In my links of the day I try to find the links under the wire, articles all the top blogs miss. I'm not afraid to go to Al Jazeera, Kurd Media or to the Pakistan student movement page to bring the real daily news to you.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Links of the day Video Video and More Video and new pics from Abu Ghraib

Dennis Kucinich needs are help, NOW!  His corporate backed challenger has tons
of money. Watch this great video made by Dennis then go to
www.kucinich.us and send his whatever you can to help him keep his seat.


In this last week before the primary election in Ohio, Kucinich is
putting out a TV ad that will absolutely knock your socks off, and
you can see it on this page.

Kucinich Fight Back Video:
http://www.usalone.com/thank_you_dennis.php

This is the Dennis we will always remember. This is the Dennis we
love. This is the Dennis we must KEEP in the U.S. House of
Representatives.

And Dennis needs your help right now, to put this spectacular new TV
spot on the air in this district in heavy rotation, to demonstrate
that he can fight back against the big corporate money trying to
unseat him . . . and he will win.

There are only six days left, and your contribution right now can
shine the light of truth on just what Dennis stands for, and blow
away all obfuscation like it was so much the smoke that it is.

Some bandy abo
ut the word "change" as if all change were good. But we
say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. And Dennis does not need to be
fixed. He has consistently been the strongest voice in all of
Congress for every progressive policy initiative. And that is why the
corporate special interests are so desperate to knock him out.

That's not going to happen.

Just so long as we do everything we could have possibly done to stand
with him and support him now, when he himself is so wrongfully under
attack. Please send the link below to absolutely everyone who cares
about saving out democracy.

Kucinich Fight Back Video:
http://www.usalone.com/thank_you_dennis.php

And just you watch. As soon as the distraction of the mean-spiriting
primary challenge is dispensed with, he'll be leading the charge once
again on impeachment and everything else. After all he has already
done, the man deserves a couple weeks off to take care of election
business at home.

And to thank you for your valiant support, Dennis wants you to have
as his gift to you a copy of his special Kucinich commemorative
edition pocket constitution, with your donation of $100 or more. And
if you are one of the few who have not be blindsided by Cheney's
gut-the-economy agenda, Dennis Kucinich will personally autograph
your copy with your donation of $1,000 or more.

Please note that even if you had already donated the full legal limit
to his brave presidential run, which had a real impact in shifting
the debate, you can donate another $2,300 for his congressional seat
defense.

But even if you can't make a donation right now, there is still
something incredibly important you can do to help, and that is to
send links to the video to anyone you can. So ask all your friends to
visit the page below too.

Kucinich Fight Back Video:
http://www.usalone.com/thank_you_dennis.php

So please do what you can to spread the word that this is a must win,
must-keep situation. It is only because of the courage of Dennis
Kucinich
in standing strong to protect and defend the Constitution
that we are where we are now, with more and more members of Congress
clamoring for meaningful impeachment hearings, and the House still
holding the line against that craven telecom immunity thing.

Let us not be complacent. Let us not take anything for granted just
because Dennis is so amazing on every issue. We have to make sure
that we empower Dennis to remind his constituents what a magnificent
job he has been doing for them and for us all. And nothing would push
impeachment forward more than the most clearcut victory for Dennis in
his primary.

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.usalone.com/in.htm



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Senate Committee
Campaign Practices
Rules and Administration
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 204197 - 02/27/2008 - 1:46 -



Feinstein, Dianne U.S. Senator, D-CA
Bopp, James Jr. General Counsel, James Madison Center for Free Speech
Cooper, Roy Attorney General, D, North Carolina
Davidson, Chandler Professor Emeritus, Rice University, Public Policy
Whitehouse, Sheldon U.S. Senator, D, Rhode Island
Dakin, Shaun Founder and CEO, Founder and CEO, Citizens for Civil Discourse, National Political Do Not Contact Registry
King, Bradley Co-Director, Indiana, Election Division
Browne, Judith A. Co-Director, Advancement Project


A hearing was held on ways to protect the privacy of voters at home and at the polls. Topics included limiting abusive uses of technology during election campaigns such as "robocalls," computer-automated telephone calls, and "vote caging." Senator Whitehouse was the first witness.




