July 25, 2007
Pastor
Church of Christ
756 Seventeenth
Port Huron, MI 48060
This past Saturday, July 21, 2007, our grassroots peace organization, Blue November was holding a peaceful, non-confrontational demonstration against the continued occupation of Iraq. We believe the killing of our soldiers and the killing of innocent men, women, and children in Iraq should be stopped.
We were standing on the corner of Pine Grove and Sanborn with signs calling for the end of the Iraq occupation. Our members included men, women, and children.
A car with several people in it, pulled over, called us communists and other names not to be repeated here and threw a handful of leaflets from your church on the ground.
We had to go into the traffic between lights to retrieve the pamphlets so they wouldn’t litter Sanborn Park and the neighborhood.
It might be good to remind your congregation that we have the right to demonstrate in a public place without menace from others. Having this right is part of living in a democracy, and it is what separates us from communism.
Carolyn Holley
BlueNovember.Org
P. O. Box 595736
Fort Gratiot, MI 48059
Note to our blog readers: This letter was sent to the pastor of the Church of Christ in Port Huron, Michigan, because it is located only a short distance from our rally site, and it is the only Church of Christ in our area. The leaflets thrown at us were stamped "Church of Christ." We have a strict rule of non-confrontational demonstration, so we use this format to air our opinion of this incident.
We have no proof of affiliation between the leaflet throwers and the church, but we wish to publish the facts as we know them to shed light on how some people confuse their religion with our democracy.
Susan Alderman
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
By Rachael Siemen
I don’t think that a Hollywood screenwriter could come up with a better script then what is currently going on with the Alberto “I don’t recall” Gonzales Judicial hearings. Add another black eye in this administration’s belligerent disregard for the law and their utter attempt to undermine the intelligence and the best interest of the American people.
Okay let me try to understand this. Ashcroft ends up in the hospital, hands over authority to his Deputy Attorney James Comey. The warrant less spying program and the administrations use of torture program is about to expire. Gonzo and Andy Card rush to the hospital, not to have Ashcroft sign an extension of the program, (although he had an extension document of the program with him) but to discuss “some other classified intelligence issue.” Now Ashcroft’s wife along with Bob Muller (the head of the FBI) told Comey, not to let Card and Gonzo in the room alone with Ashcroft ………THE HEAD OF THE FBI!!!!!
This makes me pause to ask people where is the outrage? I’m incredulous that Gonzo can sit in front of the Senate with impunity and get away with his blatant lying. On the other hand, he certainly represents the current administration and their weak, inept self-serving policies. Well, I suppose one can say at least he showed up. By the way, where is Waldo? I mean Harriet Miers? Please go to www.democrats.com and contact your representatives to tell them not to stand by and do nothing!
Another good site is www.thefourreasons.org to explore the reasons for IMPEACHMENT!!!
I don’t think that a Hollywood screenwriter could come up with a better script then what is currently going on with the Alberto “I don’t recall” Gonzales Judicial hearings. Add another black eye in this administration’s belligerent disregard for the law and their utter attempt to undermine the intelligence and the best interest of the American people.
Okay let me try to understand this. Ashcroft ends up in the hospital, hands over authority to his Deputy Attorney James Comey. The warrant less spying program and the administrations use of torture program is about to expire. Gonzo and Andy Card rush to the hospital, not to have Ashcroft sign an extension of the program, (although he had an extension document of the program with him) but to discuss “some other classified intelligence issue.” Now Ashcroft’s wife along with Bob Muller (the head of the FBI) told Comey, not to let Card and Gonzo in the room alone with Ashcroft ………THE HEAD OF THE FBI!!!!!
This makes me pause to ask people where is the outrage? I’m incredulous that Gonzo can sit in front of the Senate with impunity and get away with his blatant lying. On the other hand, he certainly represents the current administration and their weak, inept self-serving policies. Well, I suppose one can say at least he showed up. By the way, where is Waldo? I mean Harriet Miers? Please go to www.democrats.com and contact your representatives to tell them not to stand by and do nothing!
Another good site is www.thefourreasons.org to explore the reasons for IMPEACHMENT!!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
August 18, 2007 - Peace and Justice Rally
Stand up for peace and politics that benefit all people.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
1:00 to 3:00 P.M.
