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Author: TriSec    Date: 03/25/2008 10:41:43

Good Morning.

Today is our 1,833rd day in Iraq.

As it was pointed out yesterday in this space, we reached another tragic milestone in Bush's folly, so let's start as we always do with the latest casualty figures courtesy of Antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4000
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 3861
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3539
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3141
Since Election (1/31/05): 2563

Other Coalition Troops: 308
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 490

We find this morning's cost of war passing through: $505, 492, 500, 000.00



I'll veer away from the veterans today for just a moment. A sidebar at Antiwar.com caught my eye this morning, called Free Paul Jacob. Apparently, he committed the grave crime in Oklahoma of using non-residents to help circulate a petition drive. Never mind his right to petition the government for redress of grievances. You can read more about it at Blue Collar Muse...

One of our most cherished rights is to petition our government. If there’s a problem, we want our representatives to know so they can fix it. Imagine, however, if a top law enforcement official denied this right to citizens. Imagine he arrested them, threatening them with fines and imprisonment. Imagine it’s being driven by partisan politics. “Not in my America!”, you say? Let me introduce you to Paul Jacob and the Oklahoma 3.

Oklahoma is fortunate. If Oklahomans want an issue on the ballot, they can gather signatures and put it to a statewide vote. It’s called a ballot initiative and it’s popular with citizens. Gathering signatures is hard work so it doesn’t happen all the time. When it does, it’s usually to limit government somehow so it’s unpopular with legislators. To stop it, legislators try to make it very difficult. In Oklahoma in 2006, citizens wanted to vote on capping government spending increases over a certain amount and didn’t want government taking their homes and businesses through eminent domain and giving them to someone else who would pay the state more in taxes. To do that, they needed to gather almost 225,000 valid signatures in just 90 days to put the measures on the ballot.

Because it’s hard to get that many signatures that fast, it’s also common to use companies which specialize in circulating petitions. It happened all the time in Oklahoma. It’s further common for those circulating petitions to be from out of state. Legislatures, who usually oppose ballot initiatives, try to stop signature gathering with residency requirements. They legislate that to gather signatures in a state, you must also live there. Those laws have been challenged around the country and and defeated on First Amendment grounds. But not in Oklahoma because it has immediate residency laws. You can immediately come to Oklahoma, declare yourself a resident , and petition. The Oklahoma 3 knew about issues with residency laws and specifically asked Oklahoma about theirs. They were assured there was no problem with petitioners moving from other states to help out.

Oklahoma’s 20O6 initiatives faced some tough fights. The worst may have been a union organizer from Oregon bringing in squads of paid blockers to harass petitioners. Blockers lied about petitioner activity to bar them from property where they were collecting signatures. They spilled coffee and Cokes on completed petitions to destroy them. They verbally and physically intimidated petitioners and signers alike to stop the work. Despite this heavy opposition, the petitioners prevailed. They gathered almost 300,000 signatures. 80,000 more than were needed to get the issues on the ballot!

Unfazed by defeat, initiative opponents immediately started another fight. They challenged the petitions. They did not argue the signatures were invalid as that meant fighting signatures one by one. Instead, they challenged the residency status of signature gatherers. Despite ample precedent, it was deemed illegal to be in Oklahoma from somewhere else to collect signatures. The challengers won and tens of thousands of legal signatures were thrown out. Enough to prevent the measure from being on the ballot. It gets worse.

To intimidate future initiative efforts, the Attorney General of Oklahoma himself, Drew Edmondson, personally issued felony indictments for three people - the Oklahoma 3. They are Paul Jacob, an initiative consultant; Susan Johnson, owner of the petition company; and, Rick Carpenter, the Oklahoma resident heading up the initiative. The basis of the indictment? The Oklahoma 3 should have known their petitioners were illegal even though the state said they were OK. Using them constituted attempted fraud!


So tell me again, 4,000 men and women have died to bring this kind of 'democracy' to Iraq, and to 'defend our freedoms'?


