In July 1977, retired police captain John Schweer was shot and killed while working as a night watchman at an Oldsmobile dealership in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Two teenagers, Curtis McGhee and Terry Harrington, were convicted of the murder based on evidence they allege was knowingly fabricated by prosecutors.
Pottawattamie County prosecutors David Richter and Joseph Hrvol presented a case that rested almost entirely on the testimony of a 16-year-old kid who was caught stealing cars and offered a $5,000 reward if he provided information about the murder. The witness misidentified the murder weapon, changed his story multiple times and fingered two other men before naming McGhee and Harrington in the crime. He even had to be coached by prosecutors about what to say during the trial so that his story matched the evidence. Richter and Hrvol revealed none of this at trial, nor the fact that they had previously suspected another man ? one who had been positively identified by an eyewitness and had failed a polygraph test.
On Nov. 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments not over whether Richter and Hrvol had framed two men for murder, but whether they could be sued for it. In 2003, Iowa's supreme court overturned Harrington's conviction, while McGhee pled guilty to lesser charges and was released. Now both men are suing the Pottawattamie County prosecutors, claiming they coerced and coached witnesses, fabricated evidence and arrested them without probable cause. But according to federal law supported by numerous legal precedents, prosecutors have immunity for anything they do during a trial. Richter and Hrvol say they were just doing their job.
"If a prosecutor knowingly introduces false evidence at trial, that prosecutor is absolutely immune from lawsuit," explains Stephen Sanders, an attorney representing Richter and Hrvol. The rationale is that if prosecutors could be blamed for errors in a trial, they would become vulnerable targets for any litigious convict with an ax to grind.
"This means that some people who are genuinely wronged by a prosecutor [are not] able to recover," Sanders concedes. "But better that, the court says, than have prosecutors plagued by endless nuisance litigation or have them make decisions about whether or not to bring someone to trial based on whether they think they're going to get sued."
Sanders has a point: prosecutors build cases around eyewitnesses and uncooperative informants; holding them accountable for others' attempts to impede justice would hamper the entire judicial system. And yet, what of Harrington and McGhee? They were only 17 years old when they were convicted, and their story reads like something out of a John Grisham novel.
Theirs was a small town still reeling from the shock of a murder. Richter, the county attorney, was up for election the following year. The authorities' first suspect ? a white man married to the daughter of the fire chief ? failed a lie-detector test and was identified by more than one witness; his case was inexplicably dropped. Instead, Hrvol and Richter targeted two black teenagers whose only connection to the murder came from the testimony of a teenage boy who was arrested for stealing a car. The boy gave three alternate versions of the murder, admitted to lying on multiple occasions, and was allegedly pressured by Hrvol and Richter into naming Harrington and McGhee.
Hrvol and Richter cannot be tried for knowingly putting a dishonest witness on the stand. They don't have to own up to the fact that they presented false evidence or coerced a witness's testimony. But fortunately for McGhee and Harrington, they did something on which the law is not completely clear ? they didn't just present the evidence at trial, but also helped gather it. In an unusual move, the prosecutors aided detectives by canvassing the neighborhood and interviewing witnesses, and so their actions may not be covered by absolute immunity. That is what the Supreme Court will decide.
"Usually when there's a case of fabricating evidence, it's done by the police officers because they're the ones investigating the crime. Like with Mark Furman allegedly planting a bloody glove on O.J. Simpson's property," says Todd Pettys, a law professor at the University of Iowa. Police officers don't have absolute immunity and can be sued when their actions are egregious enough. Framing someone for murder definitely falls into that category. "But if the prosecutors do it," says Pettys, "then what do you do?"
Sanders says his clients have not admitted to any wrongdoing. They haven't admitted or denied that they framed two men for murder. Instead, they are claiming that their guilt doesn't matter, that it was legal either way.
But to McGhee and Harrington, it does matter. They spent 25 years behind bars for a crime that they almost certainly did not commit. And now the men have gone to the Supreme Court not for justice but for the simple right to seek it.
"If the court doesn't protect an American from being framed for murder, if there isn't a remedy for being put in prison for something he didn't do based on evidence falsified against him," says McGhee's layer, Steve Davis, "then I'm going to move."
Now let's see how all those rightwing judges Bush appointed to the Supreme Court will rule. I sure as Hell know how a liberal judge would rule.
What is a Teabagger? A Teabagger is one who practices Teabagging. So you may ask ... what is Teabagging? Googling Teabagging I came up with the following definition - Teabagging is a slang term for the act of a man placing his scrotum in the mouth or on or around the face (including the top of the head) of another person, often in a repeated in-and-out motion as in irrumation. The practice resembles dipping a tea bag into a cup of tea.
So is that what these rightwingnut calling themselves. How appropriate.
Perhaps they long to be on the receiving end?
Seriously heheheh if you want to see the some typical Teabaggers google 'Tea Party Express II: Rise of the Tea Bags' and watch the 10 minute video. Part 1 is really funny.
Amazing how the more things change the more it stays the same.
I was listening to the idiot-War-Criminal Cheney spew out his crap the other day. God can't you do the world a favor-right?
Geez, do people still pay to listen to that fool? War-criminal Rummy was there too. Seems like the remaining Neocons were give each other awards; kind of like Hitler giving awards to all the good SS Camp leaders. At least the Bush wasn't there. Seems like even the Bush realized how f-uped thing got 'under his watch'. Now he's giving motivational chats (as far way from his Neocon pals as possible). Lordie, lordie, lordie
I see the good old boys at BlackWater decided all that negative 'news' was bad for the biz, so a new name was in order - Xe...I guess the 'X' is like a cross twisted and rotated on it's ... Kind of like the company itself.
