today, one of my adopteds in the air force called me.  he "recertified" in weapons training after slipping through the paperwork for several years.  the air force recerts every 2 years - he made it to five before being sent out to spend the day doing weapons handling.

i jokingly asked if he was being deployed - for the moment he is safe because of his field.  he DID tell me something that is extremely worrisome - and should have everyone who knows military folk deeply concerned.

come with me to see where we are headed - and why you should talk your kids out of joining the air force and the navy!

the conf just ended so go watch the cspan link - some amazing stuff related to this...

for example, i just discovered if i bend over and back up, my derriere is EXACTLY the right height to dust the screen while bush blathers, therefore enabling me to multitask while listening.

secondly, after attaining a highly polished screen, i was able to see clearly the expression as the shrub blew air from his cheeks (not THOSE cheeks, but he does that on a regular basis cuz he thinks its funny, i've heard) - then chew his lips and grind his jaw after the delivery.

there was a smattering of applause and relief as his chosen friendlies decided to cut him some slack - something he has steadfastly refused to do for the troops!

more observations of totally irrelevant crap about bush below and i invite you to join me with YOUR observations!

okay - condoleaser said to blame her?him? so i am! (rule violation #1 - calling out another kossack!)

the imus firing has drawn much serious discussion regarding issues of free speech, integrity of allowing old farts to spew garbage on national media while getting paid for it, racism that trump trivial issues like attorneygate, emailgate, iraqscapades, abu gonzo, club guantanamo, etc.

HOWEVER! i am here to tell you that it is ALL a distraction! this is a PLOT!  i have FOUND the truth!  the REAL reason that don imus was fired had NOTHING to do with his remarks about the rutgers baseball team!  

for the REAL TRUTH go beneath the fold - (in keeping with information from THIS enlightened diary about the draft gore websites that graced us this morning...)

YES! for the REAL STORY, join me!  [and, remember, if you can't handle the truth - don't go there!]

[note: i don't use caps due to arthritis]

Killing us softly - mad cows, engineered corn and now wheat?

january 3rd of this year, i became ill.  i chalked it up to the after christmas collapse i have every year from working non-stop to make my holiday sales - but this year has been different.  my january flu turned into a february flu... and a march flu... and then the pet recall was announced. and now, del monte adds to the recall.  but wait! doesn't del monte supply human food?

so, i started thinking... and i called menufoods (the suppliers of the contaminated wheat gluten) and asked when the the first shipments arrived in the u.s. - the answer was december of last year.  is there a connection?  that is why i am writing this diary.  i need your help in tracking this mystery illness - one that has doctors stumped and people falling ill for extended periods of time - far longer than the normal viral infection.

the press correspondents diner has the two comedians from whose line anyway have JSUT pulled karl rove up onto the stage to do an "interview".

what a HOOT!

this is great!

now can we have the "roast"?  i'll supply matches!

go watch!  

am i in an alternate universe?

i am adding an element to this diary as the discussion on the press conference by the American Conservative Union is discussed in blubryeyes diary here

as the American Conservative Union today absolutely excoriated the bush administration for abuses of our civil liberties and constitution as well as blaming congress for not following IT'S constitutional duty to provide checks on that powergrab, i wanted to know more about this organization.

i am stunned at what i found here at their site!  these are not the articles i expected - nor was that press conference today something i ever thought i would hear.  so, the question arises, who ARE these conservative leaders and what do they want?  

i have it! i KNOW how we can get a majority of republicans to join with the democrats to rid this nation of the worst disaster to ever infect this nation AND their party!

it is really simple and it is foolproof!  the lightbulb flashed after reading the diary of the pelosi-not-ready-to-be president...

what is keeping the republicans for supporting the end of the bush presidency?

simple - a loss of political power - so, let's give them some hope!

PELOSI, MURTHA, ODAY announcing a DEADLINE for pullout of troops if president cannot certify progress (benchmarks) have been made by july, 2007!)

IF he certifies benchmarks have been made, then in OCTOBER, 2007 he must certify remaining benchmarks are complete!  if not, then troops must be redeloyed from danger zone in 180 days!

i missed the TWO diaries covering this because i was fighting a huge "whine and sheesh" diary...

so, let me give you the two diaries by geekesque and by kagro x

please go follow these two diaries and this important story!

[FYI: I have offered to post this for someone who wishes anonymnity.]

With more than 1.2 million members, Disabled American Veterans is an organization of disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families.

The organization accomplishes this goal by providing free assistance to veterans in obtaining benefits and services earned through their military service. It is fully funded through its membership dues and public contributions. It is not a government agency and receives no government funds.
~snip~

The DAV was formed as our country faced the painful effects of World War I. Throughout our 85-year history, DAV has grown and adapted to face the needs of disabled veterans. As a new generation of wartime disabled veterans return from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the DAV is working hard to ensure all veterans are cared for well into the future.

