By Howard Blume, Times Staff Writer

July 5, 2007

"This is an impeachment 4th of July," Byron De Lear, a Green Party activist, said Wednesday. He called removing Bush and Cheney "a patriotic duty to restore the integrity of the United States."

Those assembled cited various Bush actions or policies, including "lies that led the U.S. into war."

They also said that Bush--Cheney policies precipitated torture, illegal spying on American citizens, and the curtailment of privacy and civil rights in the name of fighting terrorism.

The latest irritant was the president's decision to commute the prison sentence of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whom a jury convicted of obstructing justice.

"Isn't it ironic that Paris Hilton will spend more days in jail than Libby?" said De Lear.

The day's star power was provided by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who had vigorously defended then-President Bill Clinton when he faced impeachment in 1998.

"This is one of the most important efforts this country has ever seen," said Waters, speaking to about 300 gathered for a noon rally at nearby La Cienega Park.

In an interview, she added: "We can make changes through organizing. If the numbers are in the streets, Congress will listen."

Any impeachment motion ultimately voted on by the House of Representatives would have to pass through the House Judiciary Committee, to which Waters belongs.

Organizers could not definitively name another "pro-impeach" representative on that committee.

In the House at large, they tally 14 like-minded lawmakers, most of whom have signed on to articles of impeachment against Cheney that were introduced by Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who is running for president.

When asked who might lead the cause in the Senate, Waters paused, then said she would have to defer that question for now.

In the end, removing Bush or Cheney from office would require a two-thirds vote by the Senate.

In the mid-term elections, many more Democrats and some Republicans spoke out against the war, including some who had originally voted to permit the Bush administration to invade Iraq.

But concluding the war and impeaching Bush don't look like compatible policies to most members of Congress, said progressive Democratic columnist Harold Meyerson, executive editor of the American Prospect, in a telephone interview.

"Impeachment is a distraction since it's not going to happen," said Meyerson.

"At the root of this is the notion that Bush lied us into war and that's been out there 4 1/2 years. Impeachment would stop everything else in Congress and the Democrats think they actually need to accomplish stuff instead of fighting unwinnable battles, especially with poll numbers falling for Congress. The main thing is to defeat Republicans electorally."

Republican analyst Arnold Steinberg said an impeachment drive would help his side: "This gambit will excite the leftist base but marginalize reasonable Democrats and alienate independent voters — and motivate Republicans. I can only say, 'Grow up and get a life.' Or, better yet, 'Go for it.' You'll end up sinking Democratic Party prospects for 2008."

Critics seeking to define the headquarters opening as a conclave of the political fringe could point out the largely middle-aged, deeply left-wing audience or the accordion player in floppy shoes who opened the rally with a version of "America" that substituted "siblinghood" for "brotherhood."

But the audience also included fresh recruits Trevor Torquato, 19, and Lauren Kuzma, 17, of Murrieta.

"I'm actually new to politics," said Torquato. "I'm here to be educated. I'm going to register with the Green Party today."

"I'm just hoping all of this will get Bush out of office," said Lauren, "so we can get our troops out of Iraq. They don't really talk about that in school. They talk about past history, not what's going on now."

The impeachment center was sponsored by Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, Westside Greens, Santa Monica Democratic Club and the Los Angeles Greens.

Activists plan to meet every Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the 3rd Street storefront, where they'll stuff envelopes, do phone banking, spread the word about http://www.bcimpeach.com and make plans to circulate petitions and lobby elected officials. They report that 79 municipalities and townships nationwide have passed impeachment resolutions.

Former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, who spoke at the event, insisted that principles ought to trump narrow political imperatives. "Leadership requires that people step out," she said. "It is not hopeless. Stand up. Do something for your rights."

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3 missing, 5 killed in attack on U.S. patrol

May 12, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- American troops were on the hunt in a volatile region south of Baghdad for three members of a U.S.-led military patrol, who went missing after an insurgent attack Saturday that killed five others.

The U.S. military said attackers struck the team of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter.

It was unclear whether the Iraqi was among the missing or among those killed, and it is not known whether the interpreter was a soldier or a civilian employee. (Watch military spokesman describe details of the attack )

U.S. forces are using all assets in their search for the missing troops, who are listed as duty status whereabouts unknown, the military said.

Checkpoints have been established throughout the region and aircraft including helicopters, drones and jets have been deployed in the search.

The predawn attack occurred 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a city south of the capital in a region that has been nicknamed the Triangle of Death. (Map)

A nearby unit heard explosions, and 15 minutes later, a drone aircraft spotted two burning vehicles, according to a U.S. military statement.

