Dubya's Police State Comes to Ohio

Dubya comes to New Albany, Ohio-shuts down entire village.

Dearest Readers,

Prissy has been really busy with the local and state races. She doesn't have to explain the problems to overcome here in Ohio-but we are overcoming them.

Look for the GOP dam to burst soon, they are silent because they have never been more afraid of the monster they know they have helped create. But the kool aid was so good...and now its all gone.

Last night Dubya came to town...in fact his visit literally shut down the village next to Prissy. With all the police and weaponry, you would have thought Manuel Noriega was in town.

Dubya was going for a $5,000 entry fee fund raiser for Congresswoman Debra Pryce and some for the ailing Ohio GOP coffers.

By the way, Debra didn't even bother to show up for sugar daddy Dubya...

Bet that GOP really misses Noe and Ambramoff during these fundraisers. (picture by Artist Stephen Pitt)

An African-American man said he was invited, as a neighbor of the hosts. He laughed and said "I know why they wanted me there-no way."

Pryce is a seven term incumbent fighting for her political life. A first for her...she refuses to understand her constituents anger. She won't meet with elderly opposing her Medicare plan, or soldiers opposing Iraq-no time for them.

Prissy cannot imagine why not- one would think a former public criminal defense attorney like Pryce should be good at understanding people- and what motivates them.

Considering the political platforms of the republican party are so damaging to women and children, it seems strange that any woman would willingly sign on. Unless of course it was the money factor.

Back to Dubya's visit. He doesn't come through Prissy's city much anymore. He used to, but that was before he blew the police budget for such events. Isn't wise to say you will fund "homeland security" and then take it away later.

But no matter, since the owner of "Limited Brand" clothing stores lives a small town away from the airport and has a helicopter landing pad-it's perfect for the freedom fry lovers fundraising efforts.

Every entrance into the village of 3,500 residents was barricaded and off limits-even to residents trying to cross the street by foot to pick up school kids from practice. New Albany's Land Area is a mere 9 square miles (village) 16.3 square miles (township)

These people couldn't get to the game at the high school stadium across the street. It was getting well into evening. That's one way to make new friends...

As some high school kids next to Prissy remarked, "All these woods, if someone was going to get him, they could and they might not get caught." It's true, blocking off the roads was really of little use. Prissy knows the area very well, having grown-up nearby, when New Albany was only one gas station, one pizza shop and a grain mill.

The residents, mostly republican, were still upset that Dubya's visit put them out. A cop stunned one "good republican" by yelling at him "don't cross the police line" and the officer didn't even call him sir. Yellow tape and police on motorcycles were everywhere.

A helicopter kept flying low and close overhead, like a gnat needing to be swatted. One man, saying he flew helicopters, said "they don't need to fly that low, security or not."

As they continued to hover overhead, Prissy took pictures and notes and even wrote one to them, look: (A harmless prank from Prissy-as they should not be invading privacy under the guise of "security")

The small group of protesters that got into the village earlier were ready and waiting for him. Prissy couldn't get to them, as they were stuck inside the village. Nobody was allowed to come in and nobody was going out until Dubya's motorcade and/or helicopter was gone...he was actually visiting some three miles away.

New Albany was like a police state, as checkpoints are not normal sight anywhere in the midwest. Not yet, anyway. Even the few republicans who wanted to "see the president" kept complaining. "I can't believe it is taking THIS long-I need to get over to the game, geez."

And now this president has been given all the authority of the US Senate, to torture, maim and degrade other human beings as he thinks deems necessary. Funny, he thinks we should "trust him" -yet he doesn't "trust us."

Betty and I left before Bush went by, as we were on the outside of the barricaded village. We didn't think he was worth it and left after about 45 minutes. The helicopter followed us to our car.

As we drove out past Prissy's childhood home, a short distance away, we passed a secluded freeway overpass amongst the cornfields. A cop was stationed there on his motorcycle, along with an automatic weapon.

It was so out of the ordinary for this part of the country and the sight took away the autumn beauty of the Midwest. However, Dubya never touches anything without tainting it...

Debbie Pryce Gold Digger Deb's not going over so well with her minority constuients these days either. Creative political ad, sure to be a classic in political campaign history.

Prissy told those republicans two years ago they would be looking at losing the election if they refused to change course. But what does she know?

Time Republican incumbent Deborah Pryce faces an uphill battle in her bellwether midwestern district

Hot Links

McPaper House approves warrantless wiretap law

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., that give legal status under certain conditions to Bush's warrantless wiretapping of calls and e-mails between people on U.S. soil making calls or sending e-mails and those in other countries.

Under the measure, the president would be authorized to conduct such wiretaps if he:

• Notifies the House and Senate intelligence committees and congressional leaders.

• Believes an attack is imminent and later explains the reason and names the individuals and groups involved.

• Renews his certification every 90 days.

The neorepublicans need this. Because when people find out how they have misused this, the outrage will go round the world.

Pipa Most Iraqis Want US Troops Out Within a Year Say US Presence Provoking More Conflict Than it is Preventing

WaPo via RAW Story Ashcroft Is Denied Immunity in Case

A federal judge in Idaho has ruled that former attorney general John D. Ashcroft can be held personally responsible for the wrongful detention of a U.S. citizen arrested as a "material witness" in a terrorism case.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, in a ruling issued late Wednesday, dismissed claims by the Justice Department that Ashcroft and other officials should be granted immunity from claims by a former star college football player arrested at Dulles International Airport in 2003.

Attorneys for the plaintiff in the civil suit, Abdullah al-Kidd, said the decision raises the possibility that Ashcroft could be forced to testify or turn over records about the government's use of the material witness law, a cornerstone of its controversial legal strategy after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Justice Department officials did not respond to telephone messages yesterday seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Ashcroft also did not respond to requests for comment.

Uh, oh- the neorepublican dam just cracked.

CNN Oliver Stone: 'I'm ashamed for my country'

"If there had been a better sense of preparation, if we had a leadership that was more mature," he said. "We did not fight back in the same way that the British fought the IRA or the Spanish government fought the Basques here. Terrorism is a manageable action. It can be lived with," said Stone.

Stone rejected allegations that U.S. authorities may have known about the attacks in advance and said the real conspiracy came after.

"I think that conspiracy-mongering on 9/11 is a waste of time," he said. "The far greater conspiracy occurred after 9/11 when basically a neo-cabal inside our government hijacked policy and went to war. That was as broad a conspiracy as we can get and it was about 20, 30 people. That's all, they took over and all these books are coming out and they are pointing it out," said Stone.

"This war on Iraq is a disaster. I'm disgraced. I'm ashamed for my country," he said. "I'm also ashamed that America has attacked itself with its constitutional breakdowns. I'm deeply ashamed."

Kind of strange for the man who produced JFK to be put off by conspiracy...Prissy is more embarrassed than ashamed for them.

Al- Jazeera Russians face spy charges in Georgia

Four Russian military officers have been charged with spying in Georgia, and will be put on trial later in the day.

Espionage charges have been officially filed against the four men who were detained on Wednesday, said Shota Khizanishvili, spokesman for the interior minister.

Russia has recalled its ambassador from Tbilisi and started evacuating some officials after Georgia announced the arrests of four GRU (Russian army intelligence) officers and more than 10 Georgian citizens.

World Can't Wait Torture Law Prof. Yoo Confronted with Protest

Beginning outside Boalt Hall at 8 am, protestors clad in dark hoods and orange jumpsuits reenacted the shocking scenes of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay against a backdrop of 10 large images depicting the torture occurring at Abu Ghraib. Meanwhile, Salvadoran torture victim Carlos Mauricio spoke boldly out against Yoo, the war and the scores of crimes committed against humanity by the Bush Regime. The students and professors passing in and out of the building where Yoo teaches were confronted with the fact "Your government is openly torturing people and justifying it", and that it is urgent to act now against it.

Later the demonstration moved inside Boalt Hall, in the vicinity of Yoo's class where it was in session, Students and teachers were encouraged to get involved with the World Can't Wait and speak out against a Regime that supports torture and other crimes against humanity.

Students demonstrate against Yoo and his torture memo...it takes a special mind to think of acceptable ways to torture other human beings.

Get involved in an Oct 5th World Can't Wait demonstration near you Drive Out the Bush Regime

On October 5, people everywhere will walk out of school, take off work, and come to the downtowns & townsquares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: "NO! THIS REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!"