Speaking of which, did you see those pics of the BlackWater dudes drinking Vodka out of each other's ...?
mmm Xe - where have I heard that before? Xe-Xenon yeah... A noble gas.. Noble????? BlackWater.... yeah right.....
Colonel Earl P. Hopper, Sr., US Army (Ret), 86, a native of Glendale, AZ passed away on July 11, 2008. He attended Washington Elementary School and Glendale Union High School where he graduated in 1940 where he excelled in both football and baseball. Earl enlisted in military service with the Arizona National Guard, the 158th Infantry known as the Bushmasters on May 1, 1940. Late in 1942 he returned from Panama to attend OCS at Ft. Benning, GA.
Earl served with distinction in WWII with the 101st Airborne Division; during the Korean War with Military Intelligence and as an adviser to a South Vietnamese Brigade during the Vietnam War. His 30-year military career also included 2 peace time tours of duty in Germany and 1 in Korea as well as 3 peace time tours with the 11th Airborne Division and 2 tours as an adviser to the Arizona National Guard. He also served as the Executive Officer of the Student Brigade and later the Deputy Commander of the Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, GA.
In addition to many peacetime awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit and the Good Conduct Medal, his combat awards and decorations include the Silver Star, 4 Bronze Stars, Presidential Unit Emblem (101st Airborne, Battle of the Bulge), Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart, the Belgian Fourragere and Master Parachutist Badge.
He attended a wide variety of military schools including Officer Candidate School (1943), Infantry Officer?s Advanced Course (1943), Airborne Jump School (1944), Intelligence Officers Course (1952), Command and General Staff College (1956), and the US Army?s Special Warfare School (1964). In 1968 Earl was inducted into the Infantry Officers Hall of Fame, Ft Benning, GA.
After his oldest son, LTC Earl P. Hopper Jr., US Air Force, was lost over North Vietnam on 10 January 1968 and retiring from military service, Earl began his ?second career? becoming a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action issue. In addition to meeting with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush on this most vital issue, over these many years he met with numerous Senators, Congressmen and other US Government officials. In 1985-86, Earl worked as a Special adviser to Congressman Billy Hendon (R-NC). As a leading expert, he testified before many Congressional hearings on behalf of our missing countrymen. He also felt honored to have been 1 of 10 people chosen to officially break ground for the Vietnam Veteran?s Memorial in Washington, DC. In addition to being a member of many veterans? organizations, Earl was a charter member of the National League of Families and one of the founders of Task Force Omega, Inc.
Earl was well known for his dedication to his family, country and God; and was truly one of the finest of ?The Greatest Generation? that ever served our nation.
He is preceded in death by his parents, first wife, 1 daughter and 5 brothers and 2 sisters. He is survived by his wife, Patricia B. Hopper, sister-in-law Nadine Hopper of Marysville, CA; brother-in-law David S. Reed of Glendale; sons Michael B. Hopper and wife Barbara of Phoenix, Larry D. Hopper and wife Kelly of Las Vegas, NV; Daniel W. Hopper and wife Leanne of Phoenix; David ?Buck? Hopper and wife Rhonda of Wittmann, AZ; stepdaughter Tracy B. Hopkins and husband Seth of Phoenix along with 14 grandchildren and 8 great grand children as well as numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and great grand nieces and nephews.
Donations in Earl's name may be sent to Task Force Omega, Inc, 14043 N. 64th Dr., Glendale, AZ 85306, a non-profit organization in which he was extremely active.
Oh Great Spirit, Whose voice I hear in the wind, Whose breath gives life to the world, Hear me! I come to you as one of your many children. I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. May I walk in beauty. Make my eyes behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things that you have made, And my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may know the things That you have taught your children-- The lessons that you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Make me strong, not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy: myself. Make me ever ready to come to you with straight eyes, so that When life fades as the faded sunset My spirit will come to you without shame.
The Bush administration and some members of Congress blame environmental rules for causing strains on refining capacity, prompting shortages and driving up prices. But in reality, it is uncompetitive actions by a handful of companies with large control over our nation?s gas markets that is directly causing these high prices.
"Myth 1: Oil refineries are not being built in the U.S. because environmental regulations, particularly the Clean Air Act, are so bureaucratic and burdensome that refiners cannot get permits.
Fact: Environmental regulations are not preventing new refineries from being built in the U.S.From 1975 to 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) RECEIVED ONLY ONE PERMIT REQUEST for a new refinery." ... "oil companies are regularly applying for 'and receiving' permits to modify and expand their existing refineries."
"Myth 2: The U.S. oil refinery market is competitive.
Fact: Actually, industry consolidation is limiting competition in oil refining sector. The largest five oil refiners in the United States (ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, BP, Valero and Royal Dutch Shell) now control over half (56.3%) of domestic oil refinery capacity; the top ten refiners control 83%.
Only ten years ago, these top five oil companies only controlled about one-third (34.5%) of domestic refinery capacity; the top ten controlled 55.6%. This dramatic increase in the control of just the top five companies makes it easier for oil companies to manipulate gasoline supplies by intentionally withholding supplies in order to drive up prices.
Indeed, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concluded in March 2001 that oil companies had intentionally withheld supplies of gasoline from the market as a tactic to drive up prices all as a 'profit-maximizing strategy.'
