Special Prosecutor Question Number One Now On The Obama Site
"The action I am taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul. Let them dare, then, to bring me before a court of law and let the enquiry take place in broad daylight!"
- Emile Zola, J'accuse! (1898) –
Email Virginians For Constitutional Government Google Group:
virginians-for-constitutional-government@googlegroups.com
http://www.bringtheguardhome.org/events/national_guard_launch
http://www.bringtheguardhome.org/
Special Prosecutor Question Number One Now On The Obama Site
Thanks to your valiant participation, the question we told you about, asking about a special prosecutor for the gravest crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration is now NUMBER ONE on the official Obama site. And as of last check they are still open for voting. So if you have not voted already, the easiest way to find the question is
1. Sign in at http://change.gov/openforquestions and remember you have to set up a login for yourself at that site to vote
2. Click on "Additional Issues" under "Pick a Topic" on the left
3. The special prosecutor question started by "Bob Fertik" should be the one leading the top of that section (and now leading all questions over all topics with 16,000 votes).
4. Look right for the checkbox, mouseover it so it goes from white to dark, then click to cast your vote
Please cast your vote as soon as possible, as the voting may close at any time. They may not work straight through holiday weekends, but we DO,
What this means is that Obama will now have to ANSWER this question on his official site, just as if he had accepted this question at a real press conference. And we're going to keep the heat on in every other possible way, just stay tuned.
THEN GET YOUR NEW CONVICT DICK & W CAP TO DEMONSTRATE WITH
As we in the White House accountability movement looks forward, whether it's impeachment, federal prosecution, or state by state prosecutions as a last resort, the key word is "Convict". And that is why we have introduced a new cap to wear to continue to carry the ball with that says "CONVICT DICK & W" in red, white and blue. If you
want to be one of the first to get one of these new caps please submit the page below.
New Convict Dick & W Cap: http://www.usalone.com/convict_cap.php
We are not setting a price for these. You can have one for a contribution of any amount. We just want to put as many out there as possible. And we will have much more news for you soon about planned actions to pressure prosecutors at all levels to step up to the plate and do their duty.
We are in this thing for the long haul, folks. The criminal dictators of the future can only be constrained by pursuing prosecution NOW of the criminal dictators of the present and past. In some cases it has taken many years of work by dedicated activists to bring criminal former heads of state to justice.
We the people will never forget the crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration. How can we? Their willful disasters will cripple our economy, our military, every aspect of our government and our own personal lives for many years to come. But if we just continue to speak out, someday soon enough there WILL be prosecutors at some level who will have the integrity, backbone and determination to do what Congress to their eternal shame did not.
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.usalone.com/in.htm
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March of the Dead January 6: JOIN US!
JANUARY 6th, 2009, OPENING OF THE 111th CONGRESS, WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE MARCH OF THE DEAD WILL BE THERE
WE CARRY THE NAMES OF THOSE KILLED DURING THE ILLEGAL U.S. INVASION AND OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
TO DEMAND THAT THIS CONGRESS END THE TERROR OF WAR, GET OUT OF IRAQ, GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN, STAY OUT OF IRAN, PAKISTAN, SYRIA
WE NEED YOU TO TAKE PART IN THE MARCH OF THE DEAD, MAKE IT A PRESENCE ON CAPITOL HILL THAT CAN'T BE IGNORED
Contact: arrestbush@gmail.com for more details.
To all those who will be participating in the march of the dead the following are the logistics for the day:
1. We are asking people to wear all black/or dark colors including hats or shawls. Please no buttons, signs or other affiliations since we want a stark and clear emphasis only on the names we will be carrying. We will provide the death masks and handwritten signs which will be worn around your neck.
2. We will be meeting at 11:00 a.m. on the House of Representatives side of the Capitol at Cosi at 301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, in the upstairs dining room. The closest Metro stop is Capitol South.
3. We will begin the procession from there at around 11:45 a.m. and walk single file in silence, following all traffic regulations as we proceed toward the Capitol. We will walk past the Supreme Court toward the Senate side of the Capitol. We will continue down Constitution Ave NW passing the Senate office buildings. We will then cross back to the House side of the Capitol and proceed up Independence Ave, passing the House office buildings to complete our loop of the Capitol.
4. We will be conducting the march of the dead during the time that the 111th Congress will be sworn in. We will take a break at around 1:00 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. after which we will ask people to join us again in a nearby indoor location to be determined for a reading of the names. Please plan to stay on for this part of the day because we will be sending a very important message to Congress by our presence at this time. We need everyone to participate.
The Ohio Morning Report
Obama faces tough task balancing green energy alternatives, legacy sources
Business First of Columbus - by Jeff Bell
The stars may be aligned for green energy advocates such as William Spratley when Barack Obama becomes the nation’s 44th president Jan. 20.
With a campaign platform calling for a renewable energy standard for electricity and controls on greenhouse gas emissions, Obama has aligned himself squarely with green energy proponents.