What's happening in Ohio? World Can't Wait Ohio

This state org has a corrections officers, veterans and other tough guys involved who know what's going on and will peacefully demand change. Prissy stresses the "peaceful" label-unlike Dubya, they don't wish to lose their credibility...

Military.com AWOL Soldier Surrenders

Army Spec. Agustin Aguayo, 34, turned himself in around 6 p.m. at Fort Irwin, an Army base in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles, said Army spokesman Ken Drylie.

"It is the right thing to do," said Aguayo at a news conference in Los Angeles hours before going to the base. "I'm not a deserter or a coward."

Aguayo said he expected to face a court martial and some jail time.

"It's something I can live with," he said. "Something I can't live with is being a participant of war anymore."

Unfortunately, an Army Spec. doesn't have the legal standing to resist the illegal orders of a superior, even though Gen Peter Pace is on tape saying that all soldiers have that duty. Prissy wonders if he would say that in court. See below for an officer who took his oath to uphold the constitution and Geneva seriously.

Update on Lt. Watada, an officer who took a stand. If this war is put to the legal test, it cannot win. Thank You Lt. Watada Lt. Watada's father will be speaking at the World Can't Wait event.

Send a note to support the Lt. Mail to:

Commanding General

Fort Lewis and I Corps

Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik

Bldg 2025 Stop 1

Fort Lewis WA 98433

Lt. Gen. Dubik can be reached via his aide at 253-967-0022, and/or call the Ft. Lewis switchboard at 253-967-1110. We are aware that these numbers often refer "Lt. Watada's supporters" to the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office at 206-967-7166.

When writing, please consider a handwritten letter on stationary (if available) posted via express or priority mail for additional impact and timely delivery. We expect that Lt. Gen. Dubik will soon issue his decision, but there is no required timeline. Do not delay and take action today. The contact address and phone numbers for Lt. Gen. Dubik may change over the course of this action alert, so check www.ThankYouLt.org for these and other updates.

Why Jack Brought down the House...ReutersAbramoff had more White House ties

The report by the House Government Reform Committee, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, said the panel found about 485 contacts between Abramoff and his associations and the White House, including 10 with Karl Rove, who is President George W. Bush's top political adviser.

The committee based its findings on 14,000 pages of e-mails and billing records spanning three years ending in 2003, the committee report said.

The White House challenged the credibility of the report, saying it was based on material originally generated by Abramoff. Abramoff and associates have pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and related crimes in an influence-peddling scandal that reached into the U.S. Congress.

"The billing records that are the basis for this report are widely regarded as fraudulent in how they misrepresent Abramoff's activities and level of access. There is no reason why they should suddenly be viewed as credible," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

The Australian Bush says critics swayed by propaganda

"Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war against us. They are at war against us because they hate everything America stands for,'' said the president.

A day after explicitly labelling Democrats "the party of cut and run", and saying they "offer nothing but criticism, obstruction and endless second-guessing", Mr Bush never referred to the opposition party by name.

Instead, he referred to anonymous naysayers he dubbed "the critics'' as he accused them of being wrong about the multinational effort to stabilise Afghanistan and rout the Taliban militia ousted by US-led forces in late 2001.

"From the beginning, American people have heard the critics say we're failing. But the reasons keep changing,'' he said.

That's right Dubya, you shafted any notion of just war as soon as you loaded the planes with lies. He meant the reasons he failed keep changing.

Secrecy News Bush Uses Signing Statements to Leverage Power from Congress, CRS Says

"The broad and persistent nature of the claims of executive authority forwarded by President Bush appear designed to inure [i.e., to accustom] Congress, as well as others, to the belief that the President in fact possesses expansive and exclusive powers upon which the other branches may not intrude," the CRS report stated.

It follows that "the appropriate focus of congressional concern should center not on the issuance of signing statements themselves, but on the broad assertions of presidential authority forwarded by Presidents and the substantive actions taken to establish that authority."

The CRS study, written by T.J. Halstead, provides abundant information on the history of presidential signing statements, describes their limited impact on the judicial process, critiques a recent American Bar Association report on the subject, and more.

Like other CRS products, this study has not been made directly available to the public by CRS. A copy was obtained by Secrecy News

Quotes of the Day

"Can you imagine what our enemies think of us right now?" "The deterrent value of what we've accomplished far overshadows the direct results."-- Douglas Feith, former Undersecretary of Defense, one of the "Architects" for the war in Iraq and oblivious to human suffering neocon

“The judge is condemned when the criminal is acquitted”--Publilius Syrus quotes (Roman author, 1st century B.C.)

“Who are beneficiaries of the Court's protection? Members of various minorities including criminals, atheists, homosexuals, flag burners, illegal immigrants (including terrorists), convicts, and pornographers”--Patrick Buchanan...he forgot to say "innocent people wrongly accused."

“If we cut up beasts simply because they cannot prevent us and because we are backing our own side in the struggle for existence, it is only logical to cut up imbeciles, criminals, enemies, or capitalists for the same reasons.”--C.S. Lewis quotes (British Scholar and Novelist. 1898-1963)

“To declare that in the administration of criminal law the end justifies the means to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure conviction of a private criminal would bring terrible retribution.”--Louis D. Brandeis quotes (American Supreme Court Justice, 1856-1941)

An October Surprise for Team Bush

Although Karl Rove may think the October surprise he has lined up will be the ultimate GOP Halloween kool-aid feast, Prissy thinks that pesky CIA Leak case is bound to get in his way...

From Prissy's Inbox:

The White House confirmed Bush will travel to Cincinnati on Monday for a private fundraiser for Sen. Mike DeWine. People are also invited to join Bush at a Sept. 28 fundraiser in New Albany, Ohio, for Rep. Deborah Pryce, according a copy of the invitation.

Recent polls show DeWine in a close race with Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown, and Pryce, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House, has acknowledged her race against Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy is her toughest in 14 years in the House.

Both Republican candidates have emphasized their independence from their party in TV ads this year. That has been less of a focus in ads lately, however, as Bush's national approval ratings have crept back up around 40 percent.

Bush's visits will bracket one by his wife, Laura, who is to be in Granville, 26 miles east of Columbus, on Tuesday to raise money for state Sen. Joy Padgett, who replaced Rep. Bob Ney in another closely watched House race.

Hot Links

Chicago Suntimes- OpEd Bush seeks immunity for violating War Crimes Act by former Congresswoman, Attorney ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN September 23, 2006

Avoiding prosecution under the War Crimes Act has been an obsession of this administration since shortly after 9/11. In a January 2002 memorandum to the president, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales pointed out the problem of prosecution for detainee mistreatment under the War Crimes Act. He notes that given the vague language of the statute, no one could predict what future ''prosecutors and independent counsels'' might do if they decided to bring charges under the act. As an author of the 1978 special prosecutor statute, I know that independent counsels (who used to be called ''special prosecutors'' prior to the statute's reauthorization in 1994) aren't for low-level government officials such as CIA interrogators, but for the president and his Cabinet. It is clear that Gonzales was concerned about top administration officials.

Gonzales also understood that the specter of prosecution could hang over top administration officials involved in detainee mistreatment throughout their lives. Because there is no statute of limitations in cases where death resulted from the mistreatment, prosecutors far into the future, not appointed by Bush or beholden to him, would be making the decisions whether to prosecute.

To ''reduce the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act,'' Gonzales recommended that Bush not apply the Geneva Conventions to al-Qaida and the Taliban. Since the War Crimes Act carried out the Geneva Conventions, Gonzales reasoned that if the Conventions didn't apply, neither did the War Crimes Act. Bush implemented the recommendation on Feb. 7, 2002.

When the Supreme Court recently decided that the Conventions did apply to al-Qaida and Taliban detainees, the possibility of criminal liability for high-level administration officials reared its ugly head again.

Project on Government Oversight POGO Disgusted by Reports of Retaliation Against Interior Department Auditors

MMS announced last month that STRAC, which has repeatedly highlighted shortcomings with MMS’ auditing standards, can no longer hold meetings unless an official from MMS is present. Members of Congress wrote to the Interior Department on August 31, 2006 , concluding that “MMS is retaliating against STRAC … for voicing its concerns to Congress about dysfunction in the royalty management program.” Follow the link to view a copy of the Members’ letter.

In the meantime, MMS has cut its auditing and staff by 26% since 2001 according to written testimony from the Project On Government Oversight last week. As a result, MMS audit collections are at an historic all-time low (follow this link to view testimony).