A May 2004 U.S. Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) report also found that mergers in the oil industry directly led to higher prices and this report did not even include the large mergers after the year 2000, such as ChevronTexaco and ConocoPhillips. Yet, just one week after Hurricane Katrina, the FTC approved yet another merger of refinery giants Valero Energy and Premcor giving Valero 13% of the national market share.
These actions, while costing consumers billions of dollars in overcharges, have not been challenged by the U.S. government.
Myth 3: The United States has maxed out its oil refining capability.
Fact: Oil companies have exploited their strong market position to intentionally restrict refining capacity by driving smaller, independent refiners out of business.
A congressional investigation uncovered internal memos written by the major oil companies operating in the U.S. discussing their successful strategies to maximize profits by forcing independent refineries out of business, resulting in tighter refinery capacity.
From 1995-2002, 97% of the more than 920,000 barrels of oil per day of capacity that have been shut down were owned and operated by smaller, independent refiners. Were this capacity to be in operation today, refiners could use it to better meet today's reformulated gasoline blend needs. Profit margins for oil refiners have been at record highs.
In 1999, for every gallon of gasoline refined from crude oil, U.S. oil refiners made a profit of 22.8 cents. By 2004, the profits jumped 80% to 40.8 cents per gallon of gasoline refined.
Between 2001 and mid-2005, the combined profits for the biggest five refiners was $228 billion." Source buzzflashcom/articles/analysis/310
Over the last first weeks Heil Hannity, Druggie-Limp-Dick Rush and complete case of rightwing mouthpieces for the RepubliCONs have been lying and trying to blame the US Congress for not allowing Big Oil to drill and thus creating the current gas price escalation.
Like THE JUSTY [bearer of truth and justice] has been telling ya for years, "all the RepubliCONs have left are lies and liars".
Today, I ran across this little article, 'The Truth About America's Energy: Big Oil Stockpiles Supplies and Pockets Profits' by the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Chairman Nick J Rahall II, date June 12, 2008. Google it if you wish to read the complete report of about half dozen pages.
Here are a few facts just for ya:
Introduction "While the oil industry and some Members of Congress argue that opening more federal lands and waters would lead to lower gasoline prices, the facts prove otherwise".
Facts:
1) "Since the 1990's the amount of drilling on federal lands has steadily increased during this time. The number of drilling permits has exploded in recent years, going from 3,802 five years ago to 7,561 in 2007."
That is 11,363 NEW DRILLING PERMITS DURING THE LAST 10 YEARS for the mathematical impaired!
2) "Between 1999 and 2007, the number of drilling permits issued for development of public lands increased by more than 361%."
3) "Energy Companies [are] NOT Using Federal Lands Already Open to Energy Development. Even if increased domestic drilling activity could affect the price of gasoline, there is yet NO JUSTIFICATION TO OPEN ADDITIONAL FEDERAL LANDS BECAUSE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES HAVE NOT shown that they cannot keep pace with the rate of drilling permits that the federal government is handing out. In the last four years, the Bureau of Land Management HAS ISSUED 28,776 PERMITS TO DRILL ON PUBLIC LAND; yet, in that same time, 18,954 wells were actually drilled. That means that COMPANIES HAVE STOCKPILED NEARLY 10,000 EXTRA PERMITS that they are not using to increase domestic production."
4) "Combined, oil and gas companies hold leases to nearly 68 million acres of federal land and waters that they are NOT PRODUCING OIL AND GAS. Oil and gas companies would not buy leases to this land without believing oil and gas can be produced there, yet THESE SAME COMPANIES ARE NOT PRODUCING OIL OR GAS FROM THESE AREAS ALREADY UNDER THEIR CONTROL."
5) "If we extrapolate from today's production rates on federal land and waters, we can estimate that the 68 MILLION ACRES OF LEASED BUT CURRENTLY INACTIVE FEDERAL LAND AND WATERS COULD PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 4.8 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL and 44.7 BILLION CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS EACH DAY."
"THAT WOULD NEARLY DOUBLE TOTAL U.S. OIL PRODUCTION, and INCREASE NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION BY 75%."
"It would also CUT U.S. OIL IMPORTS BY MORE THAN A THIRD, and be more than six times the estimated peak production from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)."
6) "Proponents of opening additional lands to oil and gas leasing assert that vast quantities of oil and gas are closed to energy development. In fact, according to the Minerals Management Service, OF ALL THE OIL AND GAS BELIEVED TO EXIST ON THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF, 82% OF THE NATURAL GAS AND 79% OF THE OIL IS LOCATED IN AREAS THAT ARE IN AREAS CURRENTLY OPEN FOR LEASING."
7) "The Department of the Interior recently released a report2 that the Administration is using to delude Americans into believing that vast tracts of federal land with large concentrations of oil and gas are off-limits to oil and gas development. In actuality, the report shows that only 38% of the oil and 16% of the natural gas are excluded from leasing B largely because those resources are underneath National Parks and wilderness areas that have significant scenic, recreational, and wildlife values. The rest is either fully accessible under standard lease stipulations designed to protect lands and wildlife, or will be accessible pending the completion of land-use planning or environmental reviews. "
8) "Proponents of drilling in Alaska are most often focused on a 1.5 million acre area in the 19.2 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Established in 1960 and expanded in 1980, ANWR includes a 1.5 million acre area of the coastal plain known as the A1002 area which requires Congressional authorization before oil drilling may proceed there."