"Coalition Forces are currently using every means at our disposal to find the missing Soldiers, and we will continue these efforts until all are accounted for," said a statement from military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell.

The search is reminiscent of the hunt last June for two soldiers who were seized at a checkpoint in Yusufiya.

The two also were listed as duty status whereabouts unknown until their bodies were found three days later.

Also Saturday, two Iraqi civilians were killed and five others were wounded when a parked car bomb detonated east of Baghdad in Mada'en, the Interior Ministry said.

Friday evening a roadside bomb explosion near a Shiite mosque in northeastern Baghdad killed one civilian and wounded five others, the official said.

Separately, the U.S. military said coalition forces arrested three insurgents and destroyed a car bomb Saturday morning during a raid in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City.

The troops were targeting an bomb network and found bomb-making materials.

"The individuals have suspected ties to a secret cell network in the area known for facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training," the military said.

The military also announced on Saturday that "several insurgents" attempting to plant roadside bombs in a southern Baghdad neighborhood were interrupted by U.S. soldiers and Iraqi security forces earlier in the week.

General asks for more troops

Friday, the U.S. military commander in charge of northern Iraqi operations on Friday said more troops are needed to stem rising insurgent violence in Diyala province.

"I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala province to get that security situation moving," said Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division.

Mixon's comments came as a political battle was being waged in Washington over whether funding for U.S. forces fighting in Iraq should be tied to a deadline for their withdrawal.

In Washington on Thursday, the U.S. House passed a bill that would tie war funding beyond July to a progress report. The bill faced an uncertain future in the Senate, however, and President Bush vowed to veto it. (Full story)

Mixon did not specify whether more U.S. or Iraqi forces were needed. He made his comments during a news briefing from Iraq via teleconference at the Pentagon.

"We have plans to put additional forces in that area. ... We have put additional forces in there over that last couple months, an additional Stryker battalion, but I'm going to need additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more acceptable level." (Watch Mixon lay out his need for additional troops )

About 3,500 U.S. soldiers, 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand police officers are stationed in Diyala. More than 3,000 additional police are needed, he said.

The level of violence has increased in Diyala, Mixon said, because the forces are increasing their offensive operations against the insurgents, many of whom have left Baghdad during the recent security crackdown, and because al Qaeda in Iraq has made Diyala a focus.

Five killed, three missing in attack on patrol   (2:30)

U.S. general seeks more troops to fight insurgents  (1:58)

Tainted water killing Iraq's children  (2:53)

Vice president to Iraqis: 'It's game time'  (1:35)

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(May 4, 2007)—The war in Iraq is taking a mental health toll on the Marines and soldiers on the front lines, a Pentagon report released Friday finds.

One-third of the soldiers and Marines in combat in Iraq report they have experienced anxiety, depression and acute stress.

And soldiers deployed repeatedly or more than six months at a time were more likely to screen positive for mental health issues, the report said.

The study also examined battlefield ethics and found that more than a third of the 1,300 soldiers and 450 Marines assessed said torture show be allowed to save the lives of fellow troops.

Click Here For Redacted MHAT IV Report

Major Findings
(Source: DOD)

Soldiers who deployed longer (greater than six months) or had deployed multiple times were more likely to screen positive for a mental health issue.

Approximately 10 percent of soldiers reported mistreating non-combatants or damaging their property when it was not necessary.

Less than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.

More than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine.

Soldiers experienced mental health problems at a higher rate than Marines.

Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.

Leadership is key to maintaining soldier and Marine mental health.

Both soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates - 62 and 66 percent, respectively - that they knew someone seriously injured or killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty.

Click Here For Pentagon Web Site

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It is a gorgeous sunny day here on the island today. I feed the kids breakfast, made my coffee, feed the cats and cleaned the litter box and now I am sitting down to blog.

Last night we watched something I wanted to blog about, a movie that was almost three hours long on HBO about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. An estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed in 100 days of slaughter.And this got me highly upset.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/

Today in 2007 we are dealing with Darfur a conflict which began in July 2003 and still continues today. There are various estimates as to how many deaths have occurred. However they all concur that the range is within the hundreds of thousands. The UN estimates that the conflict has left as many as 450,000 dead from violence and disease. Most (non-governmental organizations) use 200,000 to over 400,000, . And why do we continue dumping trillions and trillions of dollars into Iraq when we should be dumping trillions of dollars in Africa. We can no longer sit by and let this continue. We must start help heal the world.
http://www.darfurgenocide.org/

If you get a chance also watch the movie Hotel Rwanda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Rwanda you will be angry you will cry and you will be outraged but you can do something. You can spread the word and write our congress to make changes.