A story from today’s New York Times also describes how MMS auditors were ignored and retaliated against for trying to collect unpaid royalties from oil and gas companies.

“Apparently, the Interior Department is again trying to muzzle complaints about its poor track record instead of actually solving its problems,’ noted Beth Daley , POGO ’s director of investigations.

Scooter's Bad Memory Defense Shot Down by Fitz

Contrary to defendant’s contention, the proposed testimony would not assist the jury in understanding or determining the facts in issue in this case. As set forth above, the jury in this case will be charged with determining whether the information defendant provided to the investigators and the grand jury was accurate and, if not, whether defendant’s inaccurate statements and testimony were the product of innocent mistakes or deliberate lies. Neither the proposed testimony regarding the workings of memory, nor the proposed testimony regarding the absence of a correlation between confidence and accuracy, will assist the jury in distinguishing between accurate and inaccurate memories, or assessing the competing recollections of defendant and the government’s witnesses (see Mem.10).

More importantly, the proposed testimony will provide the jury with no assistance in distinguishing between inaccurate memories and deliberate lies. The proposed testimony merely provides a scientific explanation for the processes by which defendant misremembered – if he misremembered. However, details regarding how defendant may have misremembered do not make it “more plausible” that defendant innocently relayed incorrect information, rather than deliberately lied.

Accordingly, the proposed testimony does not “fit” the issues of the case, and would not be helpful to the trier of fact.

We must hand it to Scooter, his memory serves well to allow his lies to be so consistent...

Now we're talkin' OpEd News VT Cong Candidate Calls for Arrest of Bush & Cheney by U.S. Military

Former Army Lieutenant and a candidate for Congress in VT, Dennis Morrisseau of W. Pawlet, today called for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Cheney by the American military "if necessary" to prevent an unauthorized attack upon the nation of Iran.

"American forces are apparently already active inside Iran, and Naval forces have received orders to deploy to that country," Morrisseau said. "The President has NO AUTHORITY to attack the nation of Iran whatsoever, in the absence of a full, formal Declaration of War on Iran by the sitting Congress," Morrisseau said. He said any order for an attack upon Iran or to deploy naval forces to its coastal waters is illegal, and called upon officers of the American military to "First, refuse to obey such an order. If the president persists and insists on ordering our forces into combat in or over Iran without a formal Declaration of War, then I call upon you, General Pace,as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and upon such other military officers as clearly see their duty in these circumstances to detain both the President and Vice President, until such time as the Congress shall act."

Morrisseau, a Congressional candidate who was court-martialled for opposition to the Vietnam War in 1968, said he has written to General Pace to ask for the intervention of the military. "In spite of my opposition to the Vietnam War and the court-martial which we ultimately defeated, I was a good soldier who had the respect of my superior officers throughout the ordeal. And they had mine!" Morrisseau said. "There are many many, very, very decent people in the active duty military. I know this," he said "---people who love their country and democracy too, and hate war."

Prissy is no rocket scientist, but she'd say the neorepublicans have endangered themselves...more of this to come- and these are the non-violent folks.

Prissy will hazard a guess that the violent ones will be much better organized...they probably have no intention of being arrested, either. And no Uncle Sam, Prissy doesn't know them-she prefers to hang with the non-violent crowd. The food is better...GNN TVAntiwar Push Starts Near White House; 34 Arrested

A group of ministers, veterans and peace activists attempted to deliver a “declaration of peace” to the White House yesterday, kicking off a week of vigils and other activities in 350 communities across the country calling for the prompt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Thirty-four people were arrested here and charged with disorderly conduct after they demanded to speak with President Bush, then refused to leave the west gate of the White House. As part of an initiative of more than 400 groups, many of them religiously affiliated, the activists said they had to “bear moral witness” against the U.S. military role in Iraq.

(supporting war for gain since 1963)

Flashback- or "gee where do all those suicide bombers come from?" Cars stolen in US used in suicide attacks

Cracking the car-theft rings and tracing the cars could help identify insurgent leaders and shut down one of the means used to attack the US-led coalition and the Iraqi Government, the officials said.

The inquiry began after coalition troops raided a Falluja bomb factory last November and found a Texas-registered four-wheel-drive being prepared for a bombing mission. Investigators said there were several other cases where vehicles evidently stolen in the US wound up in Syria or other Middle Eastern countries and ultimately in the hands of Iraqi insurgent groups, including al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Investigators believed the cars were stolen by local car thieves in US cities, then smuggled to waiting ships at ports in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, among other cities. Terrorism specialists said they believed Iraqi insurgents preferred American stolen cars because they tended to be larger, blended in more easily with US convoys, and were harder to identify as stolen.

Bullfeathers, as Granny says. Remember this article? Reuters already removed it...but Bellacaio has it: Iraq: American Contractor Arrested with Explosives in Car March Tuesday 14th 2006

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An American described as a security contractor arrested by police in a northern Iraqi town was carrying weapons in his car, a provincial official said.

Abdullah Jebara, the Deputy Governor of Salahaddin province, told Reuters the man was arrested in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit on Monday. He was removed from the provincial government building by U.S. forces on Tuesday, Jebara said.

The Joint Coordination Center between the U.S. and Iraqi military in Tikrit said the man, whom it described as a security contractor working for a private company, possessed explosives which were found in his car. It said he was arrested on Tuesday.

The man, driving a BMW, was stopped by police for violating a daytime curfew in Tikrit, a security source said. American security personnel rarely travel alone.

Let's not forget the two Brits dressed in Arab clothing, also driving a Toyota Cressida full of explosives. Not an American made-the Japanese last made the mid-size Cressida in 1992.

The two were arrested by Iraqi police-the ones coalition forces got out of the Iraqi jail using tanks...But Dubya said all our missions are in collusion with the Iraqi forces...

USA Media Monitors Caught red-handed :: British Undercover Operatives in Iraq

So, based on the methodology of their Regiment, the two British SAS operatives were in Iraq to “penetrate the enemy and be the enemy,” in order of course to “beat the enemy.” Instead of beating the enemy, however, they ended up fomenting massive chaos and killing innocent people, a familiar pattern for critical students of the British role in the Northern Ireland conflict.

In November 2004 [9], a joint statement was released on several Islamist websites on behalf of al-Qaeda’s man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and Saddam Hussein’s old Ba’ath Party loyalists. Zarqawi’s network had “joined other extremist Islamists and Saddam Hussein’s old Baath party to threaten increased attacks on US-led forces.” Zarqawi’s group said they signed “the statement written by the Iraqi Baath party, not because we support the party or Saddam, but because it expresses the demands of resistance groups in Iraq.” The statement formalized what had been known for a year already – that, as post-Saddam Iraqi intelligence and US military officials told the London Times (9/8/2003) [10], “Al Qaeda terrorists who have infiltrated Iraq from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have formed an alliance with former intelligence agents of Saddam Hussein to fight their common enemy, the American forces.” Al Qaeda leaders “recruit from the pool” of Saddam’s former “security and intelligence officers who are unemployed and embittered by their loss of status.” After vetting, “they begin Al-Qaeda-style training, such as how to make remote-controlled bombs.”

Yet Pakistani military sources [11] revealed in February 2005 that the US has “resolved to arm small militias backed by US troops and entrenched in the population”, consisting of “former members of the Ba’ath Party” – the same people already teamed up with Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda network. In a highly clandestine operation, the US procured “Pakistan-manufactured weapons, including rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, ammunition, rockets and other light weaponry.” A Pakistani military analyst noted that the “arms could not be destined for the Iraqi security forces because US arms would be given to them.” Rather, the US is playing a double-game to “head off” the threat of a “Shi’ite clergy-driven religious movement” – in other words, to exacerbate the deterioration of security by penetrating, manipulating and arming the terrorist insurgency.

What could be the end-game of such a covert strategy? The view on-the-ground [12] in Iraq, among both Sunnis and Shi’ites, is worth noting. Sheikh Jawad al-Kalesi, the Shi’ite Imam of the al-Kadhimiyah mosque in Baghdad, told Le Monde: “I don’t think that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi exists as such. He’s simply an invention by the occupiers to divide the people.” Iraq’s most powerful Sunni Arab religious authority, the Association of Muslim Scholars, concurs, condemning the call to arms against Shi’ites as a “very dangerous” phenomenon that “plays into the hands of the occupier who wants to split up the country and spark a sectarian war.” In colonial terms, the strategy is known as “divide and rule.”

