"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear the government, you have tyranny."
~ President Thomas Jefferson
| Visit the U.S. National Debt Clock You better sit down before you read this one! | "There is dirt under every BUSH!" | Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 |
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U.S. Imperialist Agenda and the Deepening Crisis in Iraq
From Fire This Time - Sunday, July 6, 2008 By Alison Bodine September 3rd was the last time US President George Bush set foot on Iraqi soil, bloodied and wrecked after over 4 years of US occupation. At this time he had a few words to share with the people of Iraq and the world: "When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from the position of fear and failure." For the people of Iraq who have endured an estimated 1.2 million deaths (UK-based ORB polling agency), and countless humiliations since the March 2003 military invasion, the idea of ever seeing the US leave seems distant or impossible, let alone from a position of "success" and "strength." The US has a long-term plan for their continued occupation of Iraq and it includes continued death and destruction for the people of Iraq and a rising massive humanitarian crisis. How the US is turning Iraq into a permanent military base In a declaration of principles signed by George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on November 26th 2007 the ground work was laid for a long-term agreement on future cooperation between the US and Iraq. In the political, economic and security (military) sphere the US and the installed Iraqi Prime Minister are starting to plan for an "enduring" relationship to last well into the future. The plan will include United States support for the "democratic regime in Iraq against domestic and external dangers," according to Al-Maliki. It also includes plans to protect the US-drafted Iraqi constitution, give preferential treatment to US investments and continued support for a strategic partnership. This is the beginnings of their plans for "enduring" occupation. Another part of continued US presence in Iraq are the 14 "enduring" (read: permanent) bases whose construction began as soon as the US invaded. These bases are long-term encampments for US forces in Iraq and outposts for military and government policy advisors that will remain in Iraq beyond any troop withdrawal or formal end to the occupation of Iraq. To compliment US bases and the continued occupation, the US has also built a $740Million Embassy in Iraq, the largest in the world. It will eventually staff an estimated 4,000 regular employees, contractors, local Iraqi employees and visitors. It will also house 619 apartments and 27 separate buildings behind the well-secured walls of the "Green Zone" in Baghdad and serve as the main base for representing US interests in Iraq. After 4 and a half years of occupation the US has not established anything close to stability or the assurance of a successful US proxy regime in Iraq. They know that after a troop withdrawal there will be an internal struggle in Iraq and that it is very possible that its' outcome will not be in favour of the US. As an insurance plan for all the work they have done to fuel US interests in Iraq, they now have the military bases and US Embassy at their back. Mercenaries and Continued Occupation Continued US presence in Iraq would not be possible without the assistance of 120,000 mercenaries in Iraq, the contract employees of military corporations such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp International and Armor Group. According to US "Order 17", issued in 2004, all mercenaries operating in Iraq are exempt from obeying Iraqi law. In this way mercenaries are allowed to operate without rule of law or accountability to anyone, except the corporations that employ them. This has meant numerous tragedies, with the lives and dignities of Iraqi people disappearing under the radar. After a September 16th shooting in which 17 Iraqi civilians were needlessly killed by a Blackwater guard in a Baghdad square, this provision and the legal loop-hole allowing them to escape charges under US law came under fire from people internationally. As a way to avoid further embarrassment and scrutiny the US government signed a new agreement in December 2007. This agreement means that contract mercenaries are now accountable under US law. Unfortunately, this still does not mean that they will be charged and they are still not held accountable under Iraqi law. Human Crisis: Daily Life in Iraq Over the past four years of US-led occupation, the human crisis has deepened in Iraq. Iraqi woman and children have felt the greatest impact from the presence of hundreds of thousands of foreign military troops taking away their basic human rights to housing, food, water, education and a future with guns, bombs and tanks. According to the Iraq Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, over 1.6 million children under the age of 12 have become homeless in Iraq. This is almost 70 percent of the 2.2 million homeless and internally displaced persons in Iraq. To make the situation even worse, internally displaced Iraqi's are not finding the infrastructure and basic aid that they need anywhere in Iraq. As one example, the Basra province in Southern Iraq can no longer handle families and children seeking refuge. A senior Iraqi official in the Basra Governing Council, Hassan Abdul-Kareem, explained to IRIN News Service. "We cannot cope with any more families seeking refuge in our province, whatever their reasons. The governorate is seriously affected by the high number of displaced families, health services have deteriorated, schools are overcrowded and we aren't even able to offer a good service to our locals. Things have become worse since the high influx of new arrivals," The situation has also deteriorated for girls hoping to attend school in Iraq. Families and mothers are worried about sending their girls to school for fear that they will be raped or killed. They are also needed to stay at home as one-million families are now headed by widows whose husbands have been killed by the occupation and the violence it has created (Aljazeera News: "Debating the US troop 'surge'). The Heavy Costs of the Occupation Everyday the US spends $280Million towards death and destruction