WHY IS BUSH SENDING MORE TROOPS TO DIE IN THE CROSSFIRE OF AN IRAQI CIVIL WAR?

CUSTER ALSO STAYED THE COURSE.

I have quotation to share with you, Mr. Bush:
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
~Abraham Lincoln
honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/2006/10/why-does-mr-bush-lack-courage-to-lead.html

First, let me say how heartened and inspired I was by the impressive turnout of the youth vote in the most recent Congressional election. If the youth of this country could turn out with such impressive numbers in every election, we would be able to move the agenda farther and faster together than has ever been done before. Keep voting and agitating.
www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3676
www.mandateforpeace.org/article.php
www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm
Thank Goodness for the bold, 50-state strategy employed by Governor Howard Dean:
mydd.com/story/2006/11/20/171354/93
www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/early-advice-for-08-hope_b_34542.html
But our voting system still desperately needs greater oversight and a paper trail for sure:
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112406C.shtml
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/23/AR2006112300965.html
www.commondreams.org/news2006/1122-02.htm

THE WAR IN IRAQ:
THE GREATEST STRATEGIC DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY

THE RESULTS OF WHAT MR. BUSH HAS BROUGHT YOU BY HIS WAR:

● 2872 troops dead, 655,000 Iraqi’s dead
honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/2006/10/in-memory-of-fallen.html
www.commondreams.org/views06/1121-22.htm
● Over 21,000 wounded troops in the Iraq war disaster
● Twice as many Iraqi's killed under the U.S. occupation of Iraq than under all of the years of Saddam's rule; Saddam is gone, why aren't we?
● $300 million dollars a day
● $Half a trillion dollars spent on the colossal Iraq disaster
● $2 trillion dollar projected cost for the sum of the Iraq war and occupation
● A full scale civil war now being waged in Iraq – with our troops caught in the deadly crossfire of violence
● Diminished U.S. national security
● Greatly diminished U.S. hard-power – the military machine is breaking down, it is overstretched and overextended.
● Greatly diminished U.S. soft power – who can trust liars?
● The loss of the moral high ground – no city on the hill for the world to look to.
● An international community of nations that is justifiably disgusted with Imperial American foreign policy of aggression
● A war and occupation based on lies and cooked intelligence
● A war that has only bred more terrorism around the globe

Where are the weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Bush?
North Korea it would seem…another Bush defeat for his list of defeats.

And an attack on Iran is tantamount to murdering and betraying our own troops in Iraq since Iran will counter-attack us in Iraq, likely severing the troops supply lines from the Gulf to Baghdad – thus forcing an Iraqi-styled dunkirk or a Vietnam-styled Khe-Sanh or a Vietnam-styled Dien Bien Phu. This is especially true in light of U.S. intelligence that Iran is 10 years away from acquiring any viable wmd, which leaves plenty of time for carrot-and-stick diplomacy. Besides, we will need the support and cooperation of Syria and Iran to help contain regional spillover from the existing civil war in Iraq.
Betrayal:
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1122-07.htm
AND THIS HAS ALL BEEN WAGED FOR THE RIDICULOUSLY NAMED, “WAR ON TERROR.” BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THE ONLY WAR, FOLKS, IS ON IRAQ BECAUSE WAR CANNOT BE DECLARED AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINALS GUILTY OF THE CRIME OF MASS MURDER PERPETRATED ON AMERICAN SOIL ON 9/11.
FOR SUCH A HEINOUS CRIME, WE MUST INSTEAD FOCUS ON PURSUING AN AGGRESSIVE PROSECUTION AND TURN TO USING OUR LAW-ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ASSETS, NAMELY THE FBI AND CIA.
THE “WAR ON TERROR” IS THE BIGGEST LOAD OF BULLSHIT PROPAGANDA EVER SOLD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111906Z.shtml
fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimes571.html
www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/061127fa_fact
www.csmonitor.com/2006/1121/p01s03-usmi.html
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1124-05.htm
The reality about Iraq, folks, is that neither more troops nor keeping our current forces there, neither of these options can bring stability to Iraq and we cannot rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure or restore electricity to homes or fresh water because most of the country is in a state of civil war and is completely chaotic. Without adequate security, the basics like rebuilding Iraq cannot be accomplished. As long as our forces remain in Iraq, the chaos will endure. The reality is that we have no control over what happens in Iraq. The presence of our forces in Iraq only exacerbates the entire hopeless and violent situation. And that is why bringing all of the troops home now is the least evil of bad options. It is the best moral option both for the Iraqi people and for the lives of our troops. At this point, folks, the only reason why our troops are dying is because Washington politicians are mostly a bunch of friggin’ cowards without the balls to level with the American people and tell them we have no control over the situation and that we must withdraw.
www.commondreams.org/views06/1124-22.htm
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/22/washingtons_iraq_chimeras.php
www.commondreams.org/views06/1124-27.htm
www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1562867,00.html
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news
noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/nora_odonnel_br.html
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
www.youtube.com/watch