Nice going, Dubya...

Khaleej Times Iraq leaders take breathing space on regions row In other words, they agreed to put off any real decision making for another 18 months...meanwhile:

For the second day in a row, the Iraqi army announced the capture of a person it described as a leader of an insurgent group, in this case a leader of the western Baghdad wing of the nationalist group the 1920 Revolution Brigades.

The authorities did not identify the suspect and, as is often the case, it was not possible to verify whether he was as important as they said.

And...Washington has focused its security efforts on Baghdad, bringing in troops from other parts of the country for a six-week-old crackdown in the capital.

A division of 15,000 American troops have swept through scattered neighbourhoods and say they have reduced killings in those areas. However, the military acknowledges that killings in the city as a whole have “spiked” in the past two weeks and attacks on US forces have increased.

RAW Story Senator Majority Leader Frist refuses to discuss specific CIA interrogation techniques

Appearing on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist refused to talk about specific CIA interrogation techniques, claiming that it would "help the terrorists."

Frist fancies himself a southern gentleman, but he surely is not...

Glenn Greewald flashback (updated) Bill Frist threatens to re-structure the Intelligence Committee in order to block NSA hearings

Marvel at the desperate and truly radical means which Frist is invoking in order to block an investigation into the Administration's warrantless eavesdropping program. To threaten to abolish the 30-year-old consensus for how the Senate Intelligence Committee functions – all in order to protect the Bush Administration from scrutiny and oversight – is truly extraordinary, and is unquestionably the conduct of individuals who are seeking to prevent scrutiny in order to conceal wrongdoing. Such threats are particularly unfathomable in light of the fact that the motion for hearings will pass only if it has the support of Republicans on the Committee.

This should be used in the Bush/Cheney indictment-this says it ALL. Please get this around the net. Military Veterans for 911 Truth Sergeant Lauro "LJ" Chavez, 9/11 Whistle Blower Speaks Out to the Editor of the Cincinnati Post. Note to Post: Prissy will add you to the lawsuit if you fail to tell the truth-yet AGAIN. A must read for Prissy's Dearest Readers.

I felt it necessary to follow up to a recent story that was published in Cincinnati Post. It was the 1 in 3 believe 9-11 conspiracy theory. I must admit that at first I was overwhelmed with joy that our local paper was actually starting to have real journalism and talk about real issues. Then I read the story and it was a total debunk to make the actual people around the world who feel there was something not right about 9-11, to look like over reacting conspiracy theorists.

Honestly I could care less what is done with this letter, but I feel that I should speak my mind and Ill tell you some things that I have not told many people at all. From 1995 till 2002 I was a Sergeant in the United States Army. Not only this, but I was stationed at United States Central Command, which is located at MacDill AFB in Tampa Florida. I was on active duty when 9-11 happened. In the days prior to the tragedies, we were involved in many exercises. Some of these exercises included the scenarios of hijacked planes crashing into, our building the world trade center, the White House, Sears Tower, and the Pentagon. These drills or exercises as we called them, where classified Top Secret. Having a Top Secret rated clearance I was dumbfounded that they would ever push a training exercise above the level of Secret. Over my 8 years in the Army, I had participated in many exercises around the world, none of which were ever classified over the Secret level.

I'll start by saying a few months prior it was announced by President Bush that Dick Cheney would be heading up operations over NORAD our North American Aerospace Defense Command. Along with many of my peers, we were shocked. Over the years, if you research NORAD, it has always been under the command of a Military officer. It was done this way because the defense of this country has always been in the hands of such. Prior to the months before 9-11 this was all of the sudden changed. Like I said, if you research NORAD and the command structure you will find that it was imposed long ago that the military should be in control of the order to scramble planes in the defense of American air space. For some strange reason, Bush changed this and gave that power to a civilian person on his Staff team yes I know, very interesting.

Back to the morning of 9-11; the command was busy with this training exercise. We were instructed to bring all our gear in to prep for a mock (staged) deployment to the Middle East. On the morning of 9-11 I had been on base prepped and ready to go since about 0400am. During my time at the base that morning, they were setting up barriers around the command and placing gun posts on the roofs. When I questioned one of the security officers about the machine gun and shoulder fired rockets on the roof I was given the answer its a precaution for a plane attempting to crash into this building.

The Age Exhausted British troops 'reduced to tears'

British troops in Afghanistan are exhausted and desperately short of helicopters, and there is no sign the casualty rate will fall, according to accounts from officers on the front line.

The reports, including a leaked email describing the Royal Air Force as "useless", put the UK Government under fresh pressure over whether it adequately prepared troops for the hostile south of the country.

It was revealed yesterday that a paratroop major, James Loden, described British forces as desperately short of reinforcements and helicopters and berated the RAF for being "utterly, utterly useless". In leaked emails, he referred to an attack when the pilot of a Harrier fighter bomber fired rockets closer to British troops on the ground than the enemy. "A female Harrier pilot 'couldn't identify the target', fired two phosphorus rockets that just missed our own compound so that we thought they were incoming RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), and then strafed our perimeter, missing the enemy by 200 metres," Major Loden said.

Quotes of the Day

“Could I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace, I would gladly yield every honor which has been accorded me in war”--Douglas MacArthur,American General who commanded the Southwest Pacific Theatre in World War II, 1880-1964

“One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.” --Douglas MacArthur

“I have known war as few men now living know it. It's very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.”--Douglas MacArthur

“Part of the American dream is to live long and die young. Only those Americans who are willing to die for their country are fit to live.”--Douglas MacArthur quote

What would MacArthur say about this "president?"

“Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind” --Douglas MacArthur

Democracys Last Stand at the DC Coral

Prissy will give fair warning today- unlike this current form of anti-American government. What she witnessed in Washington and read in the latest international news has her on the warpath toward demanding her birthright-the Constitution- from this government.

If this gang of thugs deprive us of our votes this November, expect massive civil disobedience in the streets. Old folks and our young people will be out in force, demanding our rights.

The angry young'uns will be burning things down in Prissy's opinion-keeping in mind she has worked with thousands of juvenile delinquents...How can we say they have no justification toward the anger of having their futures stolen ?

Note to politicians: It is becoming more and more difficult to convince young people laws should be followed when they see "leaders" flagrantly breaking them in front of the entire world-and then changing laws for crimes they commit retroactively. Leaders continue upon this course at their own peril.

Note to our justifiably angry young people- please stick to the non-violent tactics for now. As tempting as it may be to meet their violence against us head on, it would make us no better than them. We wish to prove most people want peace, even in the face of vehement disagreement. If defensive force must be used to take back our stolen government, that is the responsibility of our military-what's left of it anyway...

As

Constant points out, this cabal has left the United States open to intervention from foreign nations-purely from a legal standpoint.

The stunning lack of character and integrity tolerated in our officials, A.K.A. public servants and in some military brass, cannot continue indefinitely. They will find themselves answering for their continued destruction to the security of the United States-and the world. Thus, their scramble to legalize what the cabal have already committed under the guise of national security. Their catch all phrase didn't work for Nixon, either.

Prissy isn't gunning for her Dearest Readers, of course-but all of those who are in a position to stop what is happening and yet repeatedly do nothing, watching "Survivor" and preferring to look the other way.

The populace, as a whole-acts as though they are Dubya's abused children; while they may know Daddy Dubya is "no good", the fear is now ingrained into them as to when he will next raise his hand to rebuke them.

Be thankful to those true survivors, educated long ago in dealing with these bullies-as they know what to do with them. The world knows too, as their own history have witnessed such bullies rising to power, controlling the populace for a while-until they suffered the agonizing, but inevitable defeat. This bully has but one "friend" in this fight-Israel- and Prissy assures you they cannot and will not come to our rescue. No one looks forward to the chaos sure to ensue.

Say what you will about Dick Nixon, but he was at least cognizant enough to know when to step down. These goons are delusional- Prissy has been told by several evangelicals, this cabal is demon possessed.

Perhaps we should be calling a priest, instead of a prosecutor. The national security for the people of the United States (or anyplace else) was never a concern for these neorepublicans. It was of course all about money and power.

Their own personal safety is another story...their enemies are now many. Even once loyal allies hold them in disdain, even if they are too polite to say it aloud.

While other invasions such as Vietnam were just as foolish and just as destructive to the principals of our nation, this war brings with it a major difference.