This morning I watched Senator Feinstein’s hearing (posted above) that was held yesterday on Campaign Practices, robocalls and voter caging. Unfortunately C-Span omits it from their recent programming list.

You must go to www.c-spanvideo.org then look for Recent Congressional Committees and then click on Senate Committee Campaign Practices Rules and Administration if you want to see it. You can watch it in flash or win media mode.


One man who testified (a expert) Prof. Chandler Davidson said he found no widespread proof of voter caging. So your assignment is to send a email, fax or letter to the Prof if you have been caged.

Department of Sociology, MS-28
Rice University
6100 S. Main Street
Houston, TX 77005-1892
Tel. (713)348-3490 - Fax (713)3485296 Email fcd@rice.edu



Not sure if you were caged?


If you know you were registered to vote in your state and were denied a ballot or given a provisional ballot when you went to vote than you were probably caged.

Beware of letters or cards from the RNC, open and read anything they send you. The RNC uses mailing lists of voters as a way to knock you off the voter roll in your state. If you throw it away and not send it back to them then they demand your name be removed from the voter book.

I’ve learned these RNC letters go out after a primary because that’s when the RNC gets a list of Democratic voters names. So watch the mail for a RNC letter or post card.

Know your Rights


Do not believe fliers that say you vote on Wednesday, all federal elections are held on Tuesday. Do not believe fliers that say if you have unpaid tickets, unpaid child support, convicted felony family members, etc, then you cannot vote. All these and more are just illegal ploys by the republicans to deny you the right to vote.

If you did not vote in this years primary but will vote in November I suggest you go to your voter registration office and confirm your registration. You could call and request a new voter card which gives you proof of registration. So if you ever find your name deleted from the book when you go to vote just pull out your card and demand a real ballot.

If you find your name in the book and they try to hand you a provisional ballot DO NOT take it. Demand a real ballot, it is your right to vote. CHALLENGE the poll worker.

Provisional ballots are rarely counted. Even if there is a recount a provisional ballot may not be counted.


It is up to you to protect your right to vote.


I didn’t and was caged here in Missouri in 2000 by my now Governor who was Secretary of State at the time. In fact Brad Freeman wrote about how the republicans have been suppressing the vote here in Missouri. http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4500 .

I was given a regular ballot but had to sign my name at the back of the book which means more than likely they pulled my ballot and threw it away because my name had been purged from the book.



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Eliza Jane has the most awesome song and video over at you tube that you have got to see, enjoy, then pass it on to all your friends. The ending has a real zinger!!!!!!!!

Eliza Jane - SOS




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Ya got to love the people at The Onion.

Satirists at 'The Onion' are "reporting" that electronic voting company Diebold accidentally revealed it has already rigged the 2008 election in favor of Sen. John McCain.


Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early






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All I can say is OMG. As the Mother of a Soldier please keep in mind not all soldiers participated in this abhorrent torture.


Wired publishes new photographs of Abu Ghraib

GRAPHIC: INCLUDES NUDITY AND DEATH

The following images, published today at Wired.com, have been compiled so viewers can see them in their entirety without having to reload pages. Wired obtained them from an expert defense witness in the Abu Ghraib case, psychologist Philip Zimbardo.

Zimbardo speaks tomorrow at a conference, delivering a talk that reflects on his book, "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil." Read about it here.
In their publication, the magazine wrote, "Many of the images are explicit and gruesome, depicting nudity, degradation, simulated sex acts and guards posing with decaying corpses. Viewer discretion is advised."

Perhaps the most comprehensive multimedia compilation of images from the troubled US prison in Iraq is available at Salon.com, which published 279 photos and 19 videos in 2006.

direct link
http://www.salon.com/news/abu_ghraib/2006/03/14/introduction/index.html


RAW STORY has traditionally published more graphic images than the American press, in an effort to expose the true dark toll of war. Our 2005 article, "The American Iraq," documented photographs taken by former Iraq vets. The accompanying graphic photographs taken by veterans of the Iraq war -- which most of American has not seen -- are available at UnderMars.com. These images are also graphic, and show photographs of Iraqis killed by bombings and US troops.