Nice folks at DAV, so they should be able to help some wounded vets eh?
No. They have been denied access to Walter Reed patients.
Why?
911 of course.

politicians...

it must be saturday nite, for i find this extremely funny.  this story headlined on the bbc rss feed... this joint effort to curb sectarian violence.  good idea, right?  now, it SHOULDN'T be funny - it should be HOPEFUL, right?

why this reaction of first a sardonic grin, then out and out cynical laughter?

what now, is this source of jaded bemusement?  follow me below and explore... the world according to hype!

tonite, the movie "Come See the Paradise" aired.  i had forgotten the power of film to leave me hollow and in tears.

this film, starring

Dennis Quaid ... Jack McGurn
Tamlyn Tomita ... Lily Yuriko Kawamura/McGann
Sab Shimono ... Hiroshi Kawamura
Shizuko Hoshi ... Mrs. Kawamura
Stan Egi ... Charlie Kawamura
Ronald Yamamoto ... Harry Kawamura
Akemi Nishino ... Dulcie Kawamura
Naomi Nakano ... Joyce Kawamura
Brady Tsurutani ... Frankie Kawamura

is about the experience of one family during the internment of the japanese americans in wwii.

it is simply told with little extravagance of set - instead the bleak, stark dryness of the production compounds the helplessness of those who were taken against our constitution and made to forfeit everything: their homes, their lives, their dignity and for many, their lives.

[UPDATE: the vote has ended 56-30 to prevent debating the resolution.  here is a link to sign a petition demanding the republicans stop blocking the vote!]the senate is in a special session - called when the republicans threw down the gauntlet saying "if you really want a vote, CALL one!" (this was challenging the democratic leadership to offer the iraq resolution without the 60 votes to break cloture.

so?  harry reid did just that - calling a saturday session for a vote at 1:45pm est right in the middle of the planned week long break.  this has thrown many senators for a loop - many having already flown home are returning for this historic vote, some refusing to return.

the republicans are now squealing this was done to "embarrass" the republicans without ever raising the question "why would your vote embarrass you?  so where are we now?  right now? at this very minute?

on the floor of the senate!  won't you join me for the fireworks?

Tim Ryan, d-ohio, 17th district is giving the republicans hell regarding the surge sending more troops into the warzone without proper armor... rep. steve buyer, r-indiana kept interrupting directly and trying to force ryan to yield.

ryan refused.  the chair informed the "other side" testily that he does NOT address the party directly but addresses the chair...

buyer is speaking now - and the time is drawing to a close - tempers are hot

come with me to enjoy watching the democrats tell the truth - and watch the republicans get.... well, testy!

[UPDATE: hearing is JUST now rerunning on cspa - 11:40pm est/8:40pst]

the above astounding statement was made by REPUBLICAN representative frank wolf!

less than 30 minutes ago in front of the house rules committee   wolf made his impassioned plea for the rules committee to also commit for consideration a newly offered resolution asking that the iraqi study group be implemented as the plan to extricate us from iraq.  

rep. wolf, rep. mike pence and another rep (whose name i missed due to the stunned reaction to rep. wolf) all indicated they WOULD vote for the democratic resolution but actively plead for the inclusion of a vote for the proposed republican isg resolution as well. [apparently this was JUST brought before the committee now.]

hearing a republican declare with breaking voice that this country is at the same stage of nazi germany (his words) in 1937-1938 due to the division in this country is perhaps the most frightening statement i have ever heard!  as for rep. slaughter's response, please go below the fold...

been offline for two days except for an hour - down dsl..

came back to see the brouhaha over a dairist accused of being a "hoax" and i'm very annoyed and upset and angry!

this "need" at dk to excoriate ANY writer who is suspected of being "not real" has gone beyond the pale!  diarist writes incredibly moving diaries.  people are touched on a visceral level.  people scream FRAUD! hunter claims hoax. people go ballistic. hunter goes oops.  people attack each other.... what the hell is wrong with this picture?

what ever happened to allowing ourselves to FEEL pain and suffering - if the writer has or hasn't first hand experienced it is irrelevent to the topic.  it is as irrelevent as the period, comma, misspelled word.
why is he being torn to shreds?  because a few people are WOUNDED because they feel their emotions were "played'

so?  people resent having a deep emotional reaction to real pain and suffering?   well, there is something much worse  happening here than having your emotions "played"!

[update 9:35am est: more storms are spinning in the same area! if you are in florida, may you be safe!]
[update 2: charity resources below the fold]

counties affected: volusia, lake, sumpter and seminole...preliminary death toll stands at 14, 22,000 households without power

right now, in central florida (lake, volusia and sumpter counties), a series of tornadoes have ravaged the lives of americans who worked their entire lives for their dream - a home, retirement, peace until the end of their lives.  this is an area known for "the villages" in lake sumpter area, an area known for its retirement communities.  

this now, is gone.  along with the wreckage of these manufactured homes that have little hope of withstanding the winds of a tornado, complete brick and mortar structures are down, including a church in one central florida neighborhood.  from the gulf to the atlantic, the path of these storms has created another disaster for yet another group of helpless americans.  

please join me in prayers offered beneath the fold...

cspan is running a series of programs on the media and our government.  two programs airing are corporate media and the press in their american perspectives series.  this is one of the most forthright discussions of the distortions of corporate media and the role of the media in perpetuating the government agenda in the rollup to war.

another in the series deals with secrecy and the media - a chilling look at the secret classification of documents (to, according to one speaker, regain presidential power rather than to protect data), the subpoenas issued to the press demanding sources, the the patriot act and other laws restricting rights under the constitution.

this is a MUST SEE series of programs - the discussions strip the veneer off the media lies and expose the vulnerability of our nation if these abuses go unchecked.

more below, please...

while listening to john kerry on the floor of the senate today, one fact became crystal clear:  our government has been in the control of petulent children for the last twelve years!

kerry's speech was written, yes, and delivered with finese - absolutely. what, other than presentation, distinguishes kerry (and the other democrats who speak of changes in direction for our country)?

understanding, that's what.  the words that kerry and others speak, they understand.  the concepts and direction they put forward, they understand!  the ramification and long term consequences of the proposals they make, they understand!

but there is more to be said on this...