The vindictive souls currently in charge, have enough weaponry (conventional and nuclear) at their disposal to kill each of us twelve times. (A true statistic!) They now have the ability make the earth uninhabitable for generations yet to come, if not destroy it completely. All out nuclear war would poison the water and food supply, as well as the air.

Keep in mind this Bush league has tossed out the "Mutual Assured Destruction theory" of warfare. If Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is as half as crazy as Bush, Rummy, Pace and Abizaid claim he is, we are in really big trouble.

Pace and Abizaid have completely abdicated their duty to the Constitution in favor of their civilian leader. How they have personally cheapened the knight in shining armor role our soldiers should be by forcing them in this illegal war.

However, they are foolish to believe they alone will escape the punishment of their continued course of highly illegal actions.

The president of Iran may or may not be "in their league." Prissy hasn't personally met him and cannot say.

But Prissy will say this; if there is a violent bully her neighborhood-one that already beat up her neighbors- she won't wait until he starts pounding relentlessly at the door, to load the gun. She'll be ready for him when he kicks that door in.

Likewise will Iran, Syria or any other country feeling the threat of Bushco. Bush has already proved pre-emptive, incompetently executed wars are his specialty and probably his legacy. Oh he would like to blame the military for his blunders, but we all know the tone is set at the top. This former AWOL soldier has bragged about his "commander-in-chief" status as a "war president" once too often.

Our top military brass submitting to him are fools too, if they think they should continue to follow his orders. Orders not only contrary to our own American standards, laws and treaties- including what Amnesty International calls human decency. The same Amnesty International they have all quoted like a broken record, when referring to Saddam-pre-invasion, that is.

This cabal has every desire to break the military and replace them with mercenaries. They haven't sworn an oath to uphold the constitution...

Dubya always wants to take the low road- the cheaters way-as he has done his entire life. (See MBA majors more likely to cheat-who needed a study to verify this? Look at the world of Wall Street for further examples)

Prissy will never be ashamed to call herself an American. But the shame this band of brotherhood will carry all of their days was their willingness to sell out their fellow citizens, our soldiers and the American way of life for profit.

Prissy saw a Vietnam vet at Camp Democracy, wearing a pin which said "I took George Bush Jr.'s place in Vietnam." Indeed...so many did.

Gloomy Outlook From Anwar Province In Iraq or why its time to leave and allow the Iraqi people to run their own country without Dubya's meddling...

PrissyBalls seemed to go over rather well at the House of representatives. No one threw Prissy out, dressed in an original 1966 hot pink suit, complete with pill box hat. Sure she got a few hostile looks, mostly from women. Perhaps they thought Prissy was unaware she was wearing outdated clothing...the men, oddly enough smiled. They "got it."

Indeed ladies, it was a joke- a costume if you will. Prissy is sure they must have been republicans, because her lady dem friends embraced the idea wholeheartedly. But its nearly common knowledge republican women with a sense of humor are in short supply. It's no wonder, can't completely blame the dears...Prissy blames their men!

Maybe this is a symptom of spending too much time with republican men that prefer hookers, opposed to their wives...or someone like mAnn Coulter. And let's face it, what kind of woman can compete with that?

Hot Links

Military News-Ohio has at least one National Guard battalion and Army reserve unit scheduled to step off in Afghanistan in 2007, leaving Ohio wide open without protection once again. In May of 2005, we had a mere 12% of the guard left in the state-mostly older guys with back problems and high blood pressure. Now they go too...There are about twenty US "military advisers" of high rank currently in Iran.

Reuters Pentagon dismisses September 11 intelligence claims

Former unit members and Weldon have held for more than a year that Able Danger discovered intelligence in 2000 on Atta and others that should have been a tip-off of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and led to the Bush administration's war on terrorism.

Shaffer has said Pentagon lawyers prevented the team from warning the FBI. Others associated with Able Danger, including the team's former leader, Navy Capt. Scott Phillpott, have made statements similar to Shaffer's.

According to the inspector's report, investigators interviewed four witnesses who claimed to have seen a chart depicting Atta and possibly other terrorists or "cells" involved in the attacks.

In addition, the inspector general concluded that the destruction of Able Danger documents was appropriate and complied with regulations and the data-mining program was not shuttered prematurely.

Weldon tried, but they went after him too. It is never a surprise when someone gives in to the Bushies. Tony Schaffer is a brave patriot and this is another case of Bushco dirty deeds against a truth teller. Prissy shudders to think what all will be discovered when the cabal is gone, considering what they have already been responsible for. It would be incidents such as these which make Prissy lose much patience with Fitz' and the snails pace of his case.

Good Lord Fitz, Prissy has enough unclassified information on her site to charge them-surely you have everything you need and then some by now. Like Nike says "Just Do IT!"

During her talk at Camp Democracy, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth del la Vega said she could potentially charge them , based on publicly available information, with "intent to defraud the United States government based upon the war in Iraq."

Via RAW Pentagon: Secret Unit Couldn't Stop 9/11

Able Danger couldn't stop 9/11, the Aug 6 PDB couldn't stop it- nor could the numerous foreign intelligence agencies which also warned of impending attack- because this administration either did not care or they wanted it to happen. If one looks at the "Project for the New American Century" conclusions are obvious...

Sure they could be drug out in front of the Hague-but the international criminal court does not allow the death penalty. All Prissy is saying is there are some very limited cases which cry out for just such a penalty...

Geocities- Listen to General Peter Pace's mouth tell us soldiers have a DUTY to disobey illegal and/or immoral orders...so what is HE waiting for? Peter Pace talks out of the side of his mouth regarding illegal orders

Findlaw Thoughts on the "Bringing Terrorists to Justice Act of 2006" by John Dean

When the use of tribunals was first suggested in 2001, I was among those who thought it a sound concept. The devil, however, arrived later with the details. It never occurred to me (and most people) that Bush & Co. would design a system more befitting a totalitarian state than a democratic nation that once led the world by its good example. Nor was it anticipated that Bush would play endless politics with terrorism.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the makeshift, draconian procedures that the Bush Administration employed for military tribunals. Not unexpectedly, the high Court's ruling in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld closed down the tribunals. Hamdan also provided a blueprint for the type of system that would pass constitutional muster, thus providing both the Administration and the Congress with guidelines that would get the job done.

The Court found many problems with Bush's tribunals, in Hamdan: There was no legal basis for their existence, given that they had been created by order of the president without Congressional authority. In charging Hamdan with the crime of conspiracy, they had created an offense unknown to the laws of war. Moreover, and most fundamentally, the tribunals ignored the standards of the Geneva Conventions.

It is some kind of sick neorepublican joke to hear Gonzo wax on about the "vagueness of Geneva". How odd that in fifty years, not one other lawyer has complained of Geneva being "vague" -but Prissy bets most lawyers have tried at least one case, unlike Gonzo...

This is one more example regarding how Gonzo's legal system treats honest people. Its a shame Gonzo ever got to do more with his life than picking vegetables. At least then he would not have harmed so many...Chief Chambers can finally appeal her case to a Federal Appeals Court Bitterly Divided Board Split on Validity of Charges and Whistleblower Protection

The MSPB majority rejected whistleblower and First Amendment defenses, devoting only one paragraph to its reasoning as to why it decided the removal was justified. The dissent, by contrast, found Ms. Chambers’ comments to be protected under federal whistleblower law. Moreover, the dissent found that every one of the four remaining administrative charges against Ms. Chambers (two had been rejected in an earlier ruling) were either not supported by the evidence or were actions not constituting any offense at all.

“We will immediately and vigorously pursue an appeal of this extremely questionable ruling,” stated PEER General Counsel Richard Condit, a lawyer for Chambers, noting that the Board majority took nearly 18 months to issue its barely 24-page decision. “If this ruling is allowed to stand, it will be much more difficult for civil servants to report security breakdowns free from official reprisal – a development that will leave this country far less secure.”

The legal issues in the Chambers case revolve around whether a federal employee can be fired for telling the truth in the absence of explicit rules barring disclosure. The case marks the first time that a new category of “law enforcement sensitive” information has been used as a basis for discipline. In addition, the case involves the right of federal employees to communicate with Congress.

The MSPB majority decision ignored a number of the more than 40 legal errors raised in Chambers’ petition. The majority also skipped over consideration of whether the charges against Chambers are even offenses that merit discipline.