So today I am going to spend the day thinking about what I can do help. As the average American citizen what can I do to help in Africa. Maybe I need to start a writing campaign maybe I need to start a blog about it. I am not sure. But I need to do something. It makes me sick to my stomach that this is still happening in Africa and our government does nothing to stop it or help put an end to their suffering.

Off and running now, happy Sunday.
Aloha
Bree

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APRIL 25, 2007: "Buying the War"

BILL MOYERS: Four years ago this spring the Bush administration took leave of reality and plunged our country into a war so poorly planned it soon turned into a disaster. The story of how high officials misled the country has been told. But they couldn't have done it on their own; they needed a compliant press, to pass on their propaganda as news and cheer them on.

Since then thousands of people have died, and many are dying to this day. Yet the story of how the media bought what the White House was selling has not been told in depth on television. As the war rages into its fifth year, we look back at those months leading up to the invasion, when our press largely surrendered its independence and skepticism to join with our government in marching to war.

 Four years ago on May 1, President Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln wearing a flight suit and delivered a speech in front of a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner. He was hailed by media stars as a "breathtaking" example of presidential leadership in toppling Saddam Hussein. Despite profound questions over the failure to locate weapons of mass destruction and the increasing violence in Baghdad, many in the press confirmed the White House's claim that the war was won. MSNBC's Chris Matthews declared, "We're all neo-cons now;" NPR's Bob Edwards said, "The war in Iraq is essentially over;" and Fortune magazine's Jeff Birnbaum said, "It is amazing how thorough the victory in Iraq really was in the broadest context."

    How did the mainstream press get it so wrong? How did the evidence disputing the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein to 9-11 continue to go largely unreported? "What the conservative media did was easy to fathom; they had been cheerleaders for the White House from the beginning and were simply continuing to rally the public behind the President - no questions asked. How mainstream journalists suspended skepticism and scrutiny remains an issue of significance that the media has not satisfactorily explored," says Moyers. "How the administration marketed the war to the American people has been well covered, but critical questions remain: How and why did the press buy it, and what does it say about the role of journalists in helping the public sort out fact from propaganda?"

    In "Buying the War" Bill Moyers and producer Kathleen Hughes document the reporting of Walcott, Landay and Strobel, the Knight Ridder team that burrowed deep into the intelligence agencies to try and determine whether there was any evidence for the Bush Administration's case for war. "Many of the things that were said about Iraq didn't make sense," says Walcott. "And that really prompts you to ask, 'Wait a minute. Is this true? Does everyone agree that this is true? Does anyone think this is not true?'"

 

go read the rest of this here:PBS-Bill Moyers Journals

Aloha Sunday
Bree

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DATES:	AGES:	LOCATION:
9-13 July 2007	8-12 years old	White Plains Beach
16-20 July 2007	13-17 years old	Kauai

Registration Deadline Approaching

Operation Purple camps offer a free week of summer fun for military kids with parents who have been, are currently, or will be deployed. This year more than 40 weeks of camps will be held at 34 locations in 26 states. Campers from all service branches will gather together to experience a memorable week of fun and adventure with a focus on learning coping skills to better deal with a parent's deployment. Registration began March 15th and ends May 1st. The NMFA online application, state specific forms, and details about each camp location are available on our site. Find out where the 2007 camps will be hosted and register today.

This special overnight camp is geared specifically for children and teens of all military branches whose Active Duty parents have been or will be deployed between May 2005 & September 2007. At camp, participants will be able to form lifelong friendships while embarking on a great adventure together. They will go on planned trips and activities, learn team-building skills, complete a service project and see what it is like to be away from home. Food and transportation is provided. The younger camp will be located at White Plains Beach Campground, and the Teen Camp will be located on the island of Kauai.

CONTACTS:	Jason Cerkan boysgirlc002@hawaii.rr.com 808-421-1547  Kristina Robinson kkrobinson@hawaii.rr.com 808-421-1556/7
MAILING ADDRESS FOR REGISTRATION FORMS:	Navy Region Hawaii Youth Programs Attn: Jason Cerkan 4655 Catlin Drive Catlin Drive Honolulu, HI 96818

         

Hawaii Registration Forms

 

The following forms must be downloaded, completed in full, and mailed to the camp to which you are applying. The 'NMFA Online Camp Application' is required to be considered for any Operation Purple camp and does not need to be mailed with the other required forms.

ALL other forms with the exception of the SAC Parent Agreement on page #4, need to be filled out and mailed or dropped off to the Navy Region Hawaii Youth Programs between the hours of 6am-6pm.