Editorial: Clear it up | Ohio lawmakers should tighten law on proper use of campaign funds
Friday, January 2, 2009 3:05 AM (Campaign Reform in Ohio? The Earth Will Move (Ed.)
The spending habits of former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, as revealed in the Ohio inspector general's recent report, leave little question that he misused money given to him by political supporters. But what about the many instances that are less clear?
Thomas P. Charles said in his Dec. 22 report that Ohio law should be changed to more clearly distinguish between the legal and illegal uses of campaign funds, and he's right. The legislature should take up the issue, in the interest of eliminating the sort of abuse that flourished in Dann's office.
Using campaign funds to upgrade windows in one's home and buy high-end cell phones for one's children, as Charles said Dann did, clearly counts as converting the money to personal use, which is illegal.
But politicians regularly use their campaign funds for meals, tickets to many kinds of events and professional services, and most of it is legal.
To many voters, meals and club memberships are inherently suspicious uses of campaign contributions. But elected officials are expected to belong to many groups and attend countless social functions. Many of them don't have the personal wealth to support such expenses, and the public would oppose higher salaries to accommodate them. Using campaign funds to maintain the public life expected of elected officials and candidates is reasonable, as long as the spending is transparent.
Ohio law says only that campaign expenses can't be "personal" and must be "legitimate and verifiable, ordinary and necessary." That leaves too much room for interpretation.
The Boston Globe This Morning
For inauguration zeal, LBJ '65 may be the precedent for Obama
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What qualifies as news on a slow news day?
TPMCafé - New York,NY,USA
Dennis Kucinich is calling for a UN inquiry into the Gaza situation. To quote: "Israel is leveling Gaza to strike at Hamas, just as they pulverized south ...
SELF-ABSORBED, SELF-SERVING, PR*CKS | Gather
Hi Bob, I'm as angry as you about the lilly-livered cowards who were the Democratic party these 8 years..except for a few, like Kucinich...Kerry was no favorite but...he would have been better than... Cynthia C., Jan 1, 2009, 6:33pm EST ...
Gather: Articles by Vote 2008! - http://vote2008.gather.com/
Beth's Blog: Take Nancy Pelosi off the table as Speaker of the House
By Beth
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) had compiled at least 35 articles of impeachment for G.W. Bush. The first 16 articles relate to the Iraq war: for secret propaganda; deception about 9/11; weapons of mass destruction, and illegal spending in an ...
Beth's Blog - http://bethsownblog.blogspot.com/
Former Black Panther Bobby Rush Race-Baiting The U.S. Senate ...
Martin Luther King Jr, foul, founding fathers, Fox 9, Fox and Friends, Fox Embeds, Fox Friends, Fox News, Fox News election delegate results 4 march 2008, Fox News Embeds, Fox News Interview, Fox News Is Not Fair And Balanced ...
BigMouthFrog - http://www.bigmouthfrog.org/
Eclectic But Important/Informative News Clips Round Up.
The Washington Post leads with the continuing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which killed a senior Hamas leader yesterday. It marked the first time in the nearly weeklong bombing campaign that a Hamas leader was targeted and came at a time when Israel continues to amass troops and tanks along the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground invasion. Israel also stepped up its diplomatic efforts in the face of mounting international pressure to bring an end to the punishing aerial campaign. The Wall Street Journal also leads its world-wide newsbox with Gaza and gets word that Israel is currently in discussions with Washington officials about the possibility of using international monitors to make sure Hamas stops its rocket attacks on Israel and that it's not able to rearm if there's a cease-fire.
The New York Times leads with a look at how the steel industry "is emerging as a leading indicator of what lies ahead" for the economy. After achieving record profits in the first nine months of the year, the industry is now in collapse, and executives are hoping that the massive stimulus plan that is in the works will provide a much-needed jolt to American steel. USA Today leads with the formal handover of control of the Green Zone to the Iraqi government, which marked the beginning of a year when the United States is set to decrease its presence in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would push to make Jan. 1 a national holiday to mark the return of sovereignty. For now the move is mostly symbolic, but by the end of the year, U.S. presence in the Green Zone could be cut by 50 percent. The Los Angeles Times leads with the grim outlook for Hollywood in 2009. More layoffs are seen as pretty much inevitable, and if a strike by the Screen Actors Guild materializes, it could prove devastating to the industry.
The LAT says that yesterday's airstrike that killed Nizar Rayyan suggests that "the Jewish state could be reviving its practice of assassinating Hamas leaders." Rayyan is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since the group's co-founders died in airstrikes in 2004. The airstrike also killed Rayyan's four wives and nine of his 12 children. The LAT does the best job of explaining how Rayyan's death is a severe blow for Hamas since he was "uniquely popular" and was "a force in both the political and military wings of Hamas." He was such a strong advocate for suicide bombings that his own son died in such an attack. While most of Hamas' leadership went into hiding when the Israeli airstrikes began, Rayyan refused to leave his home.