LA Times Bush Bows to Senators on Detainees The White House agrees to new rules banning the most controversial CIA tactics but allowing a secret interrogation program to continue.

In a major concession to Arizona Sen. John McCain and other Republicans, the administration dropped its efforts to have Congress redefine U.S. obligations under the Geneva Convention. The compromise bill in effect bans the most controversial CIA interrogation tactics, including water boarding, a form of simulated drowning, said those involved in the negotiations.

At the same time, the agreement gives Bush the legal protections he said were needed to preserve a secret CIA interrogation program. The compromise bill would allow Bush the latitude to employ interrogation tactics which go beyond legal limits set for the U.S. military.

Both McCain and Bush hailed the agreement, saying their most important priorities had been met.

"There is no doubt that the integrity and letter and spirit of the Geneva Conventions have been preserved," McCain said after hours of closed-door, often tense negotiations.

Legal protections to cover their rears-but Prissy hopes that still won't be enough. Torture is wrong, the military has many studies disproving it as a means of eliciting accurate information.

Seattle Times U.S. troop numbers in Iraq not likely to drop soon

In recent days, U.S. military commanders have delivered a bleak message about Iraq: The number of American troops there is not likely to be substantially reduced anytime soon.

Yet the force may have been strained near the breaking point by frequent deployments to the region, say experts. That means in the months to come, the Pentagon could face increased pressure to expand the size of the active-duty Army, or rely even more heavily on call-ups of National Guard and Reserve units.

Recruiting more soldiers would take time. But any kind of action might be welcomed by those already in uniform, many of whom have served multiple tours of duty in the Middle East. "As a matter of fairness, we should be trying to help these people," says Michael O'Hanlon, a military expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Well, at least the folks at the Brookings Institute care about our soldiers...

TBR too interesting not to print... and no one has proved him wrong yet. Voice of the White House Sept 19 2006

Washington, D.C., September 19, 2006:” I recall some time back, when a light plane strayed into the “Forbidden Zone” around the White House, a panic evacuation of the staff was hilarious to watch. All kinds of panting chubbies, clutching pictures of Mom or their favorite plant, waddled away from the supposedly doomed Monkey Palace, tongues out, eyes bulging with fright. Now, everything is reversed. Now the fear-crazed ones are rushing into the White House, babbling with animal fear. A stray plane? No, the perception (rarely spoken of before) that the GOP will for sure lose the House and very probably the Senate in November has raised the equal probability that if the Democrats are successful, many now looting and shoving baskets full of bribe money into their car trunks will end up disgraced and poverty stricken. But Our Beloved Leader, George Bush is in an actual state of acute fear that he might be impeached (likely) and, even more frightening, hauled before the World Court as a war criminal! Joy to contemplate! But George will not be alone. From someone in the French Embassy, I learn that “certain current American supporters” are actually plotting to commit blasphemy and make Bush and his vicious and lunatic cronies pay the price. I was told, partially in jest, that if the IDF dared to invade Lebanon again with French “peacekeepers” in place, they are under orders to return fire and blast the IDF into small pieces. Note that the French have a competent air force and Israel would then get back in spades what they did to the innocent Lebanese civilians. My French friend said, over lunch, that it was fine for Israel to slaughter Arab children and old people in Palestine and Gaza but when they encounter real men, they run away, whimpering. Egypt is being pressured by the Muslim Brotherhood to abrogate their treaty with Israel and join the other Arab states. Hezbollah has, in only a few weeks, proved the IDF to be a paper tiger and paper burns brightly. (See Blake on this)”

GNN The Washington Times? Racist? Sexist?

A nasty succession battle is now heating up at the paper, punctuated by allegations of racism, sexism and unprofessional conduct, that has implications far beyond its fractious newsroom. According to several reliable inside sources, Preston Moon, the youngest son of Korean Unification Church leader and Times financier Sun Myung Moon, has initiated a search committee to find a replacement for editor in chief Wesley Pruden—a replacement who is not Pruden’s handpicked successor, managing editor Francis Coombs.

All of the above...but it takes after its owner.

Demos Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and DJFS Director Barbara Riley Named as Defendants in Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit filed in Cleveland today charges that Ohio's Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, and the Director of its Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS), Barbara Riley, have violated the rights of thousands of low-income Ohioans by failing to provide voter registration opportunities in public assistance offices as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA is a federal law enacted 13 years ago to encourage voter registration and turnout in elections.

The lawsuit, brought by Carrie Harkless, Tameca Mardis and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), alleges that offices of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services failed to provide Ms. Harkless, Ms. Mardis and thousands of other low-income Ohioans with the opportunity to register to vote or change their voter registration address during visits to DJFS offices to apply for or recertify their eligibility for public assistance benefits. Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the National Voting Rights Institute, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Dechert LLP, Brian Mellor of Project Vote, and Cleveland attorney Donna Taylor Kolis.

Mr. Blackwell isn't as popular as his pollsters are paid to say.

ABC Bush 'Taken Aback' by Musharraf Comment

In an interview to air Sunday on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" program, Musharraf said that after the attacks, Richard Armitage, then deputy secretary of state, told Pakistan's intelligence director that the United States would bomb his country if it didn't help fight terrorists.

He said that Armitage had told him, "Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age."

Armitage disputed the language attributed to him but did not deny the message was a strong one, according to CBS.

Dubya, give a vieled threat through one of his hit men? Say it ain't so...Are we to believe Musharraf kept this to himself, all this time?

Quotes of the Day

The Argument from Intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence.--Ayn Rand (1905 - 1982), The Virtue of Selfishness, 1964

He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument.--Chinese Proverb

The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.--Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), The Gay Science, section 19

Truth is truth.To the end of reckoning.--William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "Measure for Measure", Act 5 scene 1

Dubya and Dick, Please Turn Yourself In at the Nearest Police Station

"Cheaters never win" but these cheaters have been on a roll for a long time-most of their lives.

Did you know Rover was actually investigated in Watergate, but it was thought he was "too small a fish" to bother with...not this time.

Prissy looks forward to the next round of Patrick Fitzgerald's indictments...coming soon!

Why Ricky Went AWOL

Sgt. Ricky Clousing is 24 years old. He is a trained Army interrogator with the 82nd Airborne. He spent a year in Iraq, interrogating “insurgents" on the scene, 90% of whom were innocent by his own admission.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing at Camp Democracy

Ricky, like many soldiers was skeptical about the war, but tried to stay focused on his job with the Army. He made Sgt in two and half years. He is college educated.

He received his orders to go to Iraq-about 9 months after the Abu-Grab scandel. He was in Iraq when he began to question his own participation in the war.

He is from Seattle and speaks several different languages.

The first dead body he ever saw was that of an 18-year young man in Iraq. Ricky was on maneuvers with a convoy when the turret gunner suddenly opened up on a slow car, as the young man began driving away in the opposite direction.

He was pulled out of the car by Army medics, through a broken window.

The young sergeant was stunned and in shock and could do nothing but watch as the youth held onto the contents of his stomach, which were falling out and foaming at the mouth. Ricky will never forget the look when this young man looked into his eyes whose eyes were pleading with him, “Why was I shot? What did I do?” The young man died on his way to the hospital. No ones kids are!

Unfortunately, these incidents are not uncommon. During one convey mission, they passed a man crossing the road with his sheep. A gunner in the convey thought it would be funny to shoot a couple of sheep. So he did.

Ricky told about this violation, which could be considered war crimes –or at least a failure to follow the rules of engagement... The Commander put on a display of anger over the incident. Nevertheless, at that time, they swept it under the rug. (1)

Ricky made it home from Iraq, but the experience forever changed him. He began to have gruesome nightmares, common in soldiers returning from war, also a symptom of Posttraumatic stress disorder.

When he went to the military for help, they asked him if he wanted a Conscientious Objector discharge. They told him if he said he was gay, he could get a discharge easily from the military.

The military was hoping he would take one of the deals, since he is the kind of young man who is a very effective speaker and a worthy opponent of this war. However, he felt that would be dishonest, as he is not opposed to all war, only the illegal war and occupation of Iraq.

He was not attempting to get out of the military-he went for help to learn to deal with the incidents he witnessed. He even went to the Chaplin for guidance regarding the barbaric level that our country has reduced itself to…

He felt like he had two options. Stay in the military and accept the grief -or leave. He explained to the military that he could not train people to go to Iraq. He packed his things and left his NC unit...