NMFA Online Camp Application

Operation Purple Photo, Video and Audio Consent and Release Form

Operation Purple Camper Waiver Form

Registration Forms

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By William Cole
Honolulu Advertiser, April 12, 2007
A crescendo of complaints at Schofield Barracks greeted the Pentagon's announcement yesterday that all active-duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve 15-month tours instead of a year overseas.

The decision affects more than 7,000 Schofield soldiers who were at the eight- to nine-month mark on a deployment to northern Iraq.

Admitting that U.S. forces are "stretched, there's no question about that," Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the decision to the Washington press corps at the same time that senior Army officers were notifying commanders.

The way that families found out — from news reports, quite probably before the soldiers themselves got word — seemed to anger Hawai'i families as much as the extension itself.

"We've got three (military) wives in the car right now and we're all kind of livid about this," said Danielle Obergon on a cell- phone call. Her husband, Pvt. Joseph Obergon, 20, is in Schofield's aviation brigade at Contingency Operating Base Speicher. The couple have a 17-month-old son.

Tanya Perez, who married her husband, Spc. Raymond Perez, 21, at a courthouse, had a "big white-dress wedding" planned for September in Colorado with family expected to fly in. It will now have to be rescheduled.

Shannon Matthews and her husband, Staff Sgt. Kristian Matthews, had bought a house in Colorado for an expected duty station change.

There had been rumors of an extension of as long as 120 days, but there are always lots of rumors. The news deflated parties, plans and the expectation that soldiers and their families would be told first.

"It's just sad that we're having to hear it from the news (media) first," Danielle Obergon said. "We are all confused over here. I mean, my (family readiness group) didn't even know what was going on."

'UNFAIR TO THE FAMILY'

Staff Sgt. Edgardo Delgado arrived home for two weeks of leave from his tour in Iraq on Tuesday night. Yesterday morning, he and his family found out that his tour, set to end in September, had been extended until the end of the year.

Delgado, 29, stood shaking his head in disbelief. "You're kidding, you're kidding," he said again and again upon learning the news.

His wife, Stephany, who has been raising the couple's four children alone while also pursuing a master's degree, was more vocal about her frustration.

"It's unfair to the family, to the kids," she said, looking at her 3-year-old daughter who was born during Delgado's earlier deployment to Iraq.

Gates said yesterday he realized the decision "will ask a lot of our Army troops and their families." But he said it will allow the Army to "better support the war effort while providing a more predictable and dependable deployment schedule for our soldiers and their families."

Schofield officials said they were trying to get families notified. News last week of just a 46-day extension overjoyed families of about 1,000 Schofield soldiers with the 25th Special Troops Battalion, including the division headquarters and Tropic Lightning band, because of all the longer extension rumors that had been flying.

But Gates, in his announcement yesterday, said effective immediately, all soldiers in the Central Command area of responsibility, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and those soldiers headed there, will serve 15-month tours.

Without the extension, five brigades would have had to deploy again without spending at least 12 months at home, Gates said, adding the extension is an "interim step" that will be kept in place until "we can shift with confidence to the 12-month deployments and 12 months at home."

The measure does not affect Marines, who typically serve seven months in Iraq, or the National Guard.

Seth Kirchbaum's wife, Sgt. Cynthia Archibald, is back in Hawai'i on emergency leave because he broke his neck in a motorcycle accident. She'll have to return to Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

"The soldiers on the ground, I guarantee, some of my friends over there don't know yet," said Kirchbaum, who used to be in the Army. The extension pretty much has made up their minds that Archibald will not re-enlist, he said.

"So we're basically just going to ride out the last year and a half after she gets back and wipe our hands of this whole Army thing because they are just not treating their people right," he said.

His wife, who has to be more circumspect because she's still in the military, said, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty disappointed by (the extension)."

WORRIES BECOME REAL

The extension announcement now has made real all the worries that were uncertain with the rumors, and given specificity to a longer time away from home.

"It's just not fair. My husband came home in September for (rest and recuperation)," said Matthews, whose 26-year-old husband is at Qayyarah Airfield West near Mosul. "When he comes home, it'll be 13 months since we've seen each other."

The news has some military families rethinking the trust and relationship they have with the Army.

"It makes the question of, 'Do I want to continue this?' because this means I'm going to be away from my family more and more," Matthews said.

Kirchbaum said this "is only going to drive more good troops out of the Army."

