Are the Germans Stationed in Afghanistan Cowards?

Southern Afghanistan is far from having been pacified -- a bloody war with the Taliban has erupted there. German troops have picked a relatively comfortable spot for themselves in the north of the country. Because they have avoided deadly fighting, they have been labeled "cowards" by the Americans and Brits. But are they?.....more

No Thanks to Thanksgiving
Instead, we should atone for the genocide that was incited -- and condoned -- by the very men we idolize as our 'heroic' founding fathers

One indication of moral progress in the United States would be the replacement of Thanksgiving Day and its self-indulgent family feasting with a National Day of Atonement accompanied by a self-reflective collective fasting.....more

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Giving Thanks

Let's take stock and be oh so thankful for the blessings of food, family, clothing and shelter that we take for granted. Let's reach out in 2007 to help others less fortunate in our own backyards. Whether volunteering at a shelter, giving food to a food bank, collecting signatures for petitions or staying involved in political actions, It's incumbent upon us to find ways to help heal our broken culture and neighborhoods.......more

Americans Now Say Iraq War Similar to Vietnam Conflict

Claims by critics of the war in Iraq that this conflict is similar in many ways to the U.S. experience in Vietnam have long been derided by pundits and administrations officials. But a new survey finds that almost 6 in 10 Americans believe that the analogy is accurate.......more

Faces of the Fallen

The News From Qatar

Al Jazeera English debuts

U.S. cable and satellite companies aren't exactly tripping over one another to carry the channel, which maybe has something to do with the widespread belief that Al Jazeera has an anti-American bias. The vast majority of Americans who want to size up the channel for themselves have to head to its Web site, where you can sample 15 minutes for free.....more

Rangel Is Right

Well over 95% of Americans, including Congress and White House staff, have no personal connection to this war--no relative or friend serving in Iraq. Over 99% of us have made no sacrifice for this war--we have not paid one more penny of taxes nor shed a drop of family blood. One of my military relatives thinks of it this way: "The American military is at war, but America is not at war.".....more

It takes a very special kind of combat coward to advocate combat for others.

David Caton Blogger Challenge: Question 14
Stop Discrimination

Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or investigation that included allegations that you discriminated against or harassed someone in the workplace, including but not limited to: sexual harassment, or discrimination based on color, race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, familial status, marital status, or sexual orientation? Yes 􀂅 No 􀂅 If “Yes,” explain: DATE EMPLOYER NATURE OF ALLEGATION DISPOSITION

click here

Michael Richards Pulls A Mel Gibson

I feel sorry for Jerry Seinfeld who had to insert himself into the controversy to keep the DVD sales from tanking, as it seems Richards chose the exact wrong time to decide to showcase his bigotry. His career was already down the drain, and now he's reached the very bottom of it......more

Howard Dean Wants More Gays, Minorities on the Ballot

Howard Dean said the Democratic Party must work toward getting gay and minority leaders on the ballot. "We've got to share power, not just responsibility, from now on," Dean told a crowd of about 200 at the International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference Saturday, an annual gathering of gay public officials....more

Dean Out West

It's all about advertising money public opinion

After a firestorm of criticism, News. Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and TV special ``If I Did It.''......more

Did the CIA kill Bobby Kennedy?

In 1968, Robert Kennedy seemed likely to follow his brother, John, into the White House. Then, on June 6, he was assassinated - apparently by a lone gunman. But Shane O'Sullivan says he has evidence implicating three CIA agents in the murder.....more

Hil's no dump Dean fan

Her camp sez Carville on his own in coup bid

James Carville's attempt to topple Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee failed after state party officials and even a vocal critic of Dean crushed the coup. The Clintonistas don't want an undeserved backlash from the activist wing of the party that overwhelmingly supports Dean......more

The Top 10 Conservative Idiots, No. 269.....here

Republicans plot to bring down Pelosi ... and Clinton with her

The Republican strategy is not only to undermine Mrs Pelosi's control of the House but also to associate her in voters' minds with Senator Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner for the 2008 Democrat presidential nomination. "Two years of Pelosi gives a good idea of what four years of Hillary will be like," said Tom DeLay "They are both committed liberals and we will make that clear to the American people.".......more

U.S. is most unfriendly country to visitors

There is more fear of our immigration officials than of terrorism or crime

Rude immigration officials and long delays in processing visas have turned the United States into the world's most unfriendly country for international travelers, according to a global survey released on Monday.....more

Play "Fantasy Congress"

New League, Teams Available

As in other fantasy sports, you – the Citizen – draft a team of real-life legislators from the U.S. Congress and score points for your team’s successes.....more

Fantasy Congress?

