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October 25, 2005--Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans now say that getting U.S. soldiers home as soon as possible is more important than making sure "Iraq becomes a peaceful nation enjoying freedom and democracy." This is the first time that a majority of Americans have held that view. The Rasmussen Reports survey also shows that just 38% insuring a peaceful and free Iraq is the top priority. A month ago, 47% said getting the troops home was more important while 43% focused on finishing the mission.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US death toll in Iraq reportedly hit 2,000 amid a sharp spike in violence that killed 14 Iraqis as the nation awaited results of a key vote on a charter aimed at curbing sectarian violence. The US network CNN, quoting Pentagon sources, reported Tuesday that the number of soldiers killed since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq had reached 2,000 with the deaths of two more soldiers, a toll likely to add pressure on the US administration over its role in the violence-wracked country. For the first time, a majority of Americans believe the Iraq war...

The NEXT Day When Everything Finally Changed came on September 24 and was instantly forgotten amidst the plethora of Hurricane Rita news coverage. I watched NBC national news on Saturday evening and there wasn't even ONE mention of Pied Piper Pitt's much heralded event on the Washington Mall. It didn't even make the front page of the local Miami Herald. In fact it didn't even get on the second page of that paper. It ended up with a relatively minor blurb on page 3 of that periodical. Most amazingly, there was even little comment from the DUmmies themselves about...

There is a shot where Blanco is being set up several days ago for a TV interview, and her press secretary is helping her adjust her mic. They’re having a personal conversation, but the cameraman catches it!! In it, she kinda jokes to her press secretary something like “yeah, well I guess I really need to ask for troops,” and a couple more things she says. A bit later in hte segment she gets into a semi-argument with Miles O’Brien, and he’s pointedly asking her exactly WHEN she asked the President for troops.She gets frustrated and says she didn’t even...

WASHINGTON · A narrow plurality of likely voters in Florida thinks the United States was not justified in waging war in Iraq and should bring its troops back home within a year, according to a new statewide poll. The poll, commissioned by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Florida Times-Union, reflects drooping public support for the war policy nationwide, with opinions sharply divided by gender and political party.

BEFORE YOU READ --- Look for the KEY PHRASE: "...the MTV segment...". http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org Victoria Harper http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090205C.shtml T r u t h o u t | Perspective | Sep 07, 2005 The toddlers were at the pizza parlor to celebrate Kristina's 3rd birthday. A dozen youngsters jumped and clapped their hands as a giant rat, Chuck E. Cheese, came out to greet them. The Iraq War was far from my mind. If you have never been to Chuck E. Cheese, it is a mix of carnival and play park, with so-so pizza, lots of video games, coin operated kiddie rides, and...

Dinasour Media bias in action, here is how the story was posted yesterday by AP. Notice how AP edited out the actual QUOTES that DIRECTLY contradicted their spin lie and had the writer write the story interjected their own interpretation of what was said by the sources. Here is yesterdays AP story. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that "arguably" a day or so of response time was lost due to the absence of the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Infantry Brigade and Louisiana's 256th Infantry Brigade, each with thousands of troops in Iraq. Blum said that...

"Teach your interns the role of journalists is to question power, not propagate it." That advice arrived recently from retired New York Times columnist Tom Wicker. While Mr. Wicker's words are important for my journalism students, they're a timely reminder for the Baby Boom leaders of America's newsrooms — who should have learned more than they did in the '60s, when the best and the brightest gave us Vietnam. The most influential interpreters of our public affairs are accepting, rather than expanding, a noose-tight frame the Washington political culture is enforcing to limit permissible discourse on the war in Iraq....

One way of measuring any terrorist attack is to look at whether the killers accomplished everything they set out to. On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida set out to hijack four planes and succeeded in seizing every one. Had the killers attempted to take another 30 jets between 7:30 and 9 that morning, who can doubt that they'd have maintained their pristine 100 percent success rate? Throughout the IRA's long war against the British Crown, two generations of politicians pointed out that there would always be the odd ''crack in the system'' through which the determined terrorist would slip. But on...

