From The Raw Story.com:
For Immediate Release:
THURSDAY, JUNE 16
CONYERS TO HOLD DEMOCRATIC HEARING ON DOWNING STREET MEMO AND LEAD UP TO IRAQ WAR
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of House Judiciary Committee, and other Democratic Members will hold a Democratic hearing to hear testimony concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.
On May 1, 2005 a Sunday London Times article disclosed the details of a classified memo, also known as the Downing Street Minutes, recounting the minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair that describes an American President already committed to going to war in the summer of 2002, despite contrary assertions to the public and the Congress. The minutes also describe apparent efforts by the Administration to manipulate intelligence data to justify the war. The June 16th hearing will attempt to answer the serious constitutional questions raised by these revelations and will further investigate the Administration's actions in the lead up to war with new documents that further corroborate the Downing Street memo.
Directly following the hearing, Rep. Conyers, Members of Congress, and concerned citizens plan to hand deliver to the White House the petition and signatures of over a half million Americans that have joined Rep. Conyers in demanding that President Bush answer questions about his secret plan for the Iraq war.
WHAT: Democratic hearing on Downing Street Minutes and Pre-war intelligence
WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2005, TIME TBD
WHERE: LOCATION TBD
WITNESSES: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer
From Lizzy - Now we're getting somewhere!!!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
"I'm not a part of a redneck agenda"
I've said this before, but I'm still wondering...where are the new protest songs? Are we just not hearing them because overproduced teenage bubblegum crap is being forced down our throats? Or, is Clear Channel with their heavy Republican contributions keeping it off the air?
Bush's war is the new Vietnam. We need some new voices to rile up the younger generations to the truth. Music played a big part in bringing about change in the 60's & 70's, and it can happen again.
Hey, Neil Young & John Fogerty - show them how it's done.
At least Green Day is keeping it real:
"American Idiot"
Don't wanna be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new mania.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Don't wanna be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Bush's war is the new Vietnam. We need some new voices to rile up the younger generations to the truth. Music played a big part in bringing about change in the 60's & 70's, and it can happen again.
Hey, Neil Young & John Fogerty - show them how it's done.
At least Green Day is keeping it real:
"American Idiot"
Don't wanna be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new mania.
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along in the age of paranoia.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Don't wanna be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alienation.
Everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Mainlining banana flips
It's time to get in shape. Since quitting smoking 18 months ago, I've put on about 10lbs, and it's really bothering me. I'm only 5'2" so every ounce shows.
The problem is my addictive nature. Since quitting street drugs, my main addiction has been sugar, and that is one addiction I'm not willing to give up. I can decrease the amount I take in, but I refuse to stop completely. I've left behind heroin, cocaine, cigarettes and methadone, but I'm not Superwoman, for G-d's sake!
So that means it all comes down to exercise. I'm going to join a local health club and get a personal trainer. When I was in my early 20's, I used to go to a gym everyday, and I can do it again. I think between nautilus, free weights, stationary bike, walking the dogs, and possibly yoga, it shouldn't take me long to start feeling better. I'm going to join this week. I'll keep you updated.
The problem is my addictive nature. Since quitting street drugs, my main addiction has been sugar, and that is one addiction I'm not willing to give up. I can decrease the amount I take in, but I refuse to stop completely. I've left behind heroin, cocaine, cigarettes and methadone, but I'm not Superwoman, for G-d's sake!
So that means it all comes down to exercise. I'm going to join a local health club and get a personal trainer. When I was in my early 20's, I used to go to a gym everyday, and I can do it again. I think between nautilus, free weights, stationary bike, walking the dogs, and possibly yoga, it shouldn't take me long to start feeling better. I'm going to join this week. I'll keep you updated.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
From Recovering Liberal.com:
Countdown to Impeachment 2005
In perhaps one of the largest turnarounds in modern political history, only six months after winning reelection, Bush has apparently squandered his mandate and now finds himself a lame duck, his powerful political capitol spent. Yes, dear readers, America is finally on to the man and it is doubtful that his presidency will survive the next two years.