THIS IS A MUST READ:
www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/549
THIS IS A MUST READ:
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110906Z.shtml
THIS IS A MUST READ:
www.commondreams.org/views06/1107-33.htm
Cindy Sheehan also urges us remember that the real work for change begins now.
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110906B.shtml
www.commondreams.org/views06/1110-30.htm
www.thenation.com/blogs/notion
www.thenation.com/doc/20061127/editors
www.thenation.com/doc/20061211/wood
We must always remember that politicians are not leaders, they are followers, and even though there has been a sea change in the political landscape that will likely and ideally create the necessary means to enforce accountability and oversight which is best achieved by consistently avoiding any one-party domination of government, and hopefully lead to the repeal of such fascistic legislation such as the Military Commission Act, warrantless wiretapping, torture and maybe even lead to sunsetting the sunset provisions of the Patriot Act, it is ultimately up to us, average human citizens, to continue to lead the way for change. If we simply walk away now and expect the politicians to handle things, we are inviting nothing to change. We must stand up and lead, we must speak out and we must continue to wage peace and justice, because voting and making our voices heard are two entirely different acts of citizenship. Voting and elections have never been too effective at bringing change, but waging relentless activism has always been a reliable method to effecting substantive, enduring change. It is by the journey of waging peace and justice that compels us to hope. We must continue to hold politicians feet to the fire!
www.antiwar.com/roberts/
www.commondreams.org/views06/1113-21.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112406F.shtml
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112506Y.shtml
Attorney General Gonzales is correct, liberty is the antithesis of security but I remind you Mr. Attorney General, that it is our continued liberty that licenses the continuity of the government. It is our liberty and our free speech that permits the government to exist.
“They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security.”
~Benjamin Franklin
www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-11-18-gonzales_x.htm
www.alternet.org/story/44376/
A Constitutional Convention, now there’s an idea:
www.commondreams.org/views06/1117-32.htm
Campaign Financing reform, another great idea:
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/20/getting_serious_about_corruption.php
www.publicampaign.org/
www.opensecrets.org
www.instantrunoff.com/
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-28.htm
www.campaignmoney.org/
Just remember, folks, that until they actually pass campaign finance reform, that it will be necessary for small donations by each of us united together to out-power corporate cash.

It’s too bad the Democrats didn’t elect a leader as their Majority Figurehead like John Murtha, but it really doesn’t matter anyway since politicians are mostly followers and rarely leaders. I hope you do not become lax and lackadaisical now that the Democrats have the majority because it is now that citizen participation in the democratic process will be most vital because citizens, citizen-activists do the leading, the masses and the politicians do the following. So stand up, speak out, step forward and lead the followers, the politicians.
www.commondreams.org/views06/1116-23.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1115-32.htm
www.alternet.org/story/44547/