One way of measuring any terrorist attack is to look at whether the killers accomplished everything they set out to. On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida set out to hijack four planes and succeeded in seizing every one. Had the killers attempted to take another 30 jets between 7:30 and 9 that morning, who can doubt that they'd have maintained their pristine 100 percent success rate? Throughout the IRA's long war against the British Crown, two generations of politicians pointed out that there would always be the odd ''crack in the system'' through which the determined terrorist would slip. But on...

ITHACA NY--The first soldier jailed for not returning to fight in Iraq discussed his struggle to participate in a war he did not believe in yesterday. Camilo Mejia spoke out against serving in a war he calls "a corporate war for oil." Mejia said it is extremely difficult for soldiers to say they disagree with war on moral grounds, as this is perceived as unpatriotic. "No one wants to make the unpopular decision and say 'This is not a good war'," he said. "Out of fear of challenging U.S. leadership, people just go along." A soldier's sense of right and...

A pro-US weblog by three Iraqi brothers has become the unlikely setting for a huge web spat after conspiracy theorists alleged it was a fake. Iraq the Model, a weblog detailing the more positive aspects of the US-led occupation of the country, is one of the most popular Iraq sites on the web. But some anti-war activists said it was a CIA-sponsored propaganda tool. The brothers strongly denied the claims, but the row has led to severe ructions in the online Iraq community. 'Positive message' The blog, written by Baghdad-based brothers Mohammed and Omar, who are dentists, and doctor Ali,...

The owner of Nonviolence.org, Martin Kelley, said he got an interesting phone call yesterday from a CBS News publicist for--you guessed it--Dan Rather's "60 Minutes Wednesday", the same program that carried the infamous bogus memos. "Yesterday I got a call from a publicist for CBS News's 60 Minutes. They're running a story tonight on 'Deserters,' U.S. military personnel who have fled to Canada rather than serve in Iraq. She was requesting that I talk up the program on Nonviolence. In nine years of publishing the peace site, I can't remember ever getting a call from a publicist before. I've talked...

tbuddha (299 posts) Wed Dec-01-04 11:44 AM Original message Here's a sneaky way to troll GOP blogs w/o them even knowing Post a link to optruth.org on their blogs with a message like "Support Our Troops!" and "Read the Latest from our Soldiers" or "See combat footage here from real soldiers". It's totally honest, and it will get repukes to read all the stories from soldiers about how they don't like Bush.

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking information from the FBI on why bureau task forces set up to combat terrorism also looked into anti-war, animal rights and environmental groups. Dozens of organizations have been subjected to scrutiny, according to the ACLU, which was filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the FBI on Thursday to try to find out why. "We think it's clear that the public is interested in the possible return of FBI spying on political and religious groups," said Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal counsel. The FBI denies singling out individuals or groups...

Looking in The Eyes of evil “You attacked us in Somalia; you supported the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya, the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir, and the Jewish aggression against us in Lebanon” “Under your supervision, consent and orders, the governments of our countries which act as your agents, attack us on a daily basis” “These governments steal our Ummah's wealth and sell them to you at a paltry price” These quotes from Usama bin Laden could be considered to be one of two realities, either Usama bin Laden is a mad man who is in complete disillusionment...

The fringe left was out in all its glory in San Francisco on Saturday (6/5), marking the anniversary of Israel's 1967 war. International A.N.S.W.E.R. organizers also managed to lump Iraq into the equation, with the blanket statement, ''End All Occupations!'' And just to cover their bases, the banner above the stage read, ''U.S. Troops Out of Everwhere!'' The banner also called for the U.S. to ''End the Torture'' and of course, there were many references to Abu Ghraib throughout the day. But all in all, it was a pitiful display and the best they could turn out was 4000-5000 people....

When I eulogized my son, Nick, I said that he was my teacher and my hero. He was the kindest, gentlest man I know — no, the kindest, gentlest human being I know or have ever known. Did you know that he quit the Boy Scouts of America because they wanted to teach him to fire a handgun? Nick, too, poured into me the strength I needed and still need to tell the world about him. People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't...

Anthem for Doomed Youth What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -- - The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their...