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Another Bush ploy to deny Veterans their earned benefits. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate Bush?


FOCUS: VETERANS

Thousands of veterans lose health benefits because of paperwork errors
Correcting mistakes in discharge documents can be a bureaucratic nightmare

By Lou Michel NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 02/24/08 10:55 AM

Christopher M. Simmance helped keep the peace as an American soldier in the Middle East, but when he returned home and later suffered a breakdown, he was turned away from the VA hospital because the government didn’t acknowledge his overseas duty.

Dana Cushing as a Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third in east Africa, but when she returned home, she found herself labeled a “conscientious objector” and also was denied medical care by the government.

Simmance is one local veteran among roughly 2,000 across the country trying to get corrected incomplete or inadequate discharge papers. Cushing only recently got hers corrected after trying for a year. The result is that many now face a bureaucratic nightmare that prevents them from getting the health benefits they are entitled to receive.

The Army alone has a backlog of 1,890 veterans seeking corrections on their discharge papers, and some have been waiting for three years, accord- ing to the U.S. Department of Defense. Many other veterans probably have faulty discharge papers but don’t know it because they have not sought benefits.

Efforts are being made to speed up the corrections on faulty discharge papers, Army officials said.

But it can’t come quick enough for Simmance, the City of Tonawanda Army veteran who ended up broke and homeless late last year after he suffered service-related psychological problems and was unable to get help because of his faulty discharge paper.

“I lived on my parents’ couch for a couple months, but it was a cramped living space and I couldn’t stay there. I went to the Little Portion Friary and then to the City Mission,” said Simmance, who finally found permanent lodging in a subsidized apartment a few weeks ago.

The 31-year-old entered a free fall in 2006, when he started experiencing service-related mental illness. He lost a $65,000-a-year job, his apartment and his truck while living in Seattle.

When he returned home to Buffalo Niagara and sought help from the local Veterans Affairs office, he said he was told his discharge papers were not in order and he was ineligible for help. Simmance said he was turned down twice for treatment at the VA’s Batavia residential facility for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The kicker is, I have my official U.S. military passport with all the stamps of the countries I was in overseas, and the Batavia hospital didn’t even want to look at it,” he said. “I served in the Middle East in 2001 with an international peacekeeping force and saw combat.”

He says he continues to wait for a corrected version of his discharge papers — a wait that started seven months ago and shows no sign of ending soon.

Issue called disgraceful




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It is time we help the sick 9/11 workers.

Can you call your member of Congress today and ask them to support the Zadroga bill?

February 27th, 2008 12:06 pm
Sick 9/11 workers rally in rainy D.C. for more help
By Stephanie Gaskell / New York Daily News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chanting "$25 million isn't enough!" dozens of sick 9/11 first responders stood in the rain on Capitol Hill Tuesday and urged President Bush to restore funding to help pay their medical bills.

Joseph Zadroga, whose son James died of lung disease after working 100 hours at the site for the NYPD, said the government needs to help those who helped the city get back on its feet after the towers fell.

"They dug this country out of a hole and now it's time for this country to dig them out of their holes," he said as he held back tears.

Bush has budgeted just $25 million for 9/11 health care programs in 2009 - compared with $108 million for this year.

The Daily News, in a series of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorials, has also fought for more funding for the city's sick heroes.

"We lost 3,000 lives on 9/11, but thousands more have lost their health," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens). She is sponsoring a bill named after James Zadroga that would mandate health care funding for ailing 9/11 workers.

"It is a scandal that we do not have health care for these men and women who risked so much to help others."

John Feal, a Ground Zero volunteer who lost part of his foot when an 8-ton steel beam fell on it, organized the rally, which had been expected to draw hundreds of people. He said he wasn't discouraged by the small turnout.

"Numbers don't compare to our spirit," he said. "Our spirit is strong."

Sick workers were also meeting privately with several members of Congress to urge them to pass the Zadroga bill.


and check out all the other good articles Mike has listed on the right side of the page.




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Well I think you have enough here to keep you busy for awhile.

See you tomorrow

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Bush' Way of Bringing the Troops Home

Bush' Way of Bringing the Troops Home
If Not Now When?