So unlikely is his political survival that we here at the RECOVERING LIBERAL feel completely comfortable in beginning what amounts to as a countdown to IMPEACHMENT (Drum Roll Please!)
And what a lovely impeachment it will be, televised and tivo'd, and commented on by AL and Randi at AIR AMERICA while being dutifully dissected by our brothers and sisters in the BLOGGING COMMUNITY Including: BLONDESENSE, AMERICAblog, DAILY KOS, and of course here in the red, white and blue pages of the LIB.
We are confident that in the next twenty-four months Dubya and the gang will be relegated to their rightful place in history as the war criminals, thieves and zealots that they most definitely are.
That they will be taken to task for lying about the WMD'S and for generally disregarding the will of the American people, who mostly believe that war should only be fought only when our nation is at jeopardy and not because war is good business.
We further believe that they will be held to answer for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives squandered as collateral damage in this War for Oil as well as for the senseless loss of our own troops, and for the ongoing pain and suffering of those soldiers, sailors and marines lucky enough to survive their tour of duty in Iraq.
Additionally, it is our sincere hope that they will be charged for their crimes against the environment and for the senseless destruction of the air that we breath, the water that we drink, and the food that we eat in the name of shameless profit.
Lastly, it is our fondest desire they be made to pay dearly for the climate of hate, which they have engendered, endorsed and fueled with their draconian approach to the maters of gay rights, stem cell research and evolution, as well as their support for those who preach hate in God's name.
And these are just some of the things which we would like to see them answer for in this life. God, I'm sure, has a few issues of his own to discuss with them.
Friday, June 03, 2005
John Kerry Joins Call For Inquiry On Downing Street Memo
This story is (finally) gaining momentum, folks:
By Wikinews beta:
John Kerry Criticizes News Media, Joins Call For Inquiry On Downing Street Memo
In a swing through South Coast, Florida, former 2004 presidential candidate Senator John Kerry criticized the near silence of the U.S. mass media regarding the so-called "Downing Street Memo". The Downing Street Memo is a leaked secret British document that details the minutes of a 2002 meeting between top-level British and American government officials. The memo states that George W. Bush "was determined" to attack Iraq long before going to Congress with the matter, and that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." The accuracy of the memo is not being disputed by either government. The memo caused an uproar in Great Britain and made a significant impact in the British national elections, but has gotten little attention in American news. Kerry said of the memo:
"When I go back [to Washington] on Monday, I am going to raise the issue. I think it's a stunning, unbelievably simple and understandable statement of the truth and a profoundly important document that raises stunning issues here at home. And it's amazing to me the way it escaped major media discussion. It's not being missed on the Internet, I can tell you that."
He questioned Americans' understanding of the war and the idea that criticism equals disloyalty, saying,
"Do you think that Americans if they really understood it would feel that way knowing that on Election Day, 77 percent of Americans who voted for Bush believed that weapons of mass destruction had been found and 77 percent believe Saddam did 9/11? Is there a way for this to break through, ever?"
We're trying, John. We're trying.
By Wikinews beta:
John Kerry Criticizes News Media, Joins Call For Inquiry On Downing Street Memo
In a swing through South Coast, Florida, former 2004 presidential candidate Senator John Kerry criticized the near silence of the U.S. mass media regarding the so-called "Downing Street Memo". The Downing Street Memo is a leaked secret British document that details the minutes of a 2002 meeting between top-level British and American government officials. The memo states that George W. Bush "was determined" to attack Iraq long before going to Congress with the matter, and that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." The accuracy of the memo is not being disputed by either government. The memo caused an uproar in Great Britain and made a significant impact in the British national elections, but has gotten little attention in American news. Kerry said of the memo:
"When I go back [to Washington] on Monday, I am going to raise the issue. I think it's a stunning, unbelievably simple and understandable statement of the truth and a profoundly important document that raises stunning issues here at home. And it's amazing to me the way it escaped major media discussion. It's not being missed on the Internet, I can tell you that."