Speaking of the 4,000....our friends at IAVA have issued a Press Release on the subject.
NEW YORK - On Sunday the death toll of U.S. servicemembers in Iraq reached 4,000. In response, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest non-partisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued the following statement:

"The 4000th KIA in Iraq is newsworthy, but the truth is that every death should be a news item," said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "The 4000th death should not be exploited in the polarized arguments about the war. Honoring the fallen is neither a pro nor an anti war statement. It's about respecting the sacrifice of thousands of America's sons and daughters."

Last week, IAVA called on the media to report more thoroughly on the war in Iraq. According to the Pew Research Center, last month's media coverage of the war was at its lowest point in five years and less than a third of the public knew how many troops had died in Iraq.

"Over 80% of Americans are aware that Oprah Winfrey endorsed Senator Obama, yet only 28% know how many troops have died in Iraq. These numbers are a slap in the face to everyone who has served in the current conflicts," said Rieckhoff. "While thousands of military families across the country are coping with the heartbreaking loss of a loved one, most Americans don't even know the death toll."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families who have sacrificed for the war. But the fallen are much more than a statistic. More than half of those killed were under the age of 25 and many have left young families behind. Over 2,200 children have lost a parent in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan."



And now remaining on the subject of war...have you noticed that it's increasingly difficult to get news about what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan? I've been increasingly turning to Al-Jazeera (English) for news about the Middle East, as well as the old standbys BBC World Service, The Guardian, and increasingly Ananova. Well, it's no illusion. According to IAVA, just 3% of the news reported in February in the leadup to the fifth anniversary was about the war. I know you're starved for information...so won't you sign the open letter?
On the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq, please take a moment to sign the following letter and ask the American media to devote more air time to coverage of the war. According to this study by the Pew Research Center, only 3% of the news media in February 2008 was devoted to covering the war.

Help honor the sacrifice of those who have served in the past five years and demand that the media increase their coverage of the war.



Lastly this morning....I won't embed the image, as it's too large, but check this out.

Remember, voting for McCain is like voting for a third term of Bush.

 

180 comments (Latest Comment: 03/26/2008 03:22:31 by livingonli)
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Comment by TriSec on 03/25/2008 12:02:39
Morning, folks! I've been up and buzzing since 6:05 am...



YANKEES SUCK!

YANKEES SUCK!



Huh? What's that, you say? The Sox are playing the A's? In Japan?



And?



The Yankees still suck, don't they?



HAPPY OPENING DAY, EVERYONE!! :party:



:peace:





Comment by Shane-O on 03/25/2008 12:43:03
Here's another decent place to get Iraq War news online at Iraq Today.

Comment by TriSec on 03/25/2008 13:02:56
Ah, thankee. I never knew that one existed. :adds to list:





Comment by TriSec on 03/25/2008 13:08:18
Heading into extra innings in Tokyo!



Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:13:55
Good morning....





HEY! Trisec... So hostile, so early....









Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:15:05
:clap: How nice of Jim to grace us all with his cheery morning self....

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:17:25
Oh boy.... Yesterday the radio machine was nice and quiet. IT seems as tho the callers are back in force again. :foil:

Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 13:18:44
Quote by TriSec:

Morning, folks! I've been up and buzzing since 6:05 am...



YANKEES SUCK!

YANKEES SUCK!



Huh? What's that, you say? The Sox are playing the A's? In Japan?



And?



The Yankees still suck, don't they?



HAPPY OPENING DAY, EVERYONE!! :party:



:peace:





WOOHOOOOOOOO!!



Yes, indeedy TriSec, the Yankees DO suck



Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 13:28:04
Let the protests begin!





Comment by TriSec on 03/25/2008 13:29:17
Ah, Raine...



There are very few teams in baseball that I openly loathe. The Yankees are not one of them, despite all my Red Sox Nation bluster.



Given the choice between Yankees baseball and No baseball...I'll watch a Yankees game. You know they're going to play well and it will be a baseball game.



There's some teams I simply won't (or can't) watch.



Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:29:53
Quote by velveeta jones:

Quote by TriSec:

Morning, folks! I've been up and buzzing since 6:05 am...



YANKEES SUCK!

YANKEES SUCK!



Huh? What's that, you say? The Sox are playing the A's? In Japan?



And?



The Yankees still suck, don't they?



HAPPY OPENING DAY, EVERYONE!! :party:



:peace:





WOOHOOOOOOOO!!