Sanborn and Pine Grove
Port Huron, Michigan
Sanborn and Pine Grove
Port Huron, Michigan
We will be wearing identical peace tee shirts. If you don't already have one, you are encouraged to purchase one for $15.00 to keep, but you may also borrow one and then give it back at the end of our event.
This is a peaceful event. All participants must agree to not impede traffic in any way or engage negatively with passersby.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Candice Miller, Are You Awake?
Everyone should read the latest National Intelligence Estimate: "The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland. It tells us once again how inept and counterproductive the Bush-Cheney policies on terrorism have been. The US invasion and occupation of Iraq is bin Laden's wet dream, allowing him to expand his organization and solidify his base in northwest Pakistan. US troops actually had al Qaeda on the run by spring 2002, but that's just when the Bush-Cheney junta lost interest in Afghanistan and turned its attention to "regime change" in Iraq. Since then, virtually everything the US has done has helped bin Laden to prosper, reconstitute his command structure, and recruit potential extremists.
Hundreds of thousands of people are dead, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, and the reputation of the US around the world has been tarnished, if not utterly destroyed. What does Candice Miller have to say about this? Her July 2007, "Newsletter" has plenty to say about passports, mileage standards, and Great Lakes shipping. When she gets around to Iraq (in a radio broadcast), she shamelessly repeats the republican mantra that the only problem in Iraq is the inadequacy of the Iraqi government, but--surprise!--she completely dodges the truly important subject of where al Qaeda actually is and what sort of a threat it poses to the US.
The latest neocon con on Iraq is to blame the Iraqis for the chaos brought on by the US occupation. Imagine: you invade a country, wipe out its entire infrastructure, disband its army, stir up ancient sectarian animosities, slaughter untold thousands of civilians, and then pompously complain when a puppet government you've propped up can't deliver electricity or police the streets. Yeah, it's really the fault of the Iraqis that their country is mired in this mess! When Miller and her comrades in deceit repeat this nonsense, they're insulting us and dishonoring the dead.
Hundreds of thousands of people are dead, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted, and the reputation of the US around the world has been tarnished, if not utterly destroyed. What does Candice Miller have to say about this? Her July 2007, "Newsletter" has plenty to say about passports, mileage standards, and Great Lakes shipping. When she gets around to Iraq (in a radio broadcast), she shamelessly repeats the republican mantra that the only problem in Iraq is the inadequacy of the Iraqi government, but--surprise!--she completely dodges the truly important subject of where al Qaeda actually is and what sort of a threat it poses to the US.
The latest neocon con on Iraq is to blame the Iraqis for the chaos brought on by the US occupation. Imagine: you invade a country, wipe out its entire infrastructure, disband its army, stir up ancient sectarian animosities, slaughter untold thousands of civilians, and then pompously complain when a puppet government you've propped up can't deliver electricity or police the streets. Yeah, it's really the fault of the Iraqis that their country is mired in this mess! When Miller and her comrades in deceit repeat this nonsense, they're insulting us and dishonoring the dead.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The True Center of Gravity
Do you sometimes wonder who has more power: Bush or Cheney? Check out the four-part series on Cheney from The Washington Post now available at
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/
You may even find yourself agreeing with this recent assessment from John W. Dean, a former counsel to President Nixon during the Watergate crisis: "It has long been apparent that Cheney's genius is that he lets George W. Bush get out of bed every morning actually believing he is the president. In fact, his presidency is run by the President of the Senate, for Cheney is its true center of gravity. That fact has become more apparent with every passing year of this presidency, and anyone who thinks otherwise has truly 'misunderestimated' our nominal president and his vice president" (findlaw.com, June 29)
There's ample reason for Cheney to be impeached first.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/
You may even find yourself agreeing with this recent assessment from John W. Dean, a former counsel to President Nixon during the Watergate crisis: "It has long been apparent that Cheney's genius is that he lets George W. Bush get out of bed every morning actually believing he is the president. In fact, his presidency is run by the President of the Senate, for Cheney is its true center of gravity. That fact has become more apparent with every passing year of this presidency, and anyone who thinks otherwise has truly 'misunderestimated' our nominal president and his vice president" (findlaw.com, June 29)
There's ample reason for Cheney to be impeached first.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Candice Miller's "War on Terror"
On Candice Miller's web site, there's a section on issues and a brief page she calls "Global War on Terror." It's a superficial, deceptive parroting of Bush-Cheney lies and distortions, and it's a shame that our Congresswoman is allowed to get away with such nonsense.
