstrators at the January 18th National March on Washington to Stop the War on Iraq organized by International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism).

The U.S. Constitution provides the means for preventing George W. Bush from engaging in a war of aggression against Iraq, and from advancing a first strike potentially nuclear preemptive war. It's called impeachment.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors
Impeachment is the direct constitutional means for removing a President, Vice President or other civil officers of the United States who has acted or threatened acts that are serious offenses against the Constitution, its system of government, or the rule of law, or that are conventional crimes of such a serious nature that they would injure the Presidency if there was no removal.

A Constitutional Imperative
Impeachment appears six times in the U.S. Constitution. The Founders weren't concerned with anything more than with impeachment because they had lived under King George III and had in 1776 accused the king of all the things that George W. Bush wants to do: Usurpation of the power of the people; Being above the law; Criminal abuse of authority.

Power Remains in the Hands of the People
Impeachment is the means by which We The People of the United States and our elected representatives in Congress can prevent further crimes by the President and the human catastrophe they threaten and force accountability for crimes committed.

Save the Constitution, the U.N., and Countless Human Lives
Congressional proceedings for impeachment can bring about open, fearless consideration of the most dangerous acts and threats ever committed by an American President. If courageously pursued, they can save our Constitution, the United Nations, the rule of law, the lives of countless people and leave open the possibility of peace on earth.

The Time for Action is Now
Each of us must take a stand on impeachment now, or bear the burden of having failed to speak in this hour of maximum peril.

More VA Benefit Cuts
Mood:  sad
Topic: Support Your Troops
In the last few weeks the Portland, Oregon VA hospital has been sending a letter to veterans informing them that their non-"life-or-limb" surgery has been cancelled or postponed. The Portland VA facility, with a satellite campus in Vancouver, Washington, serves veterans in Oregon, southwest Washington and parts of Northern California.

It all boils down to dollars, or lack of them. The Portland VA, like every VA facility, is caught in a funding crisis with no end in sight. Funding for the VA has increased every year, Internet myths aside. But the dollars have not kept up with the number of veterans seeking health care. While VA funding has increased about 50 percent in the last eight years, the number of veterans applying for benefits has increased nearly 150 percent in the same time frame.

Who are these veterans? There are two major groups. The first is veterans who, because of a sagging economy, are now unemployed or under-employed, have no health care benefits, have never used the VA system before, and are now applying for VA benefits for the first time. The second is veterans on Medicare who have never used the VA for health care, but find the savings offered by the VA system necessary to maintain a decent standard of living. Simple math shows that the $7 VA co-pay for prescriptions can be a great savings compared to Medicare prescription costs. One veteran interviewed for this article stated he is saving over $400 a month because he no longer uses Medicare for his prescriptions.

Patricia Forsyth, Public Affairs Officer for the Portland, Oregon VA hospital, cites "a dramatic increase in the number of veterans" who now seek health care as the reason surgeries are being cancelled or postponed. "Some examples of surgeries that might be postponed are arthroscopies (diagnostic or treatment), total joint replacements and hernia repairs," she said.

Ms. Forsyth could not give exact figures as to how many veterans are having surgeries postponed or cancelled, but stressed that no surgeries for service-connected conditions are being affected. It is important to note that there is no such thing as elective surgery at the VA. Every surgery has been scheduled by a medical doctor who has ascertained that the veteran has a debilitating condition that can only be remedied by a surgical procedure.

Ms. Forsyth cannot anticipate when the cancelled or postponed surgeries might be rescheduled other than to say it would be as soon as possible. When asked for an estimate as to what time that would be, Ms. Forsyth said, "I would guess until spring [2005]." It is a difficult situation, as 2004 monies have thinned to the point where the Portland VA cannot keep its operating rooms up and running. Currently there is no 2005 budget and everyone is holding their breath, hoping for the best. A document leaked from the White House indicated a $910 million cut in the 2006 VA budget (although the administration has backed off on this number).

Secretary of State Powell Expected to Resign
Mood:  d'oh
Now Playing: My Brother and Boyfriend Babbling About PMS
Topic: Politics
Secretary of State Powell Expected to Resign
By Mike Allen and William Branigin
The Washington Post

Monday 15 November 2004

Resignations from heads of Agriculture, Education, and Energy also expected.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who has sparred for four years with the more hawkish members of President Bush's war Cabinet, plans to announce his resignation today, administration officials said.