Yes, indeedy TriSec, the Yankees DO suck



:kickcan:

Comment by starling310 on 03/25/2008 13:31:49
It's Opening DAY!!!





Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:33:06
Quote by TriSec:

Ah, Raine...



There are very few teams in baseball that I openly loathe. The Yankees are not one of them, despite all my Red Sox Nation bluster.



Given the choice between Yankees baseball and No baseball...I'll watch a Yankees game. You know they're going to play well and it will be a baseball game.



There's some teams I simply won't (or can't) watch.

You know it is funny, Tri... we go thru this every year. It is becoming as much of a ritual as opening day itself!



I have delegated myself to my role of being a lover of the most despised team in baseball.



Free kicks on opening day!







:rofl:



Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 13:33:23
Quote by Raine:

Quote by velveeta jones:

Quote by TriSec:

Morning, folks! I've been up and buzzing since 6:05 am...



YANKEES SUCK!

YANKEES SUCK!



Huh? What's that, you say? The Sox are playing the A's? In Japan?



And?



The Yankees still suck, don't they?



HAPPY OPENING DAY, EVERYONE!! :party:



:peace:





WOOHOOOOOOOO!!



Yes, indeedy TriSec, the Yankees DO suck



:kickcan:


Oops. Sorry Hon! My better half is a "yankee" as well. Though more of a Mets fan!



Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:40:14
Quote by velveeta jones:

Oops. Sorry Hon! My better half is a "yankee" as well. Though more of a Mets fan!

No need to apologize! Puhleeze don't.



IT is kinda funny, The Yankees are kinda like Hillary Clinton when it comes to this blog! :rofl:



Everyone will support them if they have to... oh, wait....





:rofl:





Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 13:48:38
Ya know............ you DO live in a town........... with a team.......... (ahem).





Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 13:53:19
Quote by velveeta jones:

Ya know............ you DO live in a town........... with a team.......... (ahem).



you call that a team?!?!?!



Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:00:20
Morning, folks... :coffee:

Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:05:32
Quote by Raine:

you call that a team?!?!?!



HEY!! :modbat:



Last year was a "building year".... :whistling:

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:08:32
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Raine:

you call that a team?!?!?!



HEY!! :modbat:



Last year was a "building year".... :whistling:
What is it that rolls down hill?







Comment by starling310 on 03/25/2008 14:09:52
Quote by Raine:





Free kicks on opening day!











Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 14:11:57
Hey FAYE! Good news for Okie perverts:



It's "open season for peeping Toms," says an Oklaholma Court of Criminal Appeals judge -- the lone dissenting voice on a 4-to-1 decision in favor of a 34-year-old perv who stuck his camera underneath a 16-year-old girl's skirt and flashed.





Ew. And I thought these things only happened on the New York City subway system.



The problem, you see, is this 16-year-old skirt-wearer expected privacy in public. According to the Feminist Daily News Wire, as originally reported by Tulsa World, the court decided "the [Peeping Tom] statute only applies in situations where the victims are in a reasonably private place such as their own homes, a restroom, or a locker room."



So, let me get this straight...it's not okay to violate someone in his or her own home, but it is okay to violate that person as soon as he or she sets foot on the sidewalk. Why would the court make such a distinction? To protect all those people who "accidentally" take photos or videotapes of other people's private parts?


Full story:







pervs get there day in court

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:13:48
More Joy From KBR:

Iraq contractor fights suit over toxic exposure

Tax loophole may subject construction firm to damages



By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | March 25, 2008



WASHINGTON - When the American team arrived in Iraq in the summer of 2003 to repair the Qarmat Ali water injection plant, supervisors told them the orange, sand-like substance strewn around the looted facility was just a "mild irritant," workers recall.



The workers got it on their hands and clothing every day while racing for 2 1/2 months to meet a deadline to get the plant, a crucial part of Iraq's oil infrastructure, up and running.



But the chemical turned out to be sodium dichromate, a substance so dangerous that even limited exposure greatly increases the risk of cancer. Soon, many of the 22 Americans and 100-plus Iraqis began to complain of nosebleeds, ulcers, and shortness of breath. Within weeks, nearly 60 percent exhibited symptoms of exposure, according to the minutes of a meeting of project managers from KBR, the Houston-based construction company in charge of the repairs.