Here's the first paragraph:
Throughout much of the past 20 years terrorists have targeted innocent Americans for murder in an effort to undermine our democracy and our commitment to spreading freedom across the globe. It was only when those terrorists attacked us so directly on September 11, 2001 that America finally got a vivid understanding of the evil we face and the lengths they will go in an attempt to destroy freedom.
The facile suggestion that terrorists have focused on Americans in order to "undermine our democracy" and "destroy freedom" is ignorant and just what the Bush-Cheney team wants us to believe (so it's no surprise that the always-compliant Miller is toeing the party line). This argument denies history, culture, and pretty much all of international reality. The idea that Osama and his henchmen sit around and ponder strategies for attacking our Constitution or diminishing our freedoms is laughable. It's convenient and easily digestible and makes a nice sound bite, but it's completely and utterly wrong. Islamic extremists hate the United States for clearly stated reasons: our unwavering, unquestioning support of Israel, the presence of American bases and troops in Saudi Arabia (now removed), and the invasion and occupation of a Muslim nation (Iraq). None of these rationales justifies attacks on civilians, of course, but they are the grievances that Osama and others have repeatedly offered. For Bush, Cheney, and Miller to shout incessantly that "they hate our freedoms" is insulting and dangerous. It's part of an effort to keep Americans from considering complexities--such as whether or not uncritical support of Israel is in America's best interest--and it stokes nothing but fear and reaction.
Here's the next paragraph:
Since that day we have been at war with Islamic extremists. We have taken that war on the offense by toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, killing or capturing the majority of al Qeada’s leadership and toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq who had been a longstanding supporter of terrorists. I look forward to the day when the Iraqi forces stand up sufficiently to protect their new found freedom and our brave men and women can return home.
In addition to misspelling "al Qaeda," this builds further on Bush-Cheney deceit. It ignores the fact that the Taliban is still an active, dangerous presence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It neatly and dishonestly links al Qaeda and Saddam, who were in fact ideological and tactical enemies. Bush and Cheney have insinuated for years that there were ties between al Qaeda and Saddam. There were none; every terrorist expert in the world knows that, but it's become almost the last resort of the neo-cons still trying to justify their catastrophic misadventure in Iraq. At the end of this paragraph, Miller--or whoever wrote this drivel--calmly looks forward to the day when American troops can leave Iraq. Well, so do a lot of other Americans, but it's clear to anyone not brainwashed by Bush-Cheney propaganda that her primary requirement for this--a viable Iraqi military force--will never exist. The reason it won't is what she and all the neo-cons cannot admit, that the conditions for national unity in Iraq have never existed and what little chance there may have been of building them has been destroyed by the incompetence of the American occupation.
Here's the concluding paragraph:
Here at home we must also remain vigilant because of the knowledge that our enemies want to hit us here at home again. In order to defend against this threat we must give our law enforcement and intelligence gathering organizations the tools they need to make our nation more secure. As has been said, Americans are safer today than we were on September 11th but we are not yet safe.
There are two fundamental horrors embedded here. First, she's implicitly endorsing the illegal, unconstitutional wire-tapping and other forms of surveillance demanded and practiced by the Bush-Cheney team. Like so many of the neo-cons, Miller seems to be willing to surrender the very freedoms she otherwise claims the terrorists are out to subvert. When we docilely give up our liberties, when we allow the various arms of the police establishment to listen to our phone conversations and read our email, are we doing the terrorists' work for them?
And then there's the claim that "Americans are safer today than we were on September 11." The 3591 Americans killed in Iraq sure aren't safer. Our ports and borders are not more secure. The ranks of al Qaeda, as has been repeatedly pointed out, have in fact grown since the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Just about everything the Bush-Cheney administration has done has served the interest of al Qaeda and Iran (see here). We are not safer today than we were 6 years ago, and the reason we are not is that the Bush-Cheney policies are a monumental failure.