Powell's departure - along with the previously announced resignation of Attorney General John D. Ashcroft - signals a transformation of Bush's national security team.

Says he's VERY disappointed with the way things have been handled in Iraq....

The resignation of Powell, 67, a 35-year veteran of the Army who rose to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is among four that the White House plans to formally announce today, adding to a growing list of departures from the Bush administration as the newly reelected president prepares to begin his second term.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan refused to be specific about the latest resignations, but administration officials said Powell submitted a letter of resignation to Bush Friday and told top aides this morning that he would be leaving.

Among the other Cabinet officials resigning is Education Secretary Rod Paige, who informed the president of his wishes last week. News services reported today that Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham also will be leaving. Abraham - like Powell - intends to stay on until his successor is found, the news services reported.

In addition to Ashcroft, Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans has already submitted his resignation.

Administration officials said the departures would be staggered.

The exodus - including the previously announced departure of Ashcroft, who is in charge of several aspects of the fight against terrorism - raises questions about whether Bush will have the continuity that his staff has said he wanted.

Bush is launching the most ambitious legislative agenda of any of his years in office, and his aides are constantly cognizant of the possibility of having to respond to a terrorist attack.

"That's doesn't mean they're leaving today," McClellan said of the officials involved in the latest resignations. "They'll continue to do their job."

The resignation letters carry a variety of dates, indicating that the White House has received a stream of them since the election and has been packaging the announcements.

Administration officials said the list includes Paige, who wanted to stay but was not invited to remain. He will be succeeded by Margaret Spellings, Bush's domestic policy adviser, administration officials said.

Wounded U.S. Troops Describe Massive Insurgent Firepower in Fallujah
Mood:  blue
Topic: Impending Draft
Wounded U.S. Troops Describe
Massive Insurgent Firepower in Fallujah
By Tony Czuczka
The Associated Press

Monday 15 November 2004

Landstuhl, Germany - Fallujah's masked fighters have been fighting house to house, firing from rooftops and mosques with a seemingly unending supply of firepower, wounded U.S. servicemen said Monday, recounting tough urban combat in the Iraqi insurgent stronghold.

"They were ready to fight to the death," Lance Cpl. Travis Schafer, a rifleman with a Marine battalion, told a news conference at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, where he was being treated for a shrapnel wound in his right hand. A rocket-propelled grenade had exploded 15 yards to his right in a deserted marketplace.

"It's house-to-house fighting," he said. "Rooftop-to-rooftop."

About 70 wounded soldiers have been arriving daily at the military hospital in Germany since the week-old offensive in Fallujah began - about twice the normal number of casualties from Iraq.

The troops said the insurgents appeared well-organized and heavily armed.

"They had their own little plan of what they were going to do, a pretty set idea of where they were going to fight," said U.S. Army Spc. Kris Clinkscales, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, his right arm in a sling with shrapnel wounds.

Schafer, of Puyallup, Wash., was surprised by the fighters' firepower.

"It seemed like they have a pretty unlimited amount of RPGs and mortars. They seemed to fling those about wildly," he said.

Schafer, with the 1st Marine Regiment, said his unit had only pushed 400 yards into the city before it took heavy fire from small arms, mortars and RPGs.

"They were locking on us with RPGs and mortars from buildings all around us," the 20-year-old said. "Even from mosques they were firing - from all over the place."

Lance Cpl. Ryan Chapman with the 1st Marine Regiment, had an ugly scar over his left eye - a reminder of his encounter with a sniper.

As his unit came under sustained fire, Chapman had been tracking a sniper with the telescopic sight of his wire-guided missile launcher. But he was hit first, with bullet striking his forehead just below the edge of his helmet.

Chapman, 22, of Lawrence, Kansas, acknowledged he had been lucky, but he said he was eager to get back into action.

"It's nothing too serious. It cracked my skull, but I think it looks worse than it is," he said. "I want to go back - my buddies are out there."

He was among 419 patients admitted to Landstuhl in the last week, 233 of whom had combat-related injuries, according to doctors. The most common wounds have been from bullets or blast injuries from rocket-propelled grenades.