The WSJ emphasizes that nothing has been decided yet in the talks between the United States and Israel, and the negotiations could easily fall apart. Regardless, the fact that the talks are even taking place seems to suggest "a significant softening in Israel's position." But it might prove difficult to reach an agreement with Israel at a time when politicians are keeping busy by supporting a wide variety of negotiating tactics in an attempt to gain favor with the public in advance of next month's general election.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was in France yesterday and said that a temporary cease-fire would be harmful to Israel. "There is no humanitarian crisis," she said, "and therefore there is no need for a humanitarian truce." The WSJ notes that the Israeli government has tried to brief President-elect Barack Obama and his top aides on the situation, but his team has refused.
The WP notes that Israeli military officials say a ground invasion could come at any moment. And while some see the threats as a negotiating tactic, the paper notes that the Israeli government is feeling pressured to continue the campaign, and perhaps topple Hamas. A ground operation would almost certainly be required in order to fulfill such an ambitious goal, and that would surely increase the death toll on both sides.
The Big Three automakers were once seen as a bellwether of the U.S. economy, but now "steel has replaced autos as the industry to watch for an early sign that severe recession is beginning to lift," says the NYT. Since September, steel output has decreased by 50 percent, and production has reached its lowest point since the 1980s. Industry executives are now one of the main proponents of a massive public investment program that could lead to a surge of demand in steel to construct everything from highways to schools. "What we are asking," said the head of a giant steel maker, "is that our government deal with the worst economic slowdown in our lifetime through a recovery program that has in every provision a 'buy America' clause."
Some think that the ongoing recession could "force Hollywood to fundamentally change the way it does business," reports the LAT. Studios and production companies are already cutting back on their lavish ways in an attempt to save as much money as possible. It's not just that TV-ad revenue is down or that DVD sales have been on a downward spiral, but the credit crunch has also made it more difficult to obtain financing for expensive projects. As consumers continue to cut back on their spending as a result of the bad economy, some think studios will be forced to step up efforts to distribute their content via the Internet and other new outlets such as cell phones. "The recession will accelerate the transformation of the entertainment industry from traditional media to tomorrow's reality of new media," an economist said.
The NYT fronts a look at how corruption has seemingly seeped into every corner of Afgahnistan's government. "From the lowliest traffic policeman to the family of President Hamid Karzai himself, the state … often seems to exist for little more than the enrichment of those who run it," writes Dexter Filkins. Almost every public transaction seems to carry some request for a bribe or gift, and that is contributing to a decline in public confidence in the government and the rise of the Taliban. This poses a unique challenge to the incoming Obama administration, which "may be required to save the Afghan government not only from the Taliban insurgency … but also from itself."
After spending several years ignoring the question of whether combat in Iraq could have contributed to violent behavior that has been seen among some returning service members, the military is finally taking a look at the issue, reports the NYT. In Ft. Carson, Colo., the base commander is investigating the nine current or former members of Ft. Carsons' 4th Brigade Combat Team that have killed someone or were charged with killings within three years after returning from Iraq to find out if there's something the military could have done to prevent the violence. The secretary of the Army is now thinking about conducting a review of all soldiers who were involved in crimes since returning from service in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The WSJ hears word that the United Kingdom is the latest European country to be seriously considering receiving additional Guantanamo Bay inmates. Australia also said it is considering helping resolve what might be Obama's biggest obstacle in his goal of closing down the detention facility. Portugal has been pressing European governments to assist in the effort, but Germany is the only other country to have publicly acknowledged it is willing to consider the issue.
The WP's Charles Krauthammer writes that the Israel-Gaza war "possesses a moral clarity not only rare but excruciating." Israel works hard to prevent civilian casualties, while for Hamas "the only thing more prized than dead Jews are dead Palestinians," and it does everything to maximize the number of civilian deaths in order to get world opinion on its side. "The question is whether Israel still retains the nerve—and the moral self-assurance—to win."
In the WSJ, Alan Dershowitz also writes about how Hamas often deliberately puts civilians in the line of fire and says that it's "absurd" to claim Israel has violated the principle of proportionality. There is simply "no legal equivalence" between deliberately targeting combatants and deliberately killing civilians. In addition, proportionality should be measured by the deliberate risk posed to civilians rather than the raw number that are killed. "Until the world recognizes that Hamas is committing three war crimes—targeting Israeli civilians, using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and seeking the destruction of a member state of the United Nations—and that Israel is acting in self-defense and out of military necessity, the conflict will continue."
While Hollywood is preparing for a tough year, those who actually want to give their hard-earned money to the film industry are finding that it's not always an easy proposition. "Seeing all the films that may receive Oscar nods this season requires a single-mindedness bordering on mania," writes the NYT's David Carr. Even after choosing a movie, "the dogfight has only begun." If you manage to snag a precious ticket, you have to resign yourself to getting to the theater early to grab a good seat and pray that the people sitting next to you aren't more interested in their cell phones than the movie. If Hollywood expects people to leave their comfortable home entertainment systems, "it might want to think about the notion that sitting down and actually seeing the movie should not require investing huge chunks of time, sharp elbows or an even sharper tongue."
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