in Iraq. According to the American Friends Services Committee, a US based peace and justice organization, if you include not just the immediate costs of the war, but also ongoing factors such as long-term health care for veterans, interest on debt and replacement of military hardware, that number grows to $720Million a day. The American Friends Services Committee also broke down these numbers into what the money could have bought for social service in the US including: homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity. The US-Congressional report entitled "The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War," stated the cast of the war from 2002 to present as being $1.3Trillion. Not only does this money mean the destruction of civil society and human life in Iraq, it has also been another part of the deepening economic crisis in the US. This crisis has been marked most recently by the devaluation of the US dollar, the crisis in mortgage and the banking market and the continued growth of poverty in the US. The crisis that the US has created in Iraq is directly tied to the crisis in the US and the disgusting amount of money spent to fuel death and destruction. Resistance to the occupation: in Iraq and World-wide For over four years the US has been relying on its' consolidation of the occupation to demoralize the Iraqi people, and the movement of resistance against their continued presence in Iraq. Contrary to their hopes, the number of demonstrations, strikes and attacks on occupying forces has increased drastically as the occupation has continued. The US is now confronted with a deep political, social and military crisis. This is why they need permanent presence in Iraq. This is also why the people of Iraq will keep fighting any way that they can for their land, lives and dignity. The continued struggle of the Iraqi people against the occupation and the US crisis in Iraq has also meant that its own enlisted fighters, the US military forces, are demoralizing. US Army suicide rates are at a record high of 18.4 per 100,000 active duty soldiers, according to military reports. A CBS News investigation also showed that military veterans aged 20-24, meaning those whom have served during the so-called "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan, had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. The US cannot fight without a willing army, and suicides rates are only one of the signs that the US is loosing ground with the troops. If the Iraqi's kick the US out of Iraq it will mean a weakening of the position of the US and Israel that would accelerate the struggle of people all over the Middle East against Imperialism. In this new era of war and occupation which emerged as the "War on Terror" following Sept 11th 2001, we must come together as poor and working people against the occupation of Iraq. As peace and human loving people, we have no other choice but to work to build a united and effective antiwar movement to end this brutal war and echo the demands of the Iraqi people for life and self-determination! US Out Now! Bring the Troops Home Now! Self-determination for all oppressed nations! Read More [ permalink ] |
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Kucinich vindicated: Report shows that universal health coverage could save $1.5 trillion in 10 years
From Commonwealth Fund - Tuesday, December 18, 2007 By Cathy Schoen, M.S., Stuart Guterman, Anthony Shih, M.D., M.P.H., Jennifer Lau, Sophie Kasimow, Anne Gauthier, M.S., and Karen Davis, Ph.D. U.S. health spending is projected to increase from 16 percent of GDP in 2006 to 20 percent in 2016--from $2 trillion to $4 trillion. Meanwhile, the number of uninsured Americans continues to rise. In this report prepared for The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System, the authors examine 15 federal policy options that have the potential to lower health spending relative to projected trends. They include policies that would: produce and use better information for health care decision-making, promote health and enhance disease prevention, align financial incentives with quality and efficiency, and correct price signals in health care markets. Combining policies would capture the synergistic benefits of individual changes. If implemented along with universal health insurance, a combination of selected options could save $1.5 trillion in national health expenditures over 10 years, while also improving value in terms of access, quality, and health care outcomes. Related: Universal health coverage could save $1.5 trillion in 10 years The Health of Nations Bush Claims 'We Have Fabulous Health Care' Compared To 'Other Systems Around The World'. And some middle class people can still afford it! Sicko The United States is the ONLY industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care Tags: health care Read More [ permalink ] |
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George W. Bush's SCREW THE KIDS Act PASSED
From Your-Rights.com - Friday, October 19, 2007 I can picture it now, George W. Bush sitting in a chair, wearing his bath robe and slippers, smoking a cigarette with a very satisfied smile on face knowing how well he has screwed the children!!! George W. Bush and the Grand Old Perverts have found a way to screw more kids than a trailer park full of pedophiles! Congress narrowly passed George W. Bush's SCREW THE KIDS Act by a 13 vote margin. The Act is similar to the NO CHILDS BEHIND LEFT Act, but screws kids in a different way. Among other things, the SCREW THE CHILDREN Act, makes it almost mandatory that over 7 million vulnerable kids don't receive healthcare. The message from George W. Bush and Congress to these kids: "Don't even think about getting sick because if you do, YOUR SCREWED!!!" I can't wait to see what other clever ways George W. Bush will come up with next to make sure vulnerable kids all over America get screwed! Tags: health care, schip, bush, Read More [ permalink ] |