While most the recent casualties in Landstuhl are from Fallujah, officials do not have a precise breakdown.

Another 46 wounded troops from Iraq were en route to the hospital Monday, Landstuhl spokeswoman Marie Shaw said.

The offensive in Fallujah has killed at least 38 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers. The number of U.S. troops wounded is now 275, although more than 60 have returned to duty. U.S. officials estimated more than 1,200 insurgents have been killed.

No estimate of civilian casualties has been given.

US Death Toll Rises in Fallujah
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: Halo 2 - We Just Beat It Again - Round 3
U.S. Death Toll Rises in Fallujah
Reuters and Agence France-Presse

Monday 15 November 2004

The US military says 38 US soldiers have died in the week-long offensive to recapture the Iraqi city of Fallujah from rebels and 275 had been wounded.

The toll includes three non-combat deaths.

In a statement, the military said 60 of the wounded had already returned to duty.

More than 10,000 US and 2,000 Iraqi soldiers took part in the assault to take the city ahead of elections due in January.

The US military says about 1,000 insurgents have been killed and 450 to 550 captured.

There is no word on civilian casualties, but residents say many people have died.

A hospital spokeswoman says 419 US soldiers wounded in Iraq have been treated at a US military hospital in Germany.

She says more than 220 of the soldiers were wounded in combat, either by bullets or burns and most had been involved in the major assault on the rebel city of Fallujah.

Just under 200 of the wounded have already been sent on to the United States for further treatment, she said.

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre in south-west Germany is the largest US military medical facility outside the United States.

Ohio Voters Tell of Election Day Troubles at Hearing
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Halo 2
Topic: Voting
Ohio Voters Tell of Election Day Troubles at Hearing
By Reginald Fields
The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Sunday 14 November 2004

Tales of waiting more than five hours to vote, voter intimidation, under-trained polling-station workers and too few or broken voting machines largely in urban or heavily minority areas were retold Saturday at a public hearing organized by voter-rights groups.

For three hours, burdened voters, one after another, offered sworn testimony about Election Day voter suppression and irregularities that they believe are threatening democracy.

The hearing, sponsored by the Election Protection Coalition, was to collect testimony of voting troubles that might be used to seek legislative changes to Ohio's election process.

The organizers chose Ohio because it was a swing state in the presidential election as well as the site of numerous claims of election fraud and voter disenfranchisement.

"I think a lot of us had a sense that something had deeply went wrong on Nov. 2 and it had to do with the election process and procedures in place that were unacceptable," said Amy Kaplan, one of the hearing's coordinators.

Kaplan said the hearing gave everyday citizens a chance to have their concerns placed into public record.

Both a written and video report on the hearing will be provided to anyone who wants a copy, especially state lawmakers who are considering mandating Election Day changes, Kaplan said.

Many of the voters who testified were clearly Democrats who wonder if their losing presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry, was able to draw all the votes that were intended for him.

"I call on Sen. Kerry to un-concede until there is a full count of the votes," said Werner Lange of Trumbull County, who claimed that polling places in his Northeast Ohio neighborhood had half the number of voting machines that were needed.

"This caused a bottleneck at polling stations, and many people left without voting," he said.

Others said they were testifying not on political grounds but out of concern for a suspicious election system that should be above reproach.

Harvey Wasserman of Bexley said he tried to vote absentee with the same home address he has used for 18 years but was told he couldn't because his absentee application had the wrong address.

"But the notice telling me I had the wrong address arrived at the right address," he said. "I wonder, how many of these absentee ballots were rejected for no good reason?

"My concern is not out of the outcome of the election," Wasserman said, "but that this could go on and an election could be stolen. And we simply can't have that in a democracy."

Recount in Ohio a Sure Thing - Call on Kerry to Reverse Concession
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Halo 2 - We're Kicking Ass Again
Topic: Politics
Recount in Ohio a Sure Thing
t r u t h o u t | Press Release

Monday 15 November 2004

Green Party Campaign Raises $150,000 in 4 Days, Shifts Gears to Phase II

WASHINGTON -- November 15 -- There will be a recount of the presidential vote in Ohio.

On Thursday, David Cobb, the Green Party?s 2004 presidential candidate, announced his intention to seek a recount of the vote in Ohio.