I try to consistently give my honest opinion even if people don’t like to hear my opinion. Many people in the anti-war movement seem to believe that impeachment should be our next objective, in fact, even I have called for impeachment in the past and it is true that this President more than any other deserves it. But we should remember that there are at least two sides to the impeachment argument. We must ask, would impeachment be a healthy means of healing our national psyche after the last six unnerving and painful years? Will impeachment serve as a rallying cry for the hard Right well into the future by victimizing (however false) and popularizing Mr. Bush, (which I find to be a sickening possibility)? As far as the argument that impeachment is a Constitutional proceeding, well, that may be true in theory but isn’t the reality that an impeachment process is actually a political undertaking much in the same way an election is a political undertaking with the exception that it produces a diametrically opposite result? Think about it. First, there must be wide-public support for such an undertaking, correct? Then there must be the willingness of politicians to nominate and table the idea and ultimately, there must be enough votes to carry the process so an impeachment like an election is ultimately a unique political affair. The reality is that there are not enough votes in the Senate to remove the President from office (which requires 2/3 majority) given the Democrats razor-thin majority. Furthermore, we must ask would impeachment alienate the Right, making the whole affair appear grossly partisan, and cementing the divisions that underlie our current political polarization for years to come? Would an impeachment process potentially open cracks in the unity of the Progressive Left? Would it squander most of the political capital that has been earned by the 2006 Congressional elections thereby stalling most, if not all, important legislation and encourage a hostile atmosphere likely to result in legislative gridlock? Most damagingly, could it consume the energies of activists and expend them in a cause that has no chance of succeeding?

Yet an equally valid argument also exists on the opposite side of the coin. If we do not pursue impeachment against a President that has so willfully disobeyed the Constitution and broken so many laws, if we do not pursue impeachment what does that say about our democracy? Also, given the illegal actions of this President, namely warranting such policies as torture, warrantless wiretapping, illegal wars of aggression based on lies, the act of willfully cooking intelligence and most despicably, the act of treason against the United States by revealing the identity of a CIA operative, are we not obligated to pursue impeachment proceedings? And if we do not pursue impeachment proceedings then how do we the people enforce accountability in the future against pseudo-dictators who declare their right to rule as a Unitary Executive? The whole concept itself of the Unitary Executive should be deep-sixed. It is an abomination to any known concept of checks-and-balances democracy. The Office of the President was never meant to be a dictatorship, even though through the Defense Authorization Act of 2007 the Bush Administration seems to want to construct a dictatorship. An American dictatorship is the highway to discontinuity. If the government creates a dictatorship, then the government should be overthrown and I believe that is something that can be done. No-one wants that. The U.S. government will do the democracy-Constitution way or else they will be sent to the highway and they should take notice how this statement is not framed as a question. The government must uphold the Posse-Commitatus Act, period.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
law.wustl.edu/WULQ/75-2/752-10.html
www.commondreams.org/views06/1117-22.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1119-25.htm
www.trueblueliberal.com/2006/11/20/usurpation-of-power/
www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3725

So while I am conflicted as to whether impeachment would best serve our country I also feel that at this moment in history it is also most deserved. But at the same time, I encourage my fellow citizens to seize the moral high ground and act with love by continuing to relentlessly pursue our chief objective which is not political in nature, but life-saving in nature as we continue in our common quest to save the lives of the troops by continuing to demand that they be brought home now. For the sake of the lives of my brothers-in-arms, I implore you not to take your eyes off the ball. I urge people to focus their energies instead on bringing the troops home and avoiding political vengeance. It is in the troops best interest and also in the best interest of the Iraqi people to bring the troops home now. They need us to focus our energies on ensuring their survival not on wreaking political vengeance. Pursuing an un-winnable war under the pretenses that it can be won will only condemn many more troops and many more people to die for nothing. Stop divorcing yourself from reality and accept that we are already defeated in Iraq. Then demand change by stepping forward and speaking out.
SUPPORT THE TROOPS FOR REAL; BRING THEM HOME NOW!!
www.bringthemhomenow.org
www.commondreams.org/views06/1119-24.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112206E.shtml
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112206N.shtml
www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp
www.commondreams.org/views06/1124-21.htm
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/20/AR2006112001101_pf.html
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/110906C.shtml
www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php
www.fff.org/comment/com0611f.asp
www.alternet.org/story/44123/
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/16/a_way_out_of_iraq.php
www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,447763,00.html
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-20.htm
www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Pelosi.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111306Z.shtml
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1120-04.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1121-23.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112106C.shtml
tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/nov/17/someone_tell_bush_we_lost_vietnam
www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/13786
www.thenation.com/doc/20061127/corn
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-33.htm
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1122-01.htm
www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames
www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat
noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/on_the_ground_i.html
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112106B.shtml
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112106K.shtml
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1110-09.htm
news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1963273.ece
www.commondreams.org/views06/1110-26.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1116-34.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111206Y.shtml
www.thenation.com/blogs/notion
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111900287_pf.html
www.antiwar.com/lind/
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1116-08.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1110-23.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1116-21.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1111-27.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1110-24.htm
noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/behaving_like_a.html
www.commondreams.org/views06/1109-31.htm
www.fox16.com/news/local/story.aspx
www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow
www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml
Moral courage:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml
www.couragetoresist.org/x/content/blogcategory/26/40/