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IMPEACH! President George W. Bush has a MENTAL ILLNESS!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 By Your-Rights.com After watching some of the video's in my previous posts about Bush, you may think this post is some sort of a joke. I assure you this is not a joke. This is definitely not a joking matter! President George W. Bush has a mental illness. At the minimum, in the back of your mind, you have probably already thought this. I strongly believe that the information presented here makes a pretty good case for impeachment. If Bush is not impeached for any other reason, he can definitely be impeached for his incompetence to hold public office. Please don't take my word on what I am saying! Watch this video and read the linked information, then make up your own mind. Some of the best evidence is in the video. Here is your reading material It starts off with a report from The Globe. If you aren't a Globe fan, scroll on down the linked page, above. There is a lot more information on that page! Click 'READ MORE' below, for even more reading material! I noticed one of the articles that popped up was this one: Jeb Bush Considers Veto of Money for Mental Health Care The comments in that article are EXCELLENT!!! I guess Jeb Bush had better change his thinking! His own brother is ill! Or do the Bush's live in a Dog-Eat-Dog world? Read More [ permalink ] |
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URGENT ACTION ALERT for Washington State
From prochoiceaction.org - Monday, April 9, 2007 This is an URGENT ACTION ALERT! This week the State House is voting on two important issues relating to reproductive health. Contact your representatives TODAY! The Washington State House is scheduled to vote on two very important bills and we need pro-choice supporters to protect reproductive health by calling their legislators! Please leave a message for your representatives at the legislative hotline 1-800-562-6000 on the following two issues: 1. Protect insurance coverage for women's health care: The State House will be voting on a new insurance policy to be offered to small businesses. This is an important bill that we support as written. Included in the bill are critical services for women, including mammograms, mastecomies, reconstructive breast surgery, and maternity care. These services could be eliminated if the bill is ammended. Leave the following message: "Support SB 5930 as is and oppose any amendments that would eliminate critical coverage for women's healthcare." Don't have time make a phone call? Email your representatives now. 2. The Healthy Youth Act's final vote in the State Legislature: The House vote is the last vital step before the bill goes to Governor Gregoire - we must ensure its success. This is also the last chance for opponents of real sex ed to try and change the bill with bad amendments. Please leave the following message: "I urge you to vote YES on ESSB 5297 with no amendments." Don't have time make a phone call? Email your representatives now. For more information please visit our website. Read More [ permalink ] |
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The Take Back Congress Campaign
From TrueMajority ACTION - Thursday, October 19, 2006 With less than three weeks until Election Day, it's really looking like progressive candidates have a chance to Take Back Congress. One key congressional race, Minnesota's 6th district, is critical to what happens in November. Today Patty Wetterling is 8 points ahead of her ultra-conservative opponent, Michelle Bachmann, but now First Lady Laura Bush herself is coming to town to campaign, which could tip the balance. Let's help out the candidate who supports women's equality and an improved health care system, Patty Wetterling. They've set up this easy webpage highlighting the 30 candidates around the country which can tip the balance of power in Congress. You and your friends can donate to whoever you like best, or all of them at once. All the money goes straight to the candidates, so your support will have an immediate impact. Read More [ permalink ] |
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$2.3 TRILLION MISSING - Pentagon Accounting At Fault
From Sensible Priorities - Tuesday, October 3, 2006 Just to make it clear how much money is missing... "Try to wrap your mind around the enormity of this scandal. 2.3 TRILLION dollars is $21,000 for every single household in the U.S." -- From the ad (PDF) Check out the new ad calling for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to be held to the same standards as any other head of a multi-billion dollar organization. If you missed the full-page spread in the paper, you can still see the New York Times ad. JUST PUBLISHED REPORT. "Financial Mismanagement at the Pentagon: No One is Accountable," by Kwai Chan. We spend more on the Pentagon than the rest of the world combined spends on defense. Only about two-thirds of children eligible for Head Start can be admitted to the program. The United States now ranks 44th in the world in infant mortality, behind all the nations of Western Europe and the industrialized Far East, behind the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia, and behind communist Cuba. Although schools throughout the country are eliminating programs in music, foreign language and physical education, federal spending on education has fallen to less than 10% of the proposed 2005 Pentagon outlays. Sixty-one million Americans are without health care coverage during some period of any given year; half that number are uninsured for the entire year. Many of these are children. The Bush administration projects that the deficit for 2004 will reach $521 billion; Brookings estimates the total 2005-2009 deficit at 2.3 trillion. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that trust fund programs, including Social Security and Medicare, will be in deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years and the entire federal budget deficit will total $2.75 trillion. Read More [ permalink ] |
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CU Endorses CHCWG Call For Affordable Health Care for All
From Consumers Union - Friday, July 7, 2006 By William Vaughan or Jennifer Fuson Consumers Union, the independent, non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, today submitted the following comments to the Citizens Health Care Working Group (CHCWC), congratulating them for their strong interim recommendations to ensure health care for all Americans. Consumers Union is particularly supportive of the emphasis on evidence-based medicine as a way to hold down America's crippling health care costs. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Economic equality is best medicine
From Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Sunday, June 25, 2006 By STEPHEN BEZRUCHKA Health of societies mostly relies on political and economic policies, not the individual treatment of disease. The headlines read that rich Americans aren't as healthy as poor Brits, despite our spending twice as much money on health care as they do. Our newborns die at the highest rates of any rich country, even with our ever-advancing medical technologies. The feds report our mortality rates have never been lower. The United Kingdom study director suggests it is the nature of an unequal society in the United States that affects everybody, while experts over here are puzzled. What is going on? Thomas Pynchon wrote in "Gravity's Rainbow" that "if they can get you asking the wrong question, they don't have to worry about the answers." Which medical care drug plan to choose is the wrong question. Instead let's ask, "What makes a society healthy?" Read More [ permalink ] |
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Rich or poor, Americans sicker than the English
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 Middle-age, white Americans are much sicker than their counterparts in England, new research shows, despite U.S. health care spending per person that\'s more than double what England spends. A higher rate of Americans tested positive for diabetes and heart disease than the English. Americans had more diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and cancer. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Senate Supports FMAP and State Fiscal Relief
From National Alliance on Mental Illness - Friday, May 16, 2003 In response to the growing budget crises faced by the states, the Senate voted 95-3 in favor of a plan to provide $20 billion in federal aid, including additional federal matching funds for Medicaid (the largest and most important source of funding for public sector mental illness treatment and support programs). The Senate's action came as part of an amendment authored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to pending tax cut legislation (S 1054). Last night, the Senate finished its work on the tax cut legislation (S 1054), setting up a confrontation with the House, which did not include fiscal relief in its tax cut package. ACTION REQUESTED NAMI advocates are requested to contact their House members and urge them to support inclusion of the Collins Amendment in the final tax bill that will be sent to President Bush later this spring. Remind them of the importance of Medicaid for children and adults with severe mental illnesses and their families. As noted above Medicaid is the largest source of funding for state and local public sector mental health services - covering prescription medications and supportive services such as case management, rehabilitation and outpatient treatment. Make it clear that cuts to Medicaid at the state level are devastating to access to treatment and services, with limits being imposed on open access to medications and critical supportive services. Additional information about the current threats to Medicaid at the state level is available at: http://www.nami.org/states/statesincrisis.html Urge your House member to contact House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to include state fiscal relief and an increase in the federal share of Medicaid in the final tax bill. Note - if your House member is a Republican, urge them to join Representatives Peter King (R-NY) and Ray LaHood (R-IL) in signing their letter to Speaker Hastert in favor state fiscal relief. All members of Congress can be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard toll free at 1-800-839-5276 or at 202-224-3121 or by going to the policy page of the NAMI web site at http://www.nami.org/policy.htm and click on "Write to Congress." Background on the Collins Amendment The $20 billion state fiscal relief amendment passed by the Senate includes two parts: 1) $10 billion in increased federal Medicaid matching funds (also known as FMAP) for the states. Most states would see their match rate (which varies 50% to 80% depending on a state's relative wealth) increase by about 1.5% through the end of FY 2004 to cope with growing costs in Medicaid, 2) $10 billion in revenue sharing from the federal government through the end of FY 2003 and all of FY 2004. These funds would be split with 60% going to the states and 40% to localities. States and localities would have substantial discretion in how to spend these funds although they would be encouraged to use these funds to cope with the growing costs of federal mandates related to education, homeland security and Medicaid. Funds would be allocated by population, with every state guaranteed at least $50 million. The overwhelming bipartisan majority in the Senate that supported the Collins Amendment demonstrates the strong support that fiscal relief for cash strapped states has in Congress. It is also a clear demonstration of the growing concerns related to the impact that budget cuts in health and human service programs are having on vulnerable populations such as children and adults with severe mental illnesses. The NAMI E-News is an electronic newsletter delivering the latest in federal action alerts, legislative and policy updates, and NAMI press releases. Provided free of charge as a public service, the NAMI E-News is read by more than 16,500 NAMI members, policymakers, federal and state legislators, media, providers, health care policy experts, and others interested in improving the lives of individuals with severe mental illnesses and their families. Contributions to support the NAMI E-News are welcomed and can be made online (http://www.nami.org/about/development/index.html); via mail (make check payable to NAMI and send to: NAMI, P.O. Box 79972, Baltimore, MD 21279-0972); or through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #0538). Currently, NAMI Members number 220,000. Thank you. Please forward this e-mail if you know someone who would like to add his or her name to this mail listing. They should visit: http://www.nami.org/update/enewslist.htm and simply fill in the form to join the NAMI Electronic News! Read More [ permalink ] |
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