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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Michael Harold
Published Letters: 498 Editor's Choice: 3
I tell myself it's going to get better. And it will. But maybe not in this country. And certainly not in Iraq.
For the past 24 hours, Baghdad has had virtually no running water. Major parts of the city of six million people have lacked running water for six days, while daily high temperatures have ranged from 115 to 120 degrees. The tiny amount of water dripping through the pipes is causing many of those who must drink it to suffer acute intestinal illness. According to reports, not enough electricity is available to run Baghdad’s water pumps. This in a country with vast energy resources. Corporate media outlets—to the extent they have reported this horrific and mind-boggling story at all—have treated it as a failure on the part of Iraqis. In reality, it is an appalling war crime committed by the occupying power, the U.S. military. It threatens the lives of tens of thousands of people in the short term and unthinkable numbers of people unless it is rectified immediately. According to Article 55 of Geneva Conventions (1949) to which the U.S. government is a signatory: "To the fullest extent of the means available to it the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of the occupied territory are inadequate."
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m35051&hd=&size=1&l=e
How could any elected official of conscience do anything but oppose every effort of this administration to destroy our protections under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? Look at what we are doing to another country, a country that we invaded illegally, a country that was no threat to us? We are killing it.
Does anyone think for a moment that the continued erosion of our democracy will not eventually make our society an enemy of the entire civilized world? What makes US citizens think they will never be subjected to the atrocities that have been committed against the people of Iraq? If we do not stop it, it will happen. That is what totalitarian societies do.
This is not a little thing that happened today. It is a VERY BIG DEAL. It should be a warning to every US citizen of the potential future that lies before us as individuals.
Thank god.
In the 2001-2005 election cycle, the DNC and its affiliated committees (which includes numerous local committees and committees formed to coordinate expenditures for specific districts or races) raised a total of US $162,062,084, 42% of which was hard money. The largest contributor, with US$ 9,280,000 was the Saban Capital Group, founded in 2001 by Haim Saban, who also founded Fox Family group. Fred Eychaner, the owner of Newsweb Corp., gave the second highest amount of money to the DNC and its affiliates, US $7,390,000. The third largest contributor was Steve Bing of Shangri-La Entertainment, who gave US $6,700,000.[4]
In the 2005-2006 election cycle, the DNC raised a total of US $61,141,823, all of it hard money. Most contributions came from small donors, giving less than $250, who accounted for over 80% of total dollars raised in the first half of 2006.[5] The three largest individual contributors were law firm Hill Wallack ($100,000), development firm Jonathan Rose & Co. ($100,000), and investment firm Bain Capital ($53,400).[6]
The DNC also relies on the monthly contributions of over 35,000 small-dollar donors through what is know(n) as the Democracy Bonds program, set up by Howard Dean in the summer of 2005 [7].
And that's the difference between Howard Dean and Terry McAuliffe. When the netroots raises more money for Democrats than than they get from corporate and rich individual donors we might see some changes. Otherwise, all we'll ever get is excuses. Politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, generally go to the highest bidder.
George Bush said, "Some people call you the elites; I call you my base." At least he was honest about it.
I guess the most important job the FBI has at this point is to found out who leaked Bush's illegal spying on US citizens and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.
This is what we've got to look forward to now that the spineless Dems climbed all over each other to approve even more of Bush's criminal activity.
The controversy over President Bush's warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant, raided the suburban Washington home of a former Justice Department lawyer.
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But two legal sources who asked not to be identified talking about an ongoing case told NEWSWEEK the raid was related to a Justice criminal probe into who leaked details of the warrantless eavesdropping program to the news media.
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The raid appears to be the first significant development in the probe since The New York Times reported in December 2005 that Bush had authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the international phone calls and e-mails of U.S. residents without court warrants.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20121795/site/newsweek/
An example will be made.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