He took off for 6 months and then called the GI Rights Hotline. He made the decision to turn himself in at Ft. Lewis. They sent him back to Ft. Bragg for court martial. He is facing court martial sentencing in two weeks. Ricky is at peace with his decision. So is Prissy….when she could stop the tears from seeing this nice young man who has been ordered by his own country to break the law.

No more America…what will it take? Another 58,000 dead young Americans and countless civilians? Will America continue to roll over and let him? What happened to “home of the brave?”

You can donate to Ricky’s legal defense at Sgt. Clousing's Blog

“A warrior follows their heart, a soldier follows orders.” Kelly, Iraq War Veteran and the mother of two sons.

Which are you? Prissy Patriot clearly chooses to be a warrior…

(1) Note: The United States Army opened two parallel investigations into disclosures made by Sgt. Clousing about the abuse of power and lack of accountability of the US Military in Iraq. These disclosures have been backed up by investigations conducted by Human Rights Watch.

Note from Prissy: Please young soldiers, before you go AWOL, call the GI Rights Hotline or a good lawyer. That doesn’t mean Prissy doesn’t understand.

More pictures later, Prissy forgot the cable in VA...

Hot Links

Crooks and Liars- Graham Nails Geneva Conventions ArgumentLindsey Graham Finds His PrissyBalls! Senator Lindsey Graham (and JAG)tells why we must stay with Geneva. Well,well...

In These Times via RAW Wave of Party Switchers Hits Republicans Citing extremism, more GOPers are joining the Democrats.

A trend of local, below-the-radar party-switches is undercutting Republicans as they face the sternest challenge in a decade to one-party control of Congress and several state legislatures. Such party-switching by elected officials often indicates that the label they are shedding has lost appeal and foreshadows poor performance at the polls.

Hat tip to Lukery from WOTSITGOOD4 Kill the Messenger

Sibel Edmounds -From the Press Release:

"...the film presents a terrifying picture of Turkish networks’ activities in global nuclear black-market, narcotics and illegal arms trafficking activities in the United States, and examines the extraordinary efforts of officials within the US Government to insure that the secrecy surrounding Edmonds’ case be maintained at any cost – from Edmonds’ termination from the FBI, to invoking the State Secrets Privilege, to gagging the US Congress.

UK Telegraph Blair 'preparing ground for fourth election win'

Tony Blair will defy his critics this week by unveiling provocative plans to set Labour's "forward policy agenda" as it enters its second decade in power.

The Prime Minister will brush aside growing calls for his early departure from Number 10 by declaring he wants to "prepare the ground" for Labour's fourth general election victory.

In what many will see as an attempt to show he is still in control, Mr Blair will set up ministerial working groups to thrash out ideas in four "battle-ground" policy areas — economic competitiveness; public services; security and immigration; and foreign policy.

Khaleejt Times Setback for Bush, but victory for America Editorial from Middle East

Camp Democracy panelists, former Sr CIA analyst Ray McGovern, attorney and writer Jennifer Van Bergen(author of The Twighlight of Democracy) former Federal prosecutor Elizabeth del la Vega (wrote the US vs. Bush in bookstores Nov 30),law student and founder of Constitional Summer Jeffery King, and constitional law professor (whom loved Prissy's questions) Michael Avery. David from KOS was the mc.

Yahoo Uh, oh Dubya won't like this. Good Lord, please no more "Freedom Fries" French leader proposes Iran compromise

Chirac spoke before leaving for New York to attend the annual U.N. General Assembly, which opens Tuesday.

Asked about Iran, the French president noted that "Iran for years developed a clandestine nuclear program." However, "I am never favorable to sanctions" and, should they be unavoidable, they should be "moderate and adapted," he said.

In Vienna, Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh said his country was "ready for negotiations and political compromise." However, he coupled that remark with a warning that "any hostile action by the U.N. Security Council would lead to limitation of cooperation" with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The IAEA's inspectors are trying to determine whether Tehran is using its nuclear program to make weapons, as the United States and other countries fear. Iran assures it is for civilian use.

ZD NetWhere democracy goes to Diebold

<;P>Avi Rubin, the political scientist who has documented many problems with Diebold polling equipment, presents his report on a day at the polls during the Maryland primary. You should read the whole thing, but I am going to excerpt extensively because of how critical the performance of Diebold equipment is to our democracy. This information must be widely discussed.

There were many problems with Dielbold equipment at the polling place where Rubin spent the day as one of 16 election judges. Software errors, despite a story by The Washington Post that emphasizes human errors in the process that, as David Isenberg rightly criticizes, urge readers to miss the real problems with the Diebold systems. Most troubling to me, the errors are so pervasive that there is no systematic approach to trying to monitor for incorrectly counted votes.

Good Job Avi, but we hillbillies here in Ohio already figured out our votes were stolen...

Google video, hat tip to fellow justice blogger GEF 911 Mysteries - Demolitions (Part 1 of 3) A must see! Email it to everyone you know-no politics here-just simple physics explained. Shows the inaccuracies of the 911 Commission Report.

From the site:

90 minutes of pure demolition evidence and analysis, laced with staggering witness testimonials. Moving from "the myth" through "the ... all » analysis" and into "the players," careful deconstruction of the official story set right alongside clean, clear science. The 9/11 picture is not one of politics or nationalism or loyalty, but one of strict and simple physics. How do you get a 10-second 110-story pancake collapse?

Debka “Lebanese Security” Is the Pretext for the Naval Babel around Lebanon’s Shores

The extraordinary buildup of European naval and military strength in and around Lebanon’s shores is way out of proportion for the task the European contingents of expanded UNIFIL have undertaken: to create a buffer between Israel and Hizballah.

Close investigation by DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources discloses that “Lebanese security” and peacemaking is not the object of the exercise. It is linked to the general anticipation of a military clash between the United States and Israel, on one side, and Iran and possibly Syria on the other, some time from now until November

This expectation has brought together the greatest sea and air armada Europe has ever assembled at any point on earth since World War II: two carriers with 75 fighter-bombers, spy planes and helicopters on their decks; 15 warships of various types – 7 French, 5 Italian, 2-3 Green, 3-5 German, and five American; thousands of Marines – French, Italian and German, as well as 1,800 US Marines.

Alrighty then, so Dubya really does want to kill us all...

Brudirect Al Qaeda threat over pope speech

"We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya," said an Internet statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council, an umbrella group led by Iraq's branch of al Qaeda, according to the Reuters news agency.

"We shall break the cross and spill the wine. ... God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome. ... God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen," said the statement.

On Sunday the pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the reaction to comments he made last week when he quoted from a 14th-century emperor regarding Muslims.

"These in fact were quotations from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought," he said in his regular Sunday blessing, the Angelus.

Advice to Pope: Keep apologizing-but try saying you are sorry for offending them-not "for their reaction." Since the Pope never had a wife/girlfriend, perhaps apologizing is new to him;-)

Quotes of the Day

The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.--George Orwell (1903 - 1950), Polemic, May 1946, "Second Thoughts on James Burnham"

Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come.-- Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967), The People, Yes (1936)

A diplomat... is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.--Caskie Stinnett, Out of the Red (1960)

The idea of all-out nuclear war is unsettling.--Walter Goodman

ATTN ALL Navy Officers: Prissy Patriot wants to talk to you. 20 colonels have been sent to Iran as "military observers." In light of the Oct 1 order, we all know what that means ...why do you want your kids to attempt to survive after you make the planet uninhabitable? You won't be here to protect them-or anyone else. This cabal has the intent to destroy the American military. Google "Project for a New American Century"

Prissy reminds you that you have sworn an oath to the constitution of the United States of America-not the "president" and a solemn duty obligation to disobey illegal orders.

Democracy- Those Were the Days My Friends...

Prissy blogging live today from Camp Democracy in Washington, D.C. Camp Democracy has a great location, a nice organizational set up and wonderful event coordinators. Too bad the corporate media doesn't care...they haven't bothered to cover the event since opening day.

Oh, Prissy should mention the WaPo did a decent little article the second day of the camp.

But as usual, they are MIA. Corporate media does not love their own country enough to tell the truth... Camp Democracy on the National Mall in Washington (click to enlarge any photo)

"Bushnoccio" facing Constitution Ave

Heehee, look what's on his back!

Plenty of room at the media table

Veterans organizations against the war

Scottish bagpipe player joins Camp Democracy, accompanied by Jeff Fisher, who tells Prissy he is a vote fraud whistle blower

There are four tents at Camp Democracy, here are two of them

The main tent

See, Prissy told you they have a thing for each other!