Now, nine Americans are accusing KBR, then a subsidiary of the oil conglomerate Halliburton, of knowingly exposing them to the deadly substance and failing to provide them with the protective equipment needed to keep them safe.



But the workers, like all employees injured in Iraq, face an uphill struggle in their quest for damages. Under a World War II-era federal workers compensation law, employers are generally protected from employee lawsuits, except in rare cases in which it can be proven that the company intentionally harmed its employees or committed outright fraud.



KBR is citing the law, called the Defense Base Act, as grounds to reject the workers' request for damages.



But the company's own actions have undermined its case: To avoid payroll taxes for its American employees, KBR hired the workers through two subsidiaries registered in the Cayman Islands, part of a strategy that has allowed KBR to dodge hundreds of millions of dollars in Social Security and Medicare taxes.



=================================================

Comment by wickedpam on 03/25/2008 14:14:46
Morning :hug:

Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 14:17:04
Wow! I just played that Pat statement for my (black) wife........... she is NOT amused.

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:17:09
Quote by starling310:

Quote by Raine:





Free kicks on opening day!









Oh yeah....



:rofl:







Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:19:55
:rofl: Wodka as a household cleaner!!!

Comment by starling310 on 03/25/2008 14:22:32
Jim plays the harmonica? :: lesbian hetero crush swoon ::

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:23:15
Quote by velveeta jones:

Wow! I just played that Pat statement for my (black) wife........... she is NOT amused.
I sent a letter to MSNBC asking them why they still employed this man...



This is really not an excusable thing.



Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:24:05
(just playing with the audicons...)

Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:24:56
Good morning everyone.



Oh, this working until 2 AM is brutal. How am I going to get up to catch Momma?

Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:25:42
Quote by Raine:

:rofl: Wodka as a household cleaner!!!


Seems like rubbing alcohol would do the same thing for a lot cheaper...

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:26:17
Quote by wickedpam:

Morning :hug:
Morning!



Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:29:20
:rofl:



It's crack I tell you!

Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:31:39
Quote by wickedpam:

Morning :hug:


How have things been with mom?

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:31:40
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Raine:

:rofl: Wodka as a household cleaner!!!


Seems like rubbing alcohol would do the same thing for a lot cheaper...




Comment by velveeta jones on 03/25/2008 14:32:04
Quote by starling310:

Jim plays the harmonica? :: lesbian hetero crush swoon ::




I with ya



Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:33:53
BREAKING NEWS!!!



The news just reported that Boston beat Oakland in that exhibition game.

:yawn:



... we now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging...

Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:34:44
So, will Stephanie Miller have her own version of Bullwinkle's corner?



(the bumper).

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:35:55
Kevin is sooo in love with Momma. he wants to kiiiisss her...

Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:37:01
WLIW World is repeating part 1 of Bush's War tonight at 7 PM. So I just have to remember to record both parts tonight.

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:37:10
Tequila is to Vodka as Hillary is to Obama! :rofl:



Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:38:02
Quote by Raine:

Kevin is sooo in love with Momma. he wants to kiiiisss her...


Except when he has the chance and wusses out.

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:38:04
Quote by livingonli:

WLIW World is repeating part 1 of Bush's War tonight at 7 PM. So I just have to remember to record both parts tonight.
Get thee to the DVR... STAT!!!



Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:39:28
Praise Cheesus.

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:39:34
Praise !!!

Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:39:53
Cheezus! It's Sacrilicious!



:rofl:

Comment by BobR on 03/25/2008 14:41:46
Quote by Raine:

Tequila is to Vodka as Hillary is to Obama! :rofl:



I disagree.

Tequila has color.

Tequila is the party.

I like tequila better.



case closed. :smug:



Comment by livingonli on 03/25/2008 14:43:09
Just remember.



Rum is for dancing.

Rum is for fun.

Comment by Raine on 03/25/2008 14:44:25
Quote by BobR:

Quote by Raine:

Tequila is to Vodka as Hillary is to Obama! :rofl:



I disagree.

Tequila has color.

Tequila is the party.

I like tequila better.



case closed. :smug:





That sorta puts me in a bind, dunnit?