First they came for

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Martin Niemoeller

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
-Bishop Desmond Tutu

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.
-Dr. Samuel Johnson

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-Martin Luther King

---

If anyone is subject to being unjustly arrested or imprisoned, we are all in danger.

If anyone is denied access to health care due to poverty or class, we are all in danger.

If anyone is poisoned with unsafe food, polluted water, or toxic waste, we are all in danger.

If anyone can lose their job to an underpaid replacement, just so that the ultra rich can get richer, we are all in danger.

We all need to be reminded from time to time that none of us is so rich, powerful, gifted, experienced, educated, connected, privileged, or healthy, that we are immune to injustice.

Conversation with a war supporter

We were waiting for a High School club meeting to end. We talked about the weather, and not enough sleep, and our kids’ plans for college. When she mentioned another child considering the military so that he could pay for college, I couldn’t resist easing the conversation over a little.

“The military can be a good way to pay for college, provided you survive it."

[Puzzled look]

“Iraq. A lot of kids have died there.”

“Yes, but they are very dedicated to the cause.”

“Actually, there have been record numbers of desertions, and a record number of West Point graduates are not reenlisting.”

“But what can we do? They hate our culture. They want to kill us.”

“They don’t hate our culture. They just don’t like us running their country.”

“They hate our culture.”

“Even in Iran, most of them like the American people. They just don’t like our government trying to run their country. They would like to have more freedom like us, but they want to do it themselves.”

“Well, a small minority of them hate our culture.”

“A small minority of OUR culture hates our culture.”

She had to stop and think about that idea. It was just small talk between two mothers passing the time, but who knows? Maybe she will consider the idea a little more. Maybe she’ll repeat it to someone else.

I’m a security mom too.

Much has been said about the security moms. They think that George W. Bush will keep them safe, and the Iraq war is a good thing. Well, I’m a mom, and I have a few opinions about keeping my children safe.

Civil Liberties
I want my children to live without fear of the government. They should be able to voice their opinions without looking over their shoulders. They should be able to read what they like without being put on a watch list.

Education
I want my children to have a solid education. I want them to think and ask questions. I don’t want religious zealots choosing their textbooks. School buildings should be clean and maintained. College should be accessible to everyone.

Health
I want my children to be healthy. I want them to have access to health care. They need immunizations and check ups.

Clean Air and Water
I want my children to breathe clean air, and drink clean water. I want them to have wilderness to hike in. I want their food to be safe to eat.

Jobs
I want my children to know that they can earn a living wage doing productive work. I want them to have a roof over their heads, and the time to enjoy friends, family, and hobbies.

War
I want my children to know that their lives won’t be thrown away for a lie. We need to defend ourselves, but war should be acknowledged for the horror it is. And it should be used as a last resort.

George W. Bush has done nothing to make any of our children safer. It’s time to kick the whole lot out.

Secure Fence Act of 2006

An excerpt from the Secure Fence Act of 2006 that just passed the House.

H. R. 6061
To establish operational control over the international land and maritime borders of the United States.

SEC. 2. ACHIEVING OPERATIONAL CONTROL ON THE BORDER.
(a) In General- Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take all actions the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate to achieve and maintain operational control
over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States, to include the following--
...
(b) Operational Control Defined- In this section, the term `operational control' means the prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband.

Does Rep. King realize what he’s said in this bill? This bill is so open-ended; it can be used to do almost anything. Here’s a quick list of some of the uses of this bill.

unlawful entry of food – Food that doesn’t comply with our safety regulations is unlawful. This bill requires all food entering the country to be inspected for compliance.

unlawful entry of merchandise – This country has labor and environmental laws. Merchandise that is not made following our laws is unlawful. This bill denies the entry of merchandise that does not follow our laws.

unlawful entry of nuclear materials – We could scan every person, transport, bird, and fish entering the country for nuclear materials. But, it would be much more efficient to just cooperate with the former Soviet Union to secure their nuclear weapons.

unlawful entry of the oceans – This one is a stretch, but look at it this way. When sea levels rise, we lose coastal areas. When we lose coastal areas, our country gets smaller. The oceans are seizing U.S. territory. To reclaim our sovereign territory, we need to stop global warming.

unlawful export of tax dollars – Why stop at unlawful entries, unlawful exits are a problem too. A simple “and exits” addition can be used to stop overseas tax shelters.