Don’t let the government or the media confuse you with all of their props and sensationalism about the hazards of withdrawing from Iraq. THE BEST AND MOST MORAL THING TO DO BOTH FOR THE TROOPS AND THE IRAQI PEOPLE IS TO WITHDRAW AMERICAN FORCES FROM IRAQ AND LET IRAQI’S ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN FUTURE. WE CANNOT ASK OUR TROOPS TO REMAIN CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE IN THE CIVIL WAR THAT IS IRAQ.
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!! IT IS THE BEST OF BAD CHOICES!!!
www.bringthemhomenow.org

Too many of my fellow citizens on the extremes approach the issues with too much vindictiveness, for example some on the Left scream at the Democrats to either do as we say or we will beat the crap out of you but I remind you, folks, of an old American adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Certainly, we do need to press our ambitious objectives, namely to bring the troops home, but we must also be careful not to overreach, we also need to work together, listen to each other more, remain open-minded, be willing to change our minds if presented with new evidence, facts or logical perspectives, focus on our common goals, and embrace what we all share in common rather than always focusing on our differences. We are all Americans, equal under the law and we the people are the embodiment of the American democratic experiment.
www.americanprogressaction.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp
www.crisispapers.org/essays6w/storm.htm
sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
nationaljournal.com/members/news/2006/11/1110nj1.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111306P.shtml
www.commondreams.org/views06/1116-32.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1115-26.htm
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/21/the_opportunity_mandate.php
www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/11/25/the_economic_challenge_facing_democrats/
Time to move the ball on the issue that affects us all, Global Warming
www.commondreams.org/views06/1124-26.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112506X.shtml
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1121-08.htm
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1121-09.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-26.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-29.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-27.htm

I long for the day when the Democrats act with courage and conviction and demonstrate their toughness by their willingness to rhetorically bloody George W. Bush’s nose.
Let’s just hope the Democrats show some spine and cajones by blocking the following unreasonably and hard-right partisan demands of Mr. Bush. How typical of you, Mr. Bush, to yakkety-yak about bi-partisanship and then demonstrate partisanship.
Now if the Democrats confirm these nominations, then one must ask what the difference is between a Republican and a Democratic Congress if both act as a rubberstamp? Then, if the Democrats get weak-kneed on demanding the troops be brought home, it will make it much easier for us to call for a vote against them in 2008. Hopefully, that will not be the case because it would suggest that Congress has no power in the face of the President.
Defeating the following nominations will certainly demonstrate the strength of Congress:

· The nomination of six judicial nominees, all of whom have previously failed to receive confirmation from the Senate, have now been re-nominated. These nominees include "torture judge" William Haynes, and unanimously ABA-rated "not-qualified" Michael Wallace. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is correct in calling on President Bush to nominate more moderate judges.
· John Bolton has been re-nominated to the post of United Nations Ambassador, despite repeated failures to win confirmation in the current Senate. Bolton is well-known for bullying his subordinates, and twisting facts and fabricating intelligence in order to advance his neoconservative ideology.
· Kenneth Tomlinson has been re-nominated to chair the Broadcast Board of Governors, despite ample evidence of a partisan bias and questionable ethical practices such as cronyism in hiring, double-billing government agencies for his consulting hours, and using government resources to support his horse-racing business.