Veterans for Peace, Impeachment tour bus

MFSO banner

Hey Rummy and Dumbya! Ever heard of these or is it "just a theory"

Will somebody ever stop them?

Or will they continue to wait it out like teenagers being asked to do household chores, until he officially declares his dictator status? Keep supporting them by doing nothing, Senators, and we'll all end up here...

Hot Links

ABC Pope Stops Short of Apology to Muslims

VATICAN CITY Sep 16, 2006 (AP)— Pope Benedict XVI "sincerely regrets" offending Muslims with his reference to an obscure medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman," the Vatican said Saturday.

But the statement stopped short of the apology demanded by Islamic leaders around the globe, and anger among Muslims remained intense. Palestinians attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza over the pope's remarks Tuesday in a speech to university professors in his native Germany.

An Iraqi insurgent group threatened the Vatican with a suicide attack over the pope's remarks on Islam, according to a statement posted Saturday on the Web.

Dearest Readers, Prissy sure wouldn't accuse him of being Christlike...

My Way via RAW Story Five Palestinian Area Churches Attacked

NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that angered many Muslims.

No injuries were reported in the attacks, which left church doors charred and walls pockmarked with bullet holes and scorched by firebombs. Churches of various denominations were targeted.

Relations between Palestinian Muslims and Christians are generally peaceful, and the attacks on the churches sparked concern that tensions would heighten.

Nice going Pope, just what the world did NOT need-more religious contention.

ZD Net Where democracy goes to Diebold

Avi Rubin, the political scientist who has documented many problems with Diebold polling equipment, presents his report on a day at the polls during the Maryland primary. You should read the whole thing, but I am going to excerpt extensively because of how critical the performance of Diebold equipment is to our democracy. This information must be widely discussed.

There were many problems with Dielbold equipment at the polling place where Rubin spent the day as one of 16 election judges. Software errors, despite a story by The Washington Post that emphasizes human errors in the process that, as David Isenberg rightly criticizes, urge readers to miss the real problems with the Diebold systems. Most troubling to me, the errors are so pervasive that there is no systematic approach to trying to monitor for incorrectly counted votes.

Findlaw Can Congress Fire Rumsfeld?

With the midterm election season upon us, and public opinion turning against the conduct of the Iraq war, Democratic candidates and, to a surprising degree, many Republicans too, are using Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as a campaign issue. The charges include going to war with insufficient troops, bungling the occupation, and failing to articulate a realistic exit strategy.

Attacking Rumsfeld permits those incumbents who voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq to stand by that initial decision, while simultaneously taking advantage of the shift in pubic opinion. For Democrats, Rumsfeld makes an attractive target because of his repeated insensitivity--from dismissing soldiers' complaints of inadequate armor to, most recently, comparing his critics to appeasers of Nazism. Republicans, meanwhile, can criticize Rumsfeld without directly criticizing President Bush.

But what, other than winning their elections, do Rumsfeld's critics actually want? Mostly, they have called for his resignation. However, so long as the Defense Secretary enjoys the support of President Bush, he will not likely resign. And given the President's stubborn streak (or, more charitably, his loyalty), criticism of Rumsfeld may only stiffen Bush's resolve to stand by Rumsfeld. Thus, the calls for Rumsfeld's resignation could amount to little more than political posturing.

But suppose Rumsfeld's congressional critics really do want him replaced. Under our Constitution, can they fire him without the President's acquiescence? The answer is yes, but only by taking one or the other of two highly controversial steps: They can impeach and convict him for war crimes (or some other offense), or they can abolish the office of Secretary of Defense entirely.

And this...Suppose, for example, Congress concluded that Rumsfeld deliberately suppressed evidence that Saddam Hussein lacked weapons of mass destruction or ties to al Qaeda, while inflating or inventing evidence that he had such weapons or ties. Lying to Congress, whether or not under oath, is a crime, but even if Rumsfeld merely deliberately misled Congress and the American people, that in itself may be impeachable.

He talks about Rummy critics, who point out the deliberate malfeasance

Reuters Pope to give blessing as pressure for apology grows

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Pope was due on Sunday to make his first public appearance since Muslim fury erupted over remarks he made about Islam, with pressure growing for a personal apology.

The Vatican issued a statement on Saturday saying the Pope was sorry Muslims had been offended by a speech whose meaning had been misconstrued; but Muslim countries and religious groups continued to express anger at remarks they felt portrayed Islam as a religion tainted with violence.

Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican, calling the Pope's remarks "offensive", while Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said the Vatican statement was not enough.

"We feel he has committed a grave error against us and that this mistake will only be removed through a personal apology," said the Brotherhood's deputy leader, Mohammed Habib.

Bloomberg Liberty's Maffei Sets Path to Transform Malone Empire

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Liberty Media Corp. Chief Executive Officer Greg Maffei said he wants to use almost $13 billion in John Malone's media investments to buy companies he can run.

Liberty Media may swap $10 billion in News Corp. stock for a controlling stake in satellite TV provider DirecTV Group Inc., according to people familiar with the talks. Maffei, speaking at a Merrill Lynch & Co. conference yesterday, said he also wants Time Warner Inc.'s Atlanta Braves baseball team and other assets in exchange for Liberty's $2.9 billion holding.

Malone hired Maffei last November to turn Liberty's media- company investments into businesses. If he can't make trades, Maffei said he'll sell Liberty's stakes for cash and use it to buy media companies. At the top of his list, Maffei said yesterday, is a deal with News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch.

The irony! Liberty media

Falls Church News, VA a must read article from a very tiny, but excellent newspaper. A “Clean Break” From Law: Espionage and Engineering the War In Iraq

In a discussion last Tuesday, Mr. Smith, Director of Research at the IRMEP, highlighted specific applications of the neoconservative strategy doctrine in the foreign policy of the Bush White House. The paper was written by several Bush Administration officials, including former chairman of the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Richard Perle, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, and current Middle East Adviser to the Vice President David Wurmser. The study group also had ties to former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who later worked with Perle at the Project for the New American Century.

The report came under increased scrutiny in 2003 as perceived connections were discovered between the document’s recommendations and the escalating War in Iraq, and the “War on Terror” as a whole. The IRMEP began studying the paper at that time, and the recent conflict between Israeli and Hezbollah in Lebanon has augmented the desire to research the document, and assess options for further action.

Prepared in 1996 for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, then recently elected PM and leader of the conservative Likud Party, the paper details a strategy for Israeli security and prosperity in the region. It advocates a method for advancing this strategy through the use of “hard power”—military strength instead of diplomacy and incentives—and issue framing. The authors infused rhetorically opaque arguments, crafted around Judeo-Christian and western democratic themes, to make opposition viewpoints seem indefensible.

The specific recommendations of the IASPS group within the “Clean Break” document include several provisions which have, in recent years, become manifest. Among the “laundry list” of proposals: the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, abandonment of the “Land for Peace” or “Comprehensive Peace” strategy in favor of a “Peace for Peace” or “balance of power” solution, engaging Syria and Iran through attacks in Lebanon, and legitimizing the pursuit of Palestinian militants beyond Israeli borders.

Coming this week on The Prissy Patriot: 'Why Ricky went AWOL'' and the Ohio vote fraud situation.

It is no "conspiracy theory". It was by conspiracy that Kerry did not win Ohio and thus the presidency.

Apparently, Kerry, whom only recently acknowledged that he was cheated despite overwhelming hard evidence and his background as a prosecutor, did not really want to work that hard anyway...

Quotes of the Day

Oh don't we know it...from one who wrote the American chapter of that book Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too.-- Richard M. Nixon

Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess.--Heinrich Heine,German poet and satirist (1797 - 1856)

Good ideas are not adopted automatically. They must be driven into practice with courageous patience.--Admiral Hyman Rickover (1900 - 1986)Unfortunately, nuclear-powered submarines were his idea too...AKA "Father of the Nuclear Navy"

He said this in his old age:

"I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation. Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships. That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country. That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits – attempts to limit war have always failed. The lesson of history is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available." Further remarking: "Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years. I think the human race is going to wreck itself, and it is important that we get control of this horrible force and try to eliminate it." (Economics of Defense Policy: Hearing before the Joint Economic Committee, Congress of the United States, 97th Cong., 2nd sess., Pt. 1 (1982))

The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.--Plutarch (46 AD - 120 AD)