He questioned Americans' understanding of the war and the idea that criticism equals disloyalty, saying,
"Do you think that Americans if they really understood it would feel that way knowing that on Election Day, 77 percent of Americans who voted for Bush believed that weapons of mass destruction had been found and 77 percent believe Saddam did 9/11? Is there a way for this to break through, ever?"
We're trying, John. We're trying.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
"...a test of the left-wing blogosphere"
Copied & pasted from the great blog, Shakespeare's Sister:
FOX NEWS COVERS DOWNING STREET MEMO!
Everything I thought I understood about the world continues to spin out of control as Fox News covers the memo under the headline Downing Street Memo Mostly Ignored in US:
A British government memo that critics say proves the Bush administration manipulated evidence about weapons of mass destruction in order to carry out a plan to overthrow Saddam Hussein has received little attention in the mainstream media, frustrating opponents of the Iraq war.
The "Downing Street Memo" — first published by The Sunday Times of London on May 1 — summarizes a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior national security team on July 23, 2002, months before the March 2003 coalition invasion of Iraq.
The memo suggests that British intelligence analysts were concerned that the Bush administration was marching to war on wobbly evidence that Saddam posed a serious threat to the world.
[…]
White House spokesman Scott McClellan has said there is "no need" to respond to the memos, the authenticity of which has not been denied.
Dante Zappala does not agree. For Zappala, the Downing Street Memo strikes a critical and personal chord. His brother, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, 30, a soldier in the Pennsylvania National Guard, was killed in Baghdad 13 months ago on what Zappala said was a mission to find weapons there."
My family knows the consequences of the decision they made to go to war," said Zappala, 29, of Philadelphia. He is a member of Military Families Speak Out, a group that opposes the war and, according to Zappala, now has more than 2,000 members.
"I can't speak for what the TV news decides to focus their attention on," Zappala said. "They seem to have a willful deference to all relevant information. I think they've really just dropped the ball on this."
They also mention Conyers’ efforts, and here’s our challenge from Fox News:
Several popular left-leaning blogs have taken up the cause to keep the story alive, encouraging readers to contact media outlets. A Web site, DowningStreetMemo.com, tells readers to contact the White House directly with complaints."
This is a test of the left-wing blogosphere," said Jim Pinkerton, syndicated columnist and regular contributor to FOX News Watch, who pointed out that The Sunday Times article came out just before the British election and apparently had little effect on voters' decisions.
"In many ways that memo might prove all of the arguments the critics of the war have made," he added. "But the bulk of Americans don't agree, or don't seem that alarmed, so it is a power test to see if they can drive it back on the agenda."
All right, Big Brass Alliance—Fox fucking News has thrown down the gauntlet. Onward and upward!
FOX NEWS COVERS DOWNING STREET MEMO!
Everything I thought I understood about the world continues to spin out of control as Fox News covers the memo under the headline Downing Street Memo Mostly Ignored in US:
A British government memo that critics say proves the Bush administration manipulated evidence about weapons of mass destruction in order to carry out a plan to overthrow Saddam Hussein has received little attention in the mainstream media, frustrating opponents of the Iraq war.
The "Downing Street Memo" — first published by The Sunday Times of London on May 1 — summarizes a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair and his senior national security team on July 23, 2002, months before the March 2003 coalition invasion of Iraq.
The memo suggests that British intelligence analysts were concerned that the Bush administration was marching to war on wobbly evidence that Saddam posed a serious threat to the world.
[…]
White House spokesman Scott McClellan has said there is "no need" to respond to the memos, the authenticity of which has not been denied.
Dante Zappala does not agree. For Zappala, the Downing Street Memo strikes a critical and personal chord. His brother, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, 30, a soldier in the Pennsylvania National Guard, was killed in Baghdad 13 months ago on what Zappala said was a mission to find weapons there."
My family knows the consequences of the decision they made to go to war," said Zappala, 29, of Philadelphia. He is a member of Military Families Speak Out, a group that opposes the war and, according to Zappala, now has more than 2,000 members.