Now is the time to provide the oversight and accountability for the last six years:
It is time to resurrect the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111006S.shtml
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/10/a_time_for_accounting.php
noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/how_to_wield_po.html
www.commondreams.org/views06/1120-31.htm
www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44506/
As we move into the final months of the Republican lame-duck Congress, one must ask, do Republicans have any measure of principle to stand upon in the future or will they continue to rubber-stamp Bush policy in their final months? Redemption? Anyone?
Going once….going twice…I mean especially after how he Rumsfeld-ed you like he did!
I respect any leader who tells it like it is, demonstrates leadership and stands on principle even Republican politicians and one such leader I deeply respect is Senator Chuck Hagel:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112401104.html

The resignation of Donald Rumsfeld should be seen exactly for what it is: It was a political ploy to distract the American people from the truth, and the truth is that the war in Iraq was not so much a failure of execution as Mr. Bush would have you believe, it was a bad idea from its very inception and it is a worse idea to continue the occupation of Iraq. Did you see how fast Mr. Bush dumped Rumsfeld after the election? Do you know why? Because Mr. Bush, just like most politicians, is a follower and not a leader at all. Remember that it was neo-conservatives at the Project for the New American Century who led a naive Mr. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld and brought you this war.
www.prospect.org/web/page.ww
www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2006/11/14/neocons/
www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/
www.commondreams.org/views06/1116-25.htm
rightweb.irc-online.org/rw/3713
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1125-05.htm
harpers.org/sb-ken-adelman-1164050030.html
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20817682-601,00.html
And remember that Mr. Rumsfeld’s replacement has a reputation for cowardly cooking intelligence. But the question is, can he speak truth to power that inevitably leads to the formation of sensible policy rooted in reality? Indeed, time will tell.
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/09/the_cheneygates_cabal.php
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111106A.shtml
noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/bitch_slapping_.html
www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames

And just so you remember the names of the neo-conservatives in case they happen to mysteriously turn up on the editorial pages anywhere, most notably The Wall Street Journal, you will know their legacy and their lack of any viable credibility whatsoever. Don’t be fooled by their flowery and buttered-up writing styles, their basic ideas are crap:
Paul Wolfowitz, David Frum, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Max Boot, Charles Krauthammer, Elliott Abrams, Ken Adelman, David Wurmser, James Woolsey, Michael Ledeen, Christopher Hitchens, Joshua Muravchik, Norman Podhoretz, Michael Ignatieff, Naill Ferguson, Margaret MacMillan, William Kristol, Robert Kagan. Do us all a favor, take neoconservatism and all of its players and blast them into deep space.

We should also remember some of the predictions of the neoconservatives since they were categorically mistaken in most of their basic assumptions and predictions regarding the war of aggression on Iraq. Before the war, nearly all of the neoconservatives claimed that the road to peace in the Middle East did lie through Baghdad and this neoconservative conclusion is now by far the most discredited conclusion of all their wrong conclusions because the war in Iraq has, in fact, greatly destabilized the region and made Iran into a thriving, unchecked regional powerhouse. The reality that neoconservatives and sadly most politician-followers in Congress do continue to deny, is that the road to peace in the Middle East winds its way through the banustans of the Isreali-created apartheid of the West Bank, traverses a wall nearly twice the size and as choking as the Berlin Wall, and then cuts a clear, direct path into the halls of the Knesset in Tel Aviv. Peace, stability and prosperity will not come to the Middle East until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved because it is this conflict that serves as a primary “cause-celebre” for many of the underlying ill-feelings in the Middle East that makes winning the hearts and minds of the people in the street nearly impossible to achieve. Winning the hearts and the minds of the people is a pre-requisite to building an enduring peace that engenders the majoritive moderate center, be it the majoritive moderate Arab center, the majoritive moderate Israeli center or any other majoritive, moderate center. One of the main problems in the Middle East is events are largely controlled by the extremists who must stifle dissent to advance their agendas but once people start talking, engaging in dialogue and honest conversation, power will gradually migrate to the center.