National Security & Outsourcing

We've had a good look lately at the problems of being dependant on an unstable part of the world. If we didn’t need their oil, we wouldn’t be sending billions of dollars their way. If they weren’t drowning in money, they wouldn’t be able to fund the terrorists.

We have a similar problem coming up. We are sending our manufacturing capabilities to other countries. When a factory leaves the country, we don’t just lose jobs. We lose the ability to make something. What would happen if China decided to stop selling us components for our cars? Our cars would be useless, no matter what the price of oil is. What good is a weapons system if vital components are made by our rivals?

Not only are we exporting the ability to make things, we are also exporting the ability to design new things.

We are funding governments that are as corrupt as the ones in the Middle East. We give them our factories. We give them our technology. We stop buying our own products because theirs are cheaper. Then we borrow money from them in order to buy their products. If they decide to limit supply, or raise prices, we won’t be able to stop importing products any quicker than we have been able to stop importing oil.

We export raw products such as timber and cotton. We import manufactured goods. We are on our way to becoming a colony again.

Terrorists and stray puppies

The Iraq talking points have changed recently from "We're fighting them over there, so we don't have to fight them over here", to "If we leave, they will follow us."

Sounds like they're admitting an oops to me. When we invaded Iraq, we aided terrorist recruiting and training. Now we can't leave because they will follow us home. Invading Iraq is being compared to feeding a stray puppy.

This also admits that the armchair generals are willing to continue sending soldiers to die in order to keep their nice cushy lifestyle. It's about time they finally owned up to the cowards that they are.

Rarely surprised?

"Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. This is -- but war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times, and they're difficult times, and they're straining the psyche of our country. I understand that." -- President Bush, press conference Aug 21, 2006

I'd like to know which developments in Iraq he wasn't surprised about. And why is it better to be unsurprised, but too incompetent to plan for it, than to be too incompetent to expect it?

• Iraq had no WMDs
• Not sending enough troops to start with
• Chalabi lied
• It wasn’t a slam dunk
• Massive looting after the invasion
• Munitions stolen during the looting
• Power struggle after Sadam was removed
• The time it took to change from liberators to occupiers
• Sectarian violence
• Needing a Green Zone
• Abu Ghraib
• Accusations of war crimes
• Corruption in the new Iraqi government
• Corruption in the rebuilding
• Corruption in the privatization of military functions
• Loss of 9 billion dollars by the Development Fund for Iraq
• Three years and no end in sight
• Over 2500 US soldiers killed
• Uncountable Iraqis killed
• IEDs
• Suicide bombers
• Inadequate armor for troops
• Depleted uranium affecting our troops, and the Iraqi people
• Shortages in military recruiting
• Stop loss orders creating a back door draft
• Soldiers sent on multiple deployments
• Medical needs for wounded soldiers
• Loss of rights for Iraqi women
• Epidemic kidnapping of Iraqi citizens
• Oil shortages in Iraq
• Iraqi utilities not up to pre-war standards after three years
• Rising influence of religious sects
• Rising influence of Iran
• Cost of war over $300,000,000,000
• Pullouts from the Coalition of the Willing
• Using so much of our resources that we need the UN’s help with other problems

Freedom

Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other. -- George W Bush, declaration of War on Terrorism

The US is the land of the free, home of the brave. Give me liberty or give me death. No one can take away our freedom.

To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty; my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists - for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. -- John Ashcroft, US Attorney General

I'm willing to give up a little liberty if it will stop another 9/11. If you have a problem with the government listening to your conversations, you must have something to hide.

In other words, the terrorists want to take away our freedoms, so we have to give up our freedoms in order to keep them.

Energy Policy Act of 2005 Celebrates First Birthday

The EPAct was on passed on July 29, 2005 and signed into law on August 8, 2005. It provided huge subsidies for the oil and gas industry. One year later oil companies are posting record profits and gasoline prices are at record highs.

It's been so successful that Energy Secretary Bodman hosted a celebration. Other celebrants included U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (NM), U.S. Congressman Joe Barton (TX-6th), and representatives of industries who are benefiting from tax incentives. Progress towards increasing U.S. energy security and reducing dependence on sources of energy from unstable regions of the world was highlighted.

There was no mention of inviting tax payers who benefited from the act.

http://www.energy.gov/news/3858.htm