Here's the first paragraph:
Throughout much of the past 20 years terrorists have targeted innocent Americans for murder in an effort to undermine our democracy and our commitment to spreading freedom across the globe. It was only when those terrorists attacked us so directly on September 11, 2001 that America finally got a vivid understanding of the evil we face and the lengths they will go in an attempt to destroy freedom.
The facile suggestion that terrorists have focused on Americans in order to "undermine our democracy" and "destroy freedom" is ignorant and just what the Bush-Cheney team wants us to believe (so it's no surprise that the always-compliant Miller is toeing the party line). This argument denies history, culture, and pretty much all of international reality. The idea that Osama and his henchmen sit around and ponder strategies for attacking our Constitution or diminishing our freedoms is laughable. It's convenient and easily digestible and makes a nice sound bite, but it's completely and utterly wrong. Islamic extremists hate the United States for clearly stated reasons: our unwavering, unquestioning support of Israel, the presence of American bases and troops in Saudi Arabia (now removed), and the invasion and occupation of a Muslim nation (Iraq). None of these rationales justifies attacks on civilians, of course, but they are the grievances that Osama and others have repeatedly offered. For Bush, Cheney, and Miller to shout incessantly that "they hate our freedoms" is insulting and dangerous. It's part of an effort to keep Americans from considering complexities--such as whether or not uncritical support of Israel is in America's best interest--and it stokes nothing but fear and reaction.
Here's the next paragraph:
Since that day we have been at war with Islamic extremists. We have taken that war on the offense by toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, killing or capturing the majority of al Qeada’s leadership and toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq who had been a longstanding supporter of terrorists. I look forward to the day when the Iraqi forces stand up sufficiently to protect their new found freedom and our brave men and women can return home.
In addition to misspelling "al Qaeda," this builds further on Bush-Cheney deceit. It ignores the fact that the Taliban is still an active, dangerous presence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. It neatly and dishonestly links al Qaeda and Saddam, who were in fact ideological and tactical enemies. Bush and Cheney have insinuated for years that there were ties between al Qaeda and Saddam. There were none; every terrorist expert in the world knows that, but it's become almost the last resort of the neo-cons still trying to justify their catastrophic misadventure in Iraq. At the end of this paragraph, Miller--or whoever wrote this drivel--calmly looks forward to the day when American troops can leave Iraq. Well, so do a lot of other Americans, but it's clear to anyone not brainwashed by Bush-Cheney propaganda that her primary requirement for this--a viable Iraqi military force--will never exist. The reason it won't is what she and all the neo-cons cannot admit, that the conditions for national unity in Iraq have never existed and what little chance there may have been of building them has been destroyed by the incompetence of the American occupation.
Here's the concluding paragraph:
Here at home we must also remain vigilant because of the knowledge that our enemies want to hit us here at home again. In order to defend against this threat we must give our law enforcement and intelligence gathering organizations the tools they need to make our nation more secure. As has been said, Americans are safer today than we were on September 11th but we are not yet safe.
There are two fundamental horrors embedded here. First, she's implicitly endorsing the illegal, unconstitutional wire-tapping and other forms of surveillance demanded and practiced by the Bush-Cheney team. Like so many of the neo-cons, Miller seems to be willing to surrender the very freedoms she otherwise claims the terrorists are out to subvert. When we docilely give up our liberties, when we allow the various arms of the police establishment to listen to our phone conversations and read our email, are we doing the terrorists' work for them?
And then there's the claim that "Americans are safer today than we were on September 11." The 3591 Americans killed in Iraq sure aren't safer. Our ports and borders are not more secure. The ranks of al Qaeda, as has been repeatedly pointed out, have in fact grown since the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Just about everything the Bush-Cheney administration has done has served the interest of al Qaeda and Iran (see here). We are not safer today than we were 6 years ago, and the reason we are not is that the Bush-Cheney policies are a monumental failure.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT PEACE RALLY
We must stand up for peace and politics that benefit all people.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
1:00 to 3:00 P.M.
Corner of Sanborn and Pine Grove
Port Huron, Michigan
We will be wearing identical peace tee shirts. These are a different color than last year's "peace sign" rally, but still a simple peace symbol.) You are encouraged to purchase one for $15.00 to keep, but you may also borrow one and then give it back at the end of our event.
This is a peaceful event. All participants must agree to not impede traffic in any way or engage negatively with passersby.
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