In approaching this issue, it is absolutely critical that activists be willing to take comfort in revealing the truth as they see it, even if the truth as they see it is terribly uncomfortable. It is critical to open the conversation and keep the conversation alive even if doing so creates controversy or a boomerang of criticism. I find it necessary to gather information from a variety of perspectives, synthesize it, read between the lines, and cut a direct path through the bullshit (and there’s plenty of bullshit, folks,so don’t believe everything you read, question it, analyze it, and draw your own conclusions), and then most importantly share your conclusions with others communicating the cold, hard, truth as you see it in the most direct and blunt way without any window dressing at all. Just tell it like it is, no bullshit. By delivering information that best reflects the nature of reality on the ground, policymakers can then craft sensible policy rooted in reality rather than being driven into un-reason by the politics of fear.

The uncomfortable, hard, cold, blunt truth and reality as I see it is that the state of Israel holds more of the cards and thus more of the power than do the Palestinians and yet the Israeli government seems to give greater priority to the ambition to create a “Greater Israel” that does not include the Palestinians or a Palestinian state than they do to the creation of a viable, just peace and a common, shared future with the Palestinians and because of this observation, this unwillingness to aggressively pursue peace while instead pursuing a horribly aggressive Occupation is what makes the state of Israel an oppressor nation. And we should not be afraid to tell the truth and say that the state of Israel is an oppressor nation even though some people will invent any excuse to say that isn’t true and some people will rudely launch any number of false accusations against people who affirm the reality and the truth that Israel is an oppressor nation with a horrendous human rights record comparable to its Arab counterparts. For some this reality is likely painful to hear but altering the path of injustice requires the truth to be told and to be challenged in the hope of bringing lasting change, peace and justice. Since the state of Israel bears more power, it also bears greater responsibility and shares a disproportionately greater share of the blame for failing to move the crisis closer to peaceful resolution and reconciliation. Palestinians, while certainly bearing some measure of responsibility too especially for inexusable acts of violence which cuts both ways, are primarily the oppressed vicitims in this conflict. While there are certainly victims on both sides, the Palestinian people are victimized and oppressed in a way and on a much greater scale than the Israeli’s. As activists, we must continue to raise this critical issue and get the conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rolling because through reason and conversation the power to bring change will slowly migrate to the moderate center, and it is by the moderate center that peace can most effectively be waged.

We must also recognize that the Palestinian people have a valid right to self-determination and statehood and furthermore, each Palestinian has a right to be treated with the same degree of respect and dignity as Israeli’s treat each other, because ultimately, Israeli’s and Palestinians are the same people, a people who do share in their common humanity and brotherhood. One Israeli life is equal to one Palestinian life because ALL PERSONS WERE CREATED EQUAL. Concessions and compromises will also need to be made by Palestinians such as the acknowledgement that Israel has a right to exist and will continue to exist as a Jewish state and that returning to lands inside the 1967 Green Line is not going to happen. How can we as Americans bring this region to peace? How do we make these two peoples sit down and work for peace? It will not happen until American leadership demonstrates enough integrity, honesty and primarily courage to employ carrot-and-stick diplomacy to force both sides to the peace table. The carrot, of course, is the promise of American financial aid, and the stick (and this stick needs to be the size of a baseball bat) is the suspension of financial aid to each side and it is clear to me that this needs to be rhetorically whacked over the head of the Israeli’s and the Palestinians to force them both to the peace table for talks. That action will take courage and demonstrably strong American leadership to bring to fruition and enforce. The American President who achieves it will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest peacemakers, greatest diplomats and greatest statesman of our time. The question is who will step up to the plate to bring peace to the Middle East by rhetorically cracking some skulls, both Israeli skulls and Palestinian skulls to force them to the peace table? If you want to move the ball, sometimes you gotta kick the ball. That may not sound nice, but unfornately, it is also the hard, cold, uncomfortable reality. Politicians are not known to move until they have been swiftly kicked in the ass or had their asses set on fire. Do you want a politician to move? Then you must lead the politician because politicians are mostly followers and not leaders. Because I am pro-human, I both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian, pro-peace, pro-justice and pro-equality. Enduring peace is in the best long-term interest of the state of Israel and Palestine and the region at large but getting from here to there will require accepting difficult-to-swallow truths, painful and uncomfortable truths that will pave the way toward peace crafted on policy that reflects reality. Anyone who cares about Israel and Middle East peace will wrestle with the truth, wrestle with the justice and wrestle with the peace as I do wrestle.
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1121-05.htm
www.fpif.org/fpifoped/3714
www.truthdig.com/report/item/20061120_chris_hedges_bring_down_that_wall/
news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061121/ts_nm/mideast_settlements_dc
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112106D.shtml
www.commondreams.org/news2006/1121-12.htm
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/788997.html
www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/world/middleeast/26mideast.html
abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory
Gush Shalom, The Israeli Peace Movement:
www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html
Uri Avnery, Israeli Peace Leader: I salute you, Uri. Keep waging peace, friend!!!
www.avnery-news.co.il/english/index.html
www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/
www.tikkun.org/
www.rhr.israel.net/
www.shalomctr.org/
www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp
www.refusersolidarity.net/
www.btvshalom.org/
THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT READ:
www.amazon.ca/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter/dp/0743285026