"It's a shame it has to come to that because my wife is a fantastic soldier, and she works with fantastic soldiers," he said. "(But) they are the ones smart enough to realize, 'I've got to get out of this because who knows what's next.' "
The Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com

this article and many others like it can be found here:
Veterns Against The Iraq War

Aloha
Bree

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Spouses to Teachers program expands to Pacific region

by Army Sgt. Crista Yazzie
Pacific Command Public Affairs

3/29/2007 - CAMP SMITH, Hawaii (AFNEWS) -- Military spouses living overseas and interested in a professional and portable teaching career now have additional assistance with the Spouses to Teachers program.

Effective throughout the U.S. Pacific Command since Feb. 1, Spouses to Teachers offers resources and counseling to military spouses searching for employment in Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Guam and Okinawa.

"This is a career that you can take with you around the world," said Tylee Roller, STT program manager and education counselor.

Currently operational in the continental United States since October 2004 and following a successful launch in Europe last October, more than 9,100 spouses have contacted STT for information.

"Within the Department of Defense Schools, teachers can take their certifications to their next duty stations (where there are DOD schools), avoiding the complicated process of starting over every two or three years," said Mae Ooka, quality-of-life program analyst and catalyst to STT's Pacific establishment.

This DOD program provides counseling and guidance on state-specific certification requirements, certification options, scholarships available and state-employment resources. Up to $600 is also available via a voucher process to reimburse costs of testing fees associated with teacher certification/licensure.

Spouses overseas can now arrive back to the continental United States already certified and ready to teach upon arriving at new locations, Ms. Roller said.

"Military spouses can easily identify with children of deployed parent(s), and the working hours are really conducive to family life," she said.

"As a military parent, I wanted to be home when my child got home from school and work at something I love, and you can take this with you wherever you are stationed," said Jean Grice, a military spouse and former teacher and current Department of Defense Dependents Schools Pacific and DOD Elementary and Secondary School Guam Liaison for the Pacific Command.

"When my family was moving to each new duty station, we did not have resources like this, but now Spouses to Teachers gives so much guidance and access, and that's one less stressor when moving your family," Ms. Grice said. "This program really eases the transition."

"Having a portable and professional career with immense job satisfaction couldn't be more of a perfect fit for the military spouse traveling the world in support of her military spouse and country," Ms. Roller said. "Having the spouse's career established prior to the sponsor's retirement or separation also makes the transition much easier on the family."

Making sure a spouse's energy is channeled in the right direction for the spouse's desired outcome is very important to Ms. Roller.

"Military spouses want a career that is professional, marketable and makes them feel alive, and teaching does that," she said.

More than 70 percent of the military spouses registered with the program have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Eligible participants include spouses of active duty members, selected Reserve and National Guard, and Individual Ready Reserve members recalled to active duty.

Spouses to Teachers is managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support.

For more information, call Brian Miller at 808-586-5054, Spouses to Teachers at 800-231-6282 or DSN 922-6282, or e-mail the program at stt@voled.doded.mil. 

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Watching Bill Maher on HBO last night he said something so funny that I wanted to share it:

Bush hires idiots so that when he walks into the room he is the smartest guy in there! 

I just about died laughing. How true is this statement. It seems that every week we get to hear about someone in the Bush administration being fired or asked to resign or being replaced due to their lack of job experience or for their cover-ups to protect the administration. I love to watch Bill Maher on Friday nights on HBO and it fuels my frustrations about the war in Iraq and also fuels my frustrations on why the hell we aren't impeaching Bush and Cheney. We let them get away with so many things that are impeachable far worse then when we impeached Clinton getting a blow a job. Yet nobody has stood up to this administration and started the impeachment process. Makes me so angry.

I did however come across some Democrats in Washington State starting an impeachment process-
The Dems Call For Impeachment Article
and after a series of delays, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a candidate for president in 2008, announced a series of charges against Vice President Dick Cheney in Washington, DC, late in the day. Kucinich alleged that the Vice President had committed a series of impeachable offenses, and he was therefore introducing Articles of Impeachment against Cheney in the Congress today.
go check it out here-
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Calls For Impeachment of Cheney

When will Bush get his well deserved time out. Put in the corner with a dunce hat on and his thumb in his mouth?  When will he have to be accountable for his actions? For his lies? For his ignorance in thinking that he can do what he wants and keep getting away with it? Will this happen before he leaves office? God one can hope. Will the Dems finally step up and say enough now they have the power to? Curious to see what happens over the next 6 months. Will Nancy put her foot down and stop the funding for the war bill? All eyes are on the Dems. Hope they do what they have been preaching and don't back down.

You sound off and let me know how you feel about this!

Aloha
Bree

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