"However, in addition to ANWR, THERE ARE ANOTHER NEARLY 91 MILLION ACRES CURRENTLY OPEN TO LEASING IN THE ARCTIC REGION OF ALASKA, including onshore and offshore lands. Oil and gas companies have leased only 11.8 million of the 91 million acres. Within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), oil companies have leased 3 million acres of 22.6 million acres available to lease. No production has occurred on any of those lands and industry has drilled only 25 exploratory wells there since 2000."
"The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that it will require 8 to 10 years after opening ANWR before oil is produced from any new leases. Furthermore, it would be 20 years after opening ANWR before oil production reached its peak of only 780,000 barrels per day. Production at that level would start to drop within a short time. According to the EIA, opening ANWR would reduce U.S. crude oil imports, but not until 2022-2026 and only by a few percentage points. Further, it would not significantly increase total world oil production, nor would it significantly affect world oil prices."
Google the report and read it your self. Like THE JUSTY has been telling ya for years now, all the GOPs have left are lies and liars. That is why Liberals call them CONS.. like RepubliCONs. These liars are pulling the wool over your eyes. STOP BEING FOOLS AND WISE-UP! JUSTY CAN'T WATCH YOUR BACKS FOREVER.
This morning 05/30/08, on the Today show, during an interview with Scott McLellan [ex Whitehouse pressman] McLellan made the following disclosure: While on Air Force One he and the president were in a conversation about the leak of classified information that revealed Valerie Plame's name as a CIA undercover operative. A member of the press yelled over to the President a question, upon which McLellan asked the following question directly to president Bush, "Did you authorize the leak of the classified information?" [leak of Valerie Plame's name] Bush's direct response, according to McLellan was, "Yeah, I did."
Now it don't take a brain surgeon to figure out Bush ADMITTED that HE committed TREASON.
OUTING A CIA WMD SPY IS TREASON TO THE GREATEST EXTENT. SUPPORT BUSH YOU SUPPORT A TRAITOR.
you must either work for a oil company or own Petro stock. OK, let's review the arguments you posted on Demo's blog:
1) "a 42 gallon barrel of oil will yield approximately 20 gallons gasoline (plus numerous bi-products like heating oil, paint, glue, etc.). This calculates to approximately $6.50 per gallon (mitigated somewhat by the bi-products)". What a joke: the 'mitigating somewhat by the bi-product' part. Only 40% of a barrel of oil will be fractionally distilled into gasoline. A Google search yields the following by-products produced by cracking oil: o Petroleum gas - used for heating, cooking, making plastics (commonly known by the names methane, ethane, propane, and butane). Often liquefied under pressure to create LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). o Naphtha or Ligroin - intermediates that will be further processed to make gasoline o Gasoline - motor fuel o Kerosene - fuel for jet engines and tractors; starting material for making other products o Gas oil or Diesel distillate - used for diesel fuel and heating oil; starting material for making other products o Lubricating oil - used for motor oil, grease, other lubricants o Heavy gas or Fuel oil - used for industrial fuel; starting material for making other products o Residuals - coke, asphalt, tar, waxes; starting material for making other products
There is not one oz of oil that is not utilized for profit! So where did you get your so-called numbers and facts? Try Googling, "howstuffworks oil refinery".
2) "The real drivers for the current costs though have more to do with institutional traders speculating on oil than on actual supply and demand". Yeah, if you nationalize petro you can take the greed out of the equation.
3) "The reduced refining capacity in the US". Correct you called that right. The refineries have been and will continue to cut back product to max profits. Google, "refinery production cut", and start reading. For example, date Jan 2008, "San Antonio-based Tesoro said" ... "Total output from its seven refineries will average 545,000 to 595,000 barrels per day during the quarter, down from a capacity of 660,000 bpd". (Reporting by Erwin Seba, Rebekah Kebede, Haitham Haddadin, and Richard Valdmanis; Editing by John Picinich)
4) blah blah blah "pandering liberal go unchallenged" blah blah blah "Has there ever been a government bureaucracy that ever operated with even a modicum of efficiency". First the liberal thing. George Washington called himself a liberal and so did Thomas Jefferson. Without Liberals black would still be slaves, woman would not have voting rights, and America would still be a colony of England. Yeah, I'm a Liberal and I'm F-ING PROUD OF IT! So who or what do the conservatives have to be proud of - druggie-limp-dick Rush Limbaugh? Why do you think conservative start with con? It seems like the people who follow the reiche-wingers are following a bunch of con-artist making billions while spewing their crap and animosity about Liberals. You really need to look at what they [and Americans] in general have to gain with the unbridled greed of leis-a-faire capitalism. FDR didn't allow war manufactures to reap untold profits during WWII. Perhaps that is why druggie-limp-dick hates FDR so much. Second point, "Has there ever been a government bureaucracy that ever operated with even a modicum of efficiency" Yeah, the US military. For example, base pay for a private who served between three and four years is between $1,528 and $1,824 a month. A captain serving up to six years could get paid up to $4,069 a month. Generals serving 20 years get paid $11,847 a month. Of course, GIs receive a housing allowance, which depends on where they live. They also get paid a basic allowance for subsistence of $242 a month. Soldiers in Iraq do not get this, as food is outsourced by Cheney's KBR [which costs billions and billions of US dollars- Google "kbr outsource iraq mess" and read the Chicago tribune story]. Yeah, a $45 dollar can of soda utilizing KBR's leis-a-faire greed. So what did this administration do about that? NOTHING! A GI back from Iraq told me that KBR was charging $22 for each tray and those trays were being throw away after one use. And Blackwater's Soldier Of Fortune- they are getting [on average] 10,000 per month. The same friend also told me he was offered a non combat job for over 120,000 per year. He was making national guard base pay. He also has PSD, which he is slowly coming to terms with, and Bush's mil is trying to f him over on benefits [but that has nothing to due with an gov agency being more cost efficient than private industry]. That is just one example. Seem like you bit hard into the cons bad government BS.