ALL PERSONS WERE CREATED EQUAL: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
In the most simplistic of mathematical terms, this is what it means to me:
I=You=SomeoneElse=Christian=Jew=Muslim=Buddhist=Atheist=Agnostic=Hindu=Arab=Asian=African=European=LatinAmerican=American=Black=White=Yellow=Red=Sunni=Shiite=Israeli=Palestinian=Gay=Straight=Bisexual=Queer=Man=Woman=Transgender=Rich=Poor=GeorgeBush=Mahmoud Ahmadinejad=DickCheney=OsamabinLaden=BarackObama=TrentLott=PaulWolfowitz=MuqtadaAlSadr=LawAbider=Criminal=Terrorist=HospitalPatient=HealthyPerson=Soldier=Peacemaker=I=You=SomeoneElse=..….etc., etc….

A Poem About Being Human Like You And I.
I exist therefore I am;
I wage activism therefore I hope;
I am human thererfore I am equal;
I love therefore I care;
I am curious therefore I stay informed;
I know I can make a difference therefore I step forward.
I am righteous therefore I speak out;
I am not afraid therefore I inspire;
I understand therefore I teach;
I am human therefore I am just like you yet unique too.

What should the anti-war movement expect from Democrats in the House and Senate?
I think Antiwar.com, a site run by libertarians, summed it up best:
· An investigation into how intelligence was cooked and how we were lied into war.
· In conjunction with cutting-off the funding for the Occupation of Iraq, we expect the announcement of a definite timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces and an exit strategy.
· A regional settlement of the outstanding issues between Iran and the United States, beginning with negations in good faith with Tehran and a ratcheting-down of the rhetoric emanating from Washington. Opening of negotiations with both Syria and Iran in the interest of containing regional spillover from the existing civil war being waged in Iraq.
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/08/the_iraq_mandate.php
www.commondreams.org/views06/1108-22.htm
www.commondreams.org/views06/1108-24.htm
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/10/cities_for_peace.php
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111306M.shtml
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1117-07.htm
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/13/no_exit_strategy.php
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!!!!!!!!

The Iraq Study Group is bogus because it is BIPARTISAN, it should be NON-PARTISAN. All they’re trying to do is find a way to stay the course of occupation in Iraq.
www.alternet.org/waroniraq/44511/
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-32.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112406D.shtml

And a word of advice for you, Senator Hilary Clinton: It is not triangulation that impresses us, and it is not triangulation that inspires us or fuses us with energy, rather what fuses us with energy and what gives us hope and inspiration is the willingness to stand up for what is what we think is right, against all odds, and take principled but difficult stands. That is why I am very sorry to hear that Russ Feingold will not be running for President because, as he is one of the few leaders in the Senate, he surely would have gotten my vote and the votes of many others like me. However, the candidacy of Senator Chris Dodd is beginning to sound more attractive so a word of advice to you Senator Clinton, if you always try to appeal to everyone, well in the end, you may find that you appeal to no one. If however, you demonstrate some courage and principle by taking difficult but respectable stands for what you think is right, then you may earn a following but I strongly remind you and caution you that continuing the losing strategy of triangulation is not the act of a leader, but the act of a follower.
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111706Z.shtml