Since the required fee for a statewide recount is $113,600, the only question was whether that money could be raised in time to meet the filing deadline.

That question has been answered.

?Thanks to the thousands of people who have contributed to this effort, we can say with certainty that there will be a recount in Ohio,? said Blair Bobier, Media Director for the Cobb-LaMarche campaign.

?The grassroots support for the recount has been astounding.

The donations have come in fast and furiously, with the vast majority in the $10-$50 range, allowing us to meet our goal for the first phase of the recount effort in only four days,? said Bobier.

Bobier said the campaign is still raising money for the next phase of the recount effort which will be recruiting, training and mobilizing volunteers to monitor the actual recount.

The Ohio presidential election was marred by numerous press and independent reports of mis-marked and discarded ballots, problems with electronic voting machines and the targeted disenfranchisement of African American voters.

A number of citizens? groups and voting rights organizations are holding the second of two hearings today in Columbus, Ohio, to take testimony from voters, poll watchers and election experts about problems with the Ohio vote.

The hearing, from 6-9 p.m., will be held at the Courthouse, meeting room A, 373 S. High St., in Columbus. The Cobb-LaMarche campaign will be represented at the hearing by campaign manager Lynne Serpe.

A demand for a recount in Ohio can only be filed by a presidential candidate who was either a certified write-in candidate or on the ballot in that state.

Both Green Party candidate David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik will be demanding a recount.

No other candidate has stated an intention to seek a recount and no other citizen or organization would have legal standing to do so in Ohio.

The Cobb-LaMarche campaign is still exploring the possibility of seeking recounts in other states but no decision has been made yet.

Mounting Evidence of Voter Fraud - Audits Abound!
Mood:  loud
Topic: Voting
To View The Site - Help Protect Your Vote

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: Black Box Voting has launched a fraud audit into Florida. Three investigators (Bev Harris, Andy Stephenson, and Kathleen Wynne) are in Florida right now. We will initiate hand counts on selected counties that have not fully complied with our Nov. 2 Freedom of Information request by Monday (Diebold counties) or Tuesday (other counties).

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: We have reports that both David Cobb (Green Party) and Michael Badnarik (Libertarian Party) will be filing for official recounts in Ohio. Black Box Voting is also launching a fraud audit in Ohio. Gotta be replaced: Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. Please invoke the following name change on Blackwell immediately, as he is 2004's Katherine Harris. He should now be referred to at all times as "Katherine Blackwell." Please retain this moniker for any future runs for governor. How to be your own media. Spread the word. Latest Katherine Blackwell outrage: Failure to properly account for provisional ballots, and refusing to allow citizens to see the pollbooks.

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: Black Box Voting is implementing fraud diagnostics on the state of New Mexico. Information we recently received is indicative of widespread vote manipulation. We are not going to publicize the specifics here.

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: Black Box Voting is requesting legal assistance for a specific county in Georgia. Indications of corrupt voting processes, with possible criminal actions by local officials.

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: Black Box Voting is launching a fraud investigation on Pima County Arizona.

BREAKING -- SATURDAY NOV 13 2004: Black Box Voting is launching a fraud investigation on the state of Nevada. Pro bono legal help certified to practice in Nevada, needed immediately. Multiple irregularities. Need people to take affidavits from election workers, statewide.

BREAKING -- FRIDAY NOV 12 2004: Ralph Nader to audit Diebold machines in New Hampshire. According to Nader, the current situation with voting machines warrants investigation. Several elements make voting machines "probative" for investigation, according to Nader, a consumer affairs lawyer: proprietary ownership, secret code, vested interests, a high-value reward, and lack of any real consequences, or likelihood of getting caught, for vote manipulation. "We are told that shenanigans are just politics," said Nader at a press conference on Nov. 10. "Well, it's not politics. It's taking away people's votes."

SUNDAY Nov. 7 2004: Freedom of Information requests at BlackBoxVoting.ORG have unearthed two Ciber certification reports indicating that security and tamperability was NOT TESTED and that several state elections directors, a secretary of state, and computer consultant Dr. Britain Williams signed off on the report anyway, certifying it.

New Flag Proposal
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Behind The Scenes - Halo 2 (Yes, We Beat the Game)
Topic: Down With King Dubya