4) "Our government is already oversized and severely inflated and now you want to add to it?" Nope, I want to flush the Neocon War Profiteers out of it and into prison. Let us start with war criminal Bush and Cheney; oh, and we need to take back all the billions they personally made since their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.
5) "And when was the last time you ever heard of a government worker being fired for incompetence?" Lets see, today - the pentagon fired a one star General, a two star General, 10 Colonels and an undisclosed number of field officers [from the air force] for f-ing over the security of America's Nuke weapons.
6) "The only thing harder to get rid of than an unproductive union worker is an unproductive government worker". Yeah right, we see what side of the bread you butter. Unions made America great. Without the men and women who fought and died for workers rights Americans would still have Coal Company towns, no child labor laws, 14 and 16 hour work days, and dangerous working conditions. Perhaps you need to read a history book about 19th century working condition. It's the cons today that distort and twist the truth about Unions. Remember the great BSer Reagan. He broke the Air Controllers union. You should read how he f-ed over the Screen Actors Guild after that Union voted him in as their Union President.
7) "Where does it end? Maybe the airlines and all hospitals should be government owned and operated as well". I will clue you in. Medicare and Medicaid is government run. Even the cons state that the administration cost of an HMO is between 8.9%-16% and those same cons state that the administration cost of Medicare between 2%-5% [if you can believe a con]. I heard stats for HMO as high as 23%. So, what is more expensive to run? Let's see, 2%-5% verses 8.9%-23%.
8) "If I'm busting my ass to provide and my neighbor enjoys the same standard of living for being a government drone what's the point of my effort?". Well, you see all government jobs are on a pay scale so government workers (believe it if you can) are not communism. They get paid for their worth. For example, a Private makes less than a General. And if you don't want to work for the gov no one is hold a gun to your head making you. Lots of things in the past have been Nationalized for the good of the society as a whole. Remember what Spock said, "logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". Spock's statement is something that a true con will never understand, but Liberals and military members do and that is why we have a great America. If you have an oil job I'm sure the gov will pay you market value for your work. Isn't that what a capitalist society is all about?
9) "Why Russia collapsed and the social medicine programs in Europe are so far behind in quality of care". Well, FYIs... Russia went bankrupt because of their involvement in Afghanistan. It wasn't Reagan standing by a wall yelling, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"! Russia bankrupt itself with its' excessive mil spending and currently America is on the same track with its' involvement in Iraq.
Your health care statement, here you go: The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems. Source: WHO World Health Report, Google it.
Rank/Country- 1) France 2) Italy 3) San Marino 4) Andorra 5) Malta 6) Singapore 7) Spain 8) Oman 9) Austria 10) Japan 11) Norway 12) Portugal 13) Monaco 14) Greece 15) Iceland 16) Luxembourg 17) Netherlands 18) United Kingdom 19 ) Ireland 20) Switzerland 21) Belgium 22) Colombia 23) Sweden 24) Cyprus 25) Germany 26) Saudi Arabia 27) United Arab Emirates 28) Israel 29) Morocco 30) Canada 31) Finland 32) Australia 33) Chile 34) Denmark 35) Dominica 36) Costa Rica
and then
37) United States of America
Hey, don't you see a lot of European Socialist nations in the list above? I do. The average Joe/Jill American is so f-ing ignorant/stupid; sadly, we are the laughing joke for the rest of the world, except in Iraq where no Iraqi is laughing at any AMERICAN [to their face].
Lets' see, oh yeah, I almost forgot; perhaps it time to review the benefits of nationalizing the Oil companies! I believe I made my point.
Yep, Iraqi Vets are being ban from VD Parades all across America.
From Long Beach Press-Telegraph "Iraq veteran Jason Lemieux might not be marching in the 11th annual Long Beach Veterans Day Parade on Saturday. The Marine, who served THREE TOURS OF DUTY IN IRAQ and is now against the war, was hoping to march as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, a national organization that calls for immediate withdrawal of troops in Iraq.
The group's application, however, was rejected last month because of its political views, parade coordinators said. "I WANTED TO MARCH LIKE THE REST OF THE IRAQ VETERANS" said Lemieux, a 24-year-old Anaheim resident. "I SERVED MY COUNTRY. I'M A VETERAN OF A FOREIGN WAR. I THINK I DESERVE THAT RESPECT". Iraq Veterans, along with the groups Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out, applied to march together in the parade this year under the entry "Military Patriots." After reviewing each group's mission statement, the Veterans Day Parade Committee, a non-profit group that organizes the event, voted unanimously to reject the application, said parade coordinator Martha Thuente. "They do not fit the spirit of the parade," she said. "The spirit being one of gratitude for what the veterans have done. We do not want groups of a political nature, advocating the troops' withdrawal from Iraq." Parade coordinators work hard to keep the event free from politics, Thuente said. "We're not allowed to take a political stance."
BULLSHIT!