Bush faces storm of protest in Indonesia

Far from the smiles and happy waves he saw from his armored limousine at his previous stop in Vietnam, the US president faced intense opposition and even calls for his blood from Indonesian Muslims angry over the Iraq war and the US military presence in Afghanistan.....more

Neocons blame Bush for Iraq fiasco

So much for their calamitous "Project for A New American Century," which laid out the agenda to transform several Arab nations to their liking. It also meant sending Americans to kill and die for reasons yet to be explained by the president....more

Project for the OLD American Century

Don't say we didn't warn ya!

Here we go. The election is over, and George knows he can count on Lapdog Lieberman's vote when this bill comes up before the Senate. Joe already made it clear how he'd vote when he said yesterday that we MUST stay the course in Iraq.Which would mean (if you're keeping score at home) that the Senate will be divided 50-50 on the bill, giving Dick Cheney the tie-breaking vote......more

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

The New Democratic Party

Howard Dean Defends 50-State Strategy
Democratic chairman Howard Dean on Friday took a swipe at Washington critics who questioned his strategy of spending money in all 50 states, dismissing them as the "old Democratic Party." "It was a great win for what I call the new Democratic Party," Dean said in a speech to the Association of State Democratic Chairs. "This is the new Democratic Party. The old Democratic Party is back there in Washington, sometimes they still complain a little bit.".......more

Putnam Wants To Know: Where Were The Rednecks?

“White rednecks” who “didn’t show up to vote for us” partly cost GOPers their cong. majorities, Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) told fellow Republicans today......more

Camera Phones Focus on Police Use of Force in L.A.

Some Los Angeles grass-roots groups are training citizens to use cameras, video cell phones and the speed and Internet sites like YouTube to get their voices, and pictures, heard. "We urge everyone to have a camera on them at all times so if anything happens it can be documented. The concept of patrolling the police is something we are trying to push as a form of direct action," said Sherman Austin, a founder of Cop Watch L.A., which launched its Web site three months ago......more

"People like the concept of honor", From Daily Bruin

Let's hope the Democrats aren't the wimps in power they were out of power

What Democrats need to do is spend the next two years crushing their opponents like bugs. It’s not about mercy, it’s not about manners, it’s about three fundamental goals: limiting the damage the Bush administration can do, passing whatever legislation they can in the short term to help the American public and laying the foundation for future progressive victories......more

The Ugly Bile and Extremism that Fuels much of the Right-Wing Blogosphere

Is a story waiting to be written. This week, for instance, it was revealed that the individual who sent white powder to Keith Olbermann, Nancy Pelosi and others was an active Free Republic poster and an avid fan of Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham. The intense hate-mongering which is offered up in much of the right-wing blogosphere on a daily basis is the primary or even exclusive information diet for many people, and that is going to have consequences. Shouldn't they be examined?.....more

Puta Of The Week: James Carville
"I would describe his leadership as 'Rumsfeldian,' " said Carville.

Asked whether Dean should go, he added, "In a word, yes." He even compared the party to the Battle of Gettysburg, where the winning Union Army didn't chase the Confederate Army and end the war quickly......more

More From "Fire Dog Lake"....here
Dean on Carville: “This is some kind inside the beltway silliness.”......more

Howard Dean for President

Come on, join the bandwagon for Howard Dean for president. OK, the crowd so far is small, but once he starts to get the credit he deserves for last week's Democratic takeover of the House and Senate and major gains in statehouses and state legislatures, the bandwagon will be off and running.....here

Senate to investigate rendition abuses

Abuses carried out under the CIA's secret programme of extraordinary rendition are to be investigated by one of the Senate's most powerful committees, it emerged today.
The new chairman of the Senate armed services committee, the Democratic senator Carl Levin, revealed that he was "not comfortable" with the rendition system and said it was making the US less secure......more

The election's real winners - us

Finally, it was Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who really won Tuesday with his 50-state strategy. While others in his party wanted to spend money on candidates, Dean insisted on rebuilding the party's infrastructure......more

As one insider put it to me: "Dean's greatest weakness (stubbornness)
became his greatest strength."

Murtha and the FBI: The Director's Cut
Murtha Calls Ethics Reform "Total Crap"

Story And Video....here
Also Check Out "Murtha and ABSCAM: What Really Happened.....here

"eerie, Zen-like calm" had fallen over GOP operatives

In other words, Bush's presidency was in shambles (think Jimmy Carter, circa 1979), yet Time eagerly passed along the transparent spin about how Republican chances were "getting better by the day." Those kinds of simplistic campaign talking points worked wonders with right-wing bloggers and radio talk show hosts who excitedly repeated them as a way to calm their nerves during the campaign homestretch. But Time?......more

America awakes from a corrupt and incompetent nightmare

Finally, yes finally, it seems that America has woken from its slumber. After more than a decade, the hegemony of the right - and not just any old right, but a deeply arrogant, corrupt and incompetent right - appears to be over.....more