"I can't speak for what the TV news decides to focus their attention on," Zappala said. "They seem to have a willful deference to all relevant information. I think they've really just dropped the ball on this."
They also mention Conyers’ efforts, and here’s our challenge from Fox News:
Several popular left-leaning blogs have taken up the cause to keep the story alive, encouraging readers to contact media outlets. A Web site, DowningStreetMemo.com, tells readers to contact the White House directly with complaints."
This is a test of the left-wing blogosphere," said Jim Pinkerton, syndicated columnist and regular contributor to FOX News Watch, who pointed out that The Sunday Times article came out just before the British election and apparently had little effect on voters' decisions.
"In many ways that memo might prove all of the arguments the critics of the war have made," he added. "But the bulk of Americans don't agree, or don't seem that alarmed, so it is a power test to see if they can drive it back on the agenda."
All right, Big Brass Alliance—Fox fucking News has thrown down the gauntlet. Onward and upward!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
The Downing Street Memo
From United States Representative John Conyers, Jr's Website:
Dear Friend:
As many of you are aware, a classified memo was recently disclosed in Great Britain that I believe has serious ramifications for the integrity of the United States Government. Dubbed the “Downing Street Memo,” but actually comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and other top British government officials, the memo casts serious doubt on many of the contentions of the Bush Administration in the lead up to the Iraq war. With over 1,600 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in Iraq, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and over $200 billion in taxpayer funds going to this war effort, we cannot afford to stand by any longer.
Along with 88 of my colleagues, I wrote to the President requesting answers about this grave matter. Thus far, our search for the truth has been stonewalled and I need your help. I believe the American people deserve answers about this matter and should demand directly that the President tell the truth about the memo. To that end, I am asking you to sign on to a letter to the President requesting he answer the questions posed to him by 89 Members of Congress.
I will personally insure that this letter is delivered to the White House.
You can read the letter here and sign on to it below. You and I know the White House is just hoping that this matter will fade away, but in a few short weeks, with our steadfastness, the memo has found its way into leading newspapers and White House press briefings. With your help, we can hold this Administration accountable.
Please pass on this important letter to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to sign as well.
Thank you for your help and support.
John Conyers, Jr.
Click here to read & sign the Letter to President Bush Concerning the Downing Street Memo
More info: After Downing Street Dot Org
From Lizzy:
This memo should have been the smoking gun that exposed the Bush administration, but the mainstream media is (shamefully) not doing their job. This story is too important to die. Let's help keep it alive.
Dear Friend:
As many of you are aware, a classified memo was recently disclosed in Great Britain that I believe has serious ramifications for the integrity of the United States Government. Dubbed the “Downing Street Memo,” but actually comprising the minutes of a meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair and other top British government officials, the memo casts serious doubt on many of the contentions of the Bush Administration in the lead up to the Iraq war. With over 1,600 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in Iraq, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and over $200 billion in taxpayer funds going to this war effort, we cannot afford to stand by any longer.
Along with 88 of my colleagues, I wrote to the President requesting answers about this grave matter. Thus far, our search for the truth has been stonewalled and I need your help. I believe the American people deserve answers about this matter and should demand directly that the President tell the truth about the memo. To that end, I am asking you to sign on to a letter to the President requesting he answer the questions posed to him by 89 Members of Congress.
I will personally insure that this letter is delivered to the White House.
You can read the letter here and sign on to it below. You and I know the White House is just hoping that this matter will fade away, but in a few short weeks, with our steadfastness, the memo has found its way into leading newspapers and White House press briefings. With your help, we can hold this Administration accountable.
Please pass on this important letter to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to sign as well.
Thank you for your help and support.
John Conyers, Jr.
Click here to read & sign the Letter to President Bush Concerning the Downing Street Memo
More info: After Downing Street Dot Org
From Lizzy:
This memo should have been the smoking gun that exposed the Bush administration, but the mainstream media is (shamefully) not doing their job. This story is too important to die. Let's help keep it alive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