Repeal the Military Commissions Act:
www.dissidentvoice.org/Nov06/Sussman04.htm
www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/21/undo_the_military_commissions_act.php
A stricter adherence to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, protection of individual rights, some libertarian values in conjunction with some community values would certainly serve our nation much better into the future. Think part progressive, part libertarian. Be open to new ideas. There are too many closed-minded people on the Right and the Left.
Be different by remaining open-minded, read perspectives across the political spectrum.
www.fff.org/comment/com0611a.asp
www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/greenwald1.html
The problem with detainees not having any rights (besides the fact that they are subject to gross human rights violations) is this: First, as has been widely reported numerous detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay apparently were swept up without confirmation about their involvement in terrorism, i.e., apparently some innocent bystanders got caught up in the government sweep……yeah, big surprise, the government making mistakes seems to be what they do best. Secondly, if they can take rights away from people arbitrarily, then they can take your rights away arbitrarily. But they can only take away your rights and freedoms if you allow them and the way that you prevent them from doing so, is by forcing them to recognize everyone’s rights and by speaking out.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
writ.news.findlaw.com/mariner/20061122.html

Accountability across the board:
www.antiwar.com/pilger/
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1557842,00.html
And I hope more citizens follow the example of Doug Cowie in Maine:
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112106T.shtml
Part of what it means to be a democracy is for government to be transparent, that is, that Freedom of Information Act requests be honored and that we the people can openly see what the government does and how the government acts and what the government, which should never be blindly trusted, is doing in our name because we own the government.
www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1124-07.htm
www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112406E.shtml

Ignore the pundits, THE LEFT IS ON THE MARCH!!!
A PAT ON THE BACK OF ORTEGA, LULA DE SILVA, CHAVEZ, AND MORALES
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-25.htm
POPULISM IS ON THE RISE AND POPULISM IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.
And a big middle finger to all those in Washington who hate the rise of populism.
LEFT, LEFT, LITTLE LIBERTARIAN RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, WE MARCH!!!
www.commondreams.org/views06/1122-25.htm
davidsirota.com/index.php/2006/11/23/bipartisanship-hides-the-real-power-equation-that-no-one-talks-about/

DO RIGHT BY THE TROOPS AND BY THE IRAQI PEOPLE:
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!!!!!!!!! WITHDRAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONTINUE TO SPEAK OUT, CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN ACTIVISM!!!!
YOUR FREEDOM IS YOUR LIBERTY TO STAY INFORMED, STAY INVOLVED AND PERSEVERE TO BRING CHANGE BY WAGING PEACE AND JUSTICE!!!!!

Now that we know that the Pentagon has listed Veterans for Peace as a National Security threat as per this article,
www.ksby.com/home/headlines/4738066.html
Let’s just tell it like it is: Veterans for Peace is no National Security threat but the Military-Industrial-Complex itself is the greatest threat to the American Republic and the greatest threat to world peace and the greatest threat to long-term U.S. National Security and now that we know that our forces cannot defeat any guerilla insurgency anywhere in the world as proven in Vietnam thirty-some-odd years ago and in Iraq today, we must ask, why does this country need such an overgrown, fat-ass, uselessly large and astronomically expensive military that serves to kill the poor while it enriches the rich???
MASSIVELY CUT THE FAT AND UNNECESSARY U.S. DEFENSE BUDGET!!!!!
CONFISCATE 100% OF WAR-PROFITS TO PAY FOR THESE NEEDLESS WARS!!!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! MONEY FOR THE PEOPLE NOT FOR UNJUST WARS!!
SUPPORT THE TROOPS BY SAVING THEIR LIVES; BRING THEM HOME NOW!!

"We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."
~Dwight D. Eisenhower
www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
nationalpriorities.org/index.php

WAGE PEACE!!!!!

Eric E. Johansson
Veterans for Peace
www.veteransforpeace.org
www.ivaw.org
www.unitedforpeace.org
www.bringthemhomenow.org
honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/

WEBSITES TO HELP YOU STAY INFORMED:
honeste--djoftruth.blogspot.com/2006/10/websites-to-help-you-stay-informed.html