SO LET ME GET THIS RIGHT. IF YOU SUPPORT THE ILLEGAL INVASION AND ILLEGAL OCCUPATION YOU CAN BE HONORED AS A VET, AND IF YOU ARE A THREE TOUR US VET WHO PUT IT ON THE LINE IN IRAQ [FOR AMERICA, FREEDOM AND BLAH BLAH BLAH] AND DON'T BELIEVE IN THE "MISSION/LIE" YOU CAN GO F-OFF. DID I GET THAT ONE RIGHT?
THAT MUST BE ALL THOSE FREEDOMS ALL THE US GIS WHO SERVED AND WERE FIGHTING AND DIEING FOR DURING THE LAST 200+ YEARS ARE ALL ABOUT.
Look around, I bet you will find lots of VD Parades that will ban US IRAQ Vets [who HONORABLE served] only because of their beliefs.
Today, May 1, 2008, on Bush's notorious 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED DAY' approximately 10,000 longshoremen stayed away from work for a one-day protest against the debacle in Iraq. The walkout was observed at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and other US west coast ports.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union reported that at these ports traffic had virtually come to a halt during the morning shift.
Union officials stated that many of the big shipping companies are profiting off the war.
Job well done! If more people got involved and protested we would have been out of Iraq years ago.
I'm sure all you great GOP Patriots are too busy to read the DoD's Instiute for National Strategic Report. It was released on April 5, 2008. It contains 60 pages of truth [of which, I'm sure you probable couldn't handle]; so, here is a three minute abstract writen by Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott - McClatchy Newspapers.
"WASHINGTON - The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.
The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.
The report carries considerable weight because it was written by Joseph Collins, a former senior Pentagon official, and was based in part on interviews with other former senior defense and intelligence officials who played roles in prewar preparations.
It was published by the university's National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research center.
"Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle," says the report's opening line.
At the time the report was written last fall, more than 4,000 U.S. and foreign troops, more than 7,500 Iraqi security forces and as many as 82,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed and tens of thousands of others wounded, while the cost of the war since March 2003 was estimated at $450 billion.
"No one as yet has calculated the costs of long-term veterans' benefits or the total impact on service personnel and materiel," wrote Collins, who was involved in planning post-invasion humanitarian operations.
The report said that the United States has suffered serious political costs, with its standing in the world seriously diminished. Moreover, operations in Iraq have diverted "manpower, materiel and the attention of decision-makers" from "all other efforts in the war on terror" and severely strained the U.S. armed forces.
"Compounding all of these problems, our efforts there (in Iraq) were designed to enhance U.S. national security, but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle East," the report continued.
The addition of 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq last year to halt the country's descent into all-out civil war has improved security, but not enough to ensure that the country emerges as a stable democracy at peace with its neighbors, the report said.
"Despite impressive progress in security, the outcome of the war is in doubt," said the report. "Strong majorities of both Iraqis and Americans favor some sort of U.S. withdrawal. Intelligence analysts, however, remind us that the only thing worse than an Iraq with an American army may be an Iraq after a rapid withdrawal of that army."
"For many analysts (including this one), Iraq remains a 'must win,' but for many others, despite obvious progress under General David Petraeus and the surge, it now looks like a 'can't win.'"
The report lays much of the blame for what went wrong in Iraq after the initial U.S. victory at the feet of then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. It says that in November 2001, before the war in Afghanistan was over, President Bush asked Rumsfeld "to begin planning in secret for potential military operations against Iraq."
Rumsfeld, who was closely allied with Vice President Dick Cheney, bypassed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the report says, and became "the direct supervisor of the combatant commanders."
" ... the aggressive, hands-on Rumsfeld," it continues, "cajoled and pushed his way toward a small force and a lightning fast operation." Later, he shut down the military's computerized deployment system, "questioning, delaying or deleting units on the numerous deployment orders that came across his desk."
In part because "long, costly, manpower-intensive post-combat operations were anathema to Rumsfeld," the report says, the U.S. was unprepared to fight what Collins calls "War B," the battle against insurgents and sectarian violence that began in mid-2003, shortly after "War A," the fight against Saddam Hussein's forces, ended.
Compounding the problem was a series of faulty assumptions made by Bush's top aides, among them an expectation fed by Iraqi exiles that Iraqis would be grateful to America for liberating them from Saddam's dictatorship. The administration also expected that "Iraq without Saddam could manage and fund its own reconstruction."
The report also singles out the Bush administration's national security apparatus and implicitly President Bush and both of his national security advisers, Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Hadley, saying that "senior national security officials exhibited in many instances an imperious attitude, exerting power and pressure where diplomacy and bargaining might have had a better effect."
Collins ends his report by quoting Winston Churchill, who said: "Let us learn our lessons. Never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. ... Always remember, however sure you are that you can easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think that he also had a chance."
Now my comments: seems like everything this administration a.k.a the GOP touched turned to shit. Oh yeah, how's the economy NOW. The estimated cost of Bush's illegal invasion and occupation is now 3 trillon dollars [if one can disregard the cost of US GIs KIA or forever mentally or physically crippled]. How anyone can support a GOP is beyond my understanding, but go ahead and vote GOP (cuz they wear US flag pins and as any 'real biker' knows that makes them real American and Patriots).
I imagine congratulations are in order. It appears your war profiteering and personal greed [tax cuts], out-weigh the cost of destroyed lifes and human suffering.
Captain Kimberly Nicole Hampton was the first female military pilot to be shot down and killed in United States history.
