damn well said. after 6 years of complete fiction as a government, it is odd that no one seems to remember their "values"
I can only suspect that it is because our news is all corporate owned and they are in favor of what is happening. none of them report on what is going on for more seconds than their commercials run.
A simple yet potentially very effective idea.
Why are congressional Dems so blind to the obvious? Why does the blogosphere need to do the thinking for them? It's frustrating.
Posted by Stranger at March 1, 2007 11:02 AMIf Congress doesn't have the constitutional power to enforce training, refit and rehab regulations against the all-powerful Commander of Oz, it certainly doesn't have power to recall unending Guard deployments by our "Nation At War" (tm)!
Goebbels: Are you ready for TOTAL WAR!?
America: Um,...er...not really.
Posted by euzoius at March 1, 2007 11:17 AMThe gang-pressing of the National Guard into fighting Bushco's war has significantly weakend our states' readiness for local emergencies (New Orleans comes to mind), and also turned the lives of our National Guard enlistees inside out:
After almost 20 years service in the Guard (soon to be ex-) brother-in-law was forced into active duty, and had to quit his job and move to the DC area for his assignment--while he may have it better than the troops in Iraq, the move has devastated our family, as he has taken up with another woman, while deciding that 'the Army is my family,' leaving my sister and their two young children out in the cold to fend for themselves. While there are still many decidated family men and women in the armed services, stories like this are endemic.
While it could be said that this may have happened anyway, the fact is that Bushco's decision to mobilize the Guard has devastated many US families, and their short-sighted grab for the prize has long-term ramifications in so many ways, not all of them as spectacular as a roadside IED.
Posted by cheSF at March 1, 2007 11:39 AMThe reason why Democrats fail to do anything to stand up to this White House is because the Repbulicans still frame the debate.
Why won't anyone support the Murtha Plan?
Because he was framed as a old coot who is "out of touch".
Why won't they start to pull funding?
Because they will be framed as "unpatriotic" and "not supporting the troops".
The Democrats aren't afraid of action - they're afraid of being defined because they have yet to define themselves.
Posted by CitizenBoo at March 1, 2007 11:41 AMMaj. Gen. George Weightman, head of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was informed that Army leaders had lost confidence "in his abilities to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care," an Army statement said.
You're fired!
Posted by iamcoyote at March 1, 2007 11:57 AMI would like to suggest an alternate plan of action.
over at Muckraker there's an interesting opportunity for one who acts fast.
Alleged D.C. Madam "Considering" Selling Off Phone Records
[...]
Back in October, the feds busted a long-time prostitution service in the Washington, D.C. area. The madam, Jean Palfrey, soon caught attention by telling a reporter from the Smoking Gun that they must be going after her as part of a larger investigation into "some Duke Cunningham-type bigwig client that got caught up in something[.]"
[...]
Palfrey, whose assets were seized by the IRS back in October, has launched a website, http://deborahjeanepalfrey.com, to solicit contributions. But if that doesn't bring in enough, "consideration is being given to selling the entire 46 pounds of detailed and itemized phone records for the 13 year period, to raise the requisite defense funds," according to the website.
[...]
(according to her lawyer) The records identify the telephone number of the customer. Since 2000, the customers and the independent contractor escorts of the service almost exclusively used their personal cellphones, their identifying information is readily and publicly available. Jeane will cooperate with whoever acquires the information to supplement it with other information at her disposal.
The fruity sounds of popping you would hear all over the country would be wingnut heads exploding if an old friend of theirs, like George Soros or Larry Flynt were to buy the records. I suspect more than a few "Family Values Guys" would be left, shall we say, "exposed". Gee, I wonder if Jeff Gannon worked for her?
Hello, is this Karl Rove's personal cell number? Yes? Hey, Karl baby, you'll never guess where I got your number! Awww! You guessed! Now, about those National Guard troops.
The only battalion of Apache helicopters in Afghanistan is the Arizona Guard.
When Iran invades us from Mexico, we're screwed!
Posted by TIKI AL at March 1, 2007 12:11 PMThis approach could also get us around to the debate over the whole way our force is structured. It's absurd to depend on National Guard units for filling long-term needs of the military. The Guard should be for handling short-term needs in an emergency, not a way of supporting long-term warfare without calling up a draft, and playing budget games.
Posted by biggerbox at March 1, 2007 12:58 PMIt's a very interesting idea, but it still doesn't get around the need for Congress to do something to bring home the troops. If a governor called home his guardspeople, Bush would be in no way bound to respect that unless Congress forced his hand directly. So it wouldn't get congressional dems past the ugly political reality of having to be The Party That Lost The War™.
Posted by dj moonbat at March 1, 2007 01:23 PMas far as Bush is concerned, National Guard is Army. Forces for him to command. As long as he's got the money, he'll keep sending anyone who can wear a uniform to fight his b.s. wars.
Posted by T2 at March 1, 2007 01:53 PMEuz leave Josef alone. No 'Josef's' in this government.
You want our troops home? Get behind our President. Provide a united front to the world. Senator Levin has been making some nice statements in the hearings he's conducting. A united front would drastically reduce the morale of those people fighting our guys. Drop their enrollment. They'd have to face the fact that there's no waiting out our involvement here. We will finish what we've started. And our troops will come home sooner than later.
Your leaders are not going to follow you people. Your choice has been made. You're in bed with Pelosi and Reid now. The only way Pelosi goes is to loose the majority. Same goes for Reid, unless those land deals of his sting him. They will not jump off a cliff with you. Some say they want this war around next year, they really don't care about the troops. They want more power, more authority...to do nothing. NOTHING!!!
Posted by peter at March 1, 2007 03:38 PMPeter, Tokyo Rose of the Internet.
Posted by Judith at March 1, 2007 04:50 PMYou want our troops home? Get behind our President.
We want them home, not dead.
Your leaders are not going to follow you people.
Yours follwed you. Look at the fucked-up mess we got for it. At least by taking a chance with Dems there is a chance. With you, no chance...period.
Posted by phidipides at March 1, 2007 05:45 PM"Peter, Tokyo Rose of the Internet."
Tokyo troll?
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Lttl bsh thrws n r ldr gys fr ll th wrng rsns. Whn w nd thm t fght cty gngstrs nd tk cr f cty dvsttn, whr r thy? Fghtng crp wr f wrld hgmny, ndr th gs f frcng sml t shr pltcl vls (dmcrcy, crp styl).
[Editor: ignore=off]Aren't you the sneaky little gangster?
Posted by iamcoyote at March 2, 2007 12:08 PMPeter, The proud 29%!
Posted by Seven of Six at March 2, 2007 01:24 PMcyt, y nd yr 7 r nvr fr ff.
[Editor: ignore=off]Why won't they start to pull funding?
Because they will be framed as "unpatriotic" and "not supporting the troops".