Hampton grew up in Easley, South Carolina, where she graduated Easley High School as the student body president, and captain of the tennis team. She went on to be an honors graduate of Presbyterian College. In college, she was a champion tennis player, leading the school team, the Blue Hose, to three consecutive South Atlantic Conference women's tennis tournament titles. She was undefeated in three years of singles play. She won the SAC awards for Women's Tennis Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998, and Female Athlete of the Year in 1998.
Hampton joined the U.S. Army ROTC in college, and was the school?s second female to be a ROTC battalion commander as a senior. After graduation, she was an honor graduate of the U.S. Army Helicopter Flight School and Officer Basic Course. She was a Captain in the U.S. Army, Commander of Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. She served 2 years in South Korea, in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, and was deployed to Iraq as part of the Iraq War in September 2003. Hampton died when the Kiowa Warrior OH58-D armed observation helicopter she was flying was shot down near Fallujah, on January 2, 2004. Captain Hampton was the first female military pilot to be shot down and killed by enemy fire in US history. She was also the first female combat casualty from South Carolina in Iraq. Captain
Hampton's resting place is located in the cemetary section just east of the bell tower at Robinson Memorial Gardens on Powdersville Road near her hometown of Easley, South Carolina.
Hampton was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star, an Air Medal, and a Purple Heart. On June 10, 2004, she was inducted into the South Atlantic Conference hall of fame.
In 2005, the "Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library" public library and the "Kimberly Hampton Memorial Highway" in her hometown of Easley were named in her honor. The annual Presbyterian College Capt. Kimberly Hampton Scholarship has been presented to an ROTC student since 2006.
Major Megan M. McClung (April 14, 1972 December 6, 2006) was the first female United States Marine Corps officer killed in combat during the Iraq War.
Maj McClung was serving as a public affairs officer in Al Anbar Province, Iraq when she was killed.
McClung, of Couperville, Washington, was born and raised in Orange County, California, graduating from Mission Viejo High School before going on to attend the U.S. Naval Academy where she received her officer's commission in 1995. McClung competed as a gymnast in high school and in college. She was a triathlete (having competed in six Ironman competitions) and a marathoner. In October 2006, she organized and ran in the Marine Corps Marathon's satellite competition in Iraq.
In January 2006, McClung was deployed to Iraq as a public affairs officer with the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). In December 2006, she was in the final month of a yearlong deployment to Iraq. On December 6, 2006, McClung was serving with the I Marine Expeditionary Force as the Marine Corps head of public affairs for Al Anbar Province, in charge of embedded journalists. Earlier in the day, she had been accompanying Oliver North with his Fox News camera crew in Ramadi. She subsequently was escorting Newsweek journalists into downtown Ramadi. A massive improvised explosive device (IED) destroyed McClung's Humvee, instantly killing McClung and the other two occupants. The Newsweek journalists were not injured. Major McClung was the first female graduate of the United States Naval Academy to be killed in action since the school's foundation in 1845.
Major McClung graduated with her Masters in Criminology from Boston University several months prior to her death, and was posthumously honored at Boston Universities Metropolitan College 2007 commencement ceremonies with the 2006 Excellence in Graduate Study in Criminal Justice, which was presented by Dr. Daniel LeClair. Her Parents, Drs. Re and Michael extended their daughters memory by honoring her by establishing the 'Major Megan M. McClung' Scholarship award.
Major McClung was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on December 27, 2006.
This morning I found the time to ponder America's fallen soldiers. I perused photo after photo and read the brief excerpts which accompanied each. Although each photo represented its' own unique tragedy there were several which marked America's firsts.
Army Quartermaster Corps soldier killed during the same Iraqi Army attack in which her friend Jessica Lynch was injured. A member of the Hopi tribe, Piestewa was the first woman in the U.S. armed forces killed in the 2003 Iraq war and is the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving with the U.S. military.
Piestewa was born and raised in Tuba City, Arizona, a town with more than a 50% unemployment rate, the daughter of Terry Piestewa and Priscilla "Percy" Baca Piestewa. Lori Piestewa's father is Hopi and her mother is of Mexican ancestry. They met in 1964 and married in November 1968.
Her family had a long military tradition, with both Piestewa's father and grandfather having served in the U.S. Army. (Her father was drafted and served in Vietnam in 1965, and returned home in March 1967.) Neighbors described her as, while generally supportive of the army, having joined primarily to provide a secure income for her and her two children, Brandon and Carla Whiterock.
As a child, she was given the Hopi name K'cha-Hon-Mana (also spelled Qotsa-hon-mana, meaning White Bear Girl). Her surname, Piestewa, is derived from a Hopi language root meaning "water pooled on the desert by a hard rain"; thus, Piestewa translates loosely as "the people who live by the water."
Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. The army posthumously promoted her from Private First Class to Specialist.
Jessica Lynch has repeatedly said that Piestewa is the true hero of the ambush and named her daughter Dakota Ann in honor of her fallen comrade. In addition, many entities have honored her memory with memorials. Arizona's state government renamed Squaw Peak in the Phoenix Mountains near Phoenix as Piestewa Peak; the freeway that passes near this mountain was also re-named in her honor. In addition, Senator Tom Daschle honored her, as did Indian Nations across America. Since her death, the Grand Canyon Games organizers have held an annual Lori Piestewa National Native American Games, which brings participants from across the country. A plaque bearing her name is also located at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Her death led to a rare joint prayer gathering between members of the Hopi and Navajo tribes, which have had a centuries-old rivalry.
In May 2005, Lori's parents and children had a brand-new home built by Ty Pennington and his crew on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition accompanied by Jessica Lynch. They also built a new veterans' center on the Navajo reservation.
Dated 10/10/07 - 2 Iraqi Women Killed in Shooting by Security Convoy
The crime - according to the shooters, who are employed by Unity Resources Group, an Australian-run company, a car approached the convoy "at speed" and failed to stop in response to hand signals and a warning flare. Oh, OK driving while being stupid, but wait... according to a witnesses, the convoy of white S.U.V.'s was stopped at an intersection and the victim's Oldsmobile approached the convoy from behind. The witness stated, he heard no warnings. "They shot from the back door," he said. "The door opened and they fired". [That witness must be a terrorist too.]
A priest at the scene ID'ed the KIA as Maruni Uhanees, 59, and her dead passenger as Jeniva Jalal, 30. He stated that all of the people in the car [a woman and a boy in the back seat survived] were Armenian Christians, which make up a small minority group in Iraq. Wow, I thought only the muslims were terrorist. I guess we can send the surviving kid and women to Guantanamo [with all the other terrorist].
I wonder why those Christians became terrorist? Hey DD or Hereatic, can you help me out on that one?
A brother-in-law of one of the women said that Ms. Uhanees was the mother of three grown daughters. As he spoke, one daughter arrived and looked at the blood stains, crying softly.
I'm glad we are keeping the Iraqis safe, and killing off those terrorist- aren't you?
Falcon stated a few weeks back something like, well if the Dems wanted the occupation to end why don't they pass a bill. The answer is simple; each time a bill is brought into the senate, the GOPs either block the vote [filibuster] or vote against it.
The latest GOP victory, Webb Amdt. No. 2909: which specifies minimum periods between deployment of units and members of the Armed Forces deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
All but 6 GOPs voted for indefinite tours of duty. The 6 GOPs who really support the troops: Collins (R-ME), Snowe (R-ME), Coleman (R-MN), Hagel (R-NE), Sununu (R-NH), Smith (R-OR).
Not one Dem voted against limiting CONTINOUS tours. Hagel, [R-NE], said the White House also "has been very effective at making this a loyalty test for the Republican Party." Now that is the GOP party's verse of supporting the troops. I see the NEW nation pledge should go something like, "I pledge Allegiance to the Bush and the GOP National Party". You got to love those hypocrites.
"BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government announced Monday it was ordering Blackwater USA, the security firm [soldiers of forture] that protects U.S. diplomats, to leave the country after what it said was the fatal shooting of eight Iraqi civilians following a car bomb attack against a State Department convoy.
The presence of so many visible, aggressive Western security contractors has angered many Iraqis, who consider them a mercenary force that runs roughshod over people in their own country.
Sunday's shooting was the latest in a series of incidents in which Blackwater and other foreign contractors have been accused of shooting to death Iraqi citizens. None has faced charges or prosecution."
And none will if the Scrub gets his way.
"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki late Monday and the two agreed to conduct a "fair and transparent investigation" and hold any wrongdoers accountable, said Yassin Majid, an adviser to the prime minister. Rice was expected to visit the Mideast on Tuesday."
Yeah, Bush will take care of Blackwater like he took care of the people that outted Plames [the CIA WMD Agent who spent 20 years of her life developing covert contacts in Iran and Iraq] who Libby outted on orders from Cheney. Mission accomplished.
Today, the GOPs in the US Senate filibuster a bill that would return habeas corpus rights to "terrorism suspects". For those who may not know, a filibuster means that the senate body will not allow a vote on a pending bill.
The US courts have stated that the Shrub's removal of Habeas Corpus is unconstitutional.
Just to remind people the following words from the United State pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all."
Funny, but it seems 'justice for all' is no longer valid. Who stated, "they [the terrorist] hate US for are freedoms"? Remember that lie?
Here is the real issue: why shouldn't anyone who is arrested/detained be notified of the reason(s) of their detainment, and why should not they be allowed civil or military court proceeding(s)?
I'm sure many at this site can 'relate' to being arrested. So, how would you like it if you were held indefinitely without being given the right to have your arrest and detainment contested in a court of law?
Bye bye to Justice for all eh? You got to love the GOP verson of the US constitution.
Original post date: 09/05/07 By John Bruhns Former US Army Infantry Sergeant
"I served in Baghdad as an army sergeant for the first year of the war. Within my first days there, I realized that so much of what I had been told?about weapons of mass destruction, connections to 9/11?was just White House spin to sell the war.
I'm seeing the same thing all over again now. Even with this being the bloodiest summer for US troops in Iraq, even with Iraqi casualties running at twice the pace of last year, and even with 15 of 18 of President Bush's own benchmarks unmet, the White House is at it again. They're telling us that black is white, up is down, and things in Iraq are going just great thanks to the troop "surge."
This month Congress is going to vote on war policy for the next year?and Bush is hoping all this "progress" talk will scare Congress away from voting for withdrawal. We can't let that happen. Almost 4,000 US troops have died. We've spent half a trillion dollars in Iraq. Every day you turn on the news and more people are killed. We need Congress to stand up and fight to bring our troops home this fall.
I need your help to make sure that happens. Can you sign this petition demanding that Congress begin a fully funded redeployment and start bringing our troops home from Iraq immediately? I'll deliver your comments to Congress myself next week. Clicking below will add your name: (Google it)
I left Iraq on February 27, 2004 and from what I hear from my friends who are still there?many on their third or fourth deployments?it's worse now than ever before. The "surge" was a failure and it's time to draw down our troops.
This president can't be trusted, his policy is reckless and it's more and more dangerous every day."
