I. The 2004 Presidential Election
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Transcript of John Kerry's Concession Speech
The following is an excerpt:
“I want to especially say to the American people: In this journey, you have given me the honor and the gift of listening and learning from you. I have visited your homes. I've visited your churches. I've visited your community halls. I've heard your stories. I know your struggles. I know your hopes. They are part of me now. And I will never forget you and I'll never stop fighting for you.
You may not understand completely in what ways, but it is true when I say to you that you have taught me and you've tested me and you've lifted me up and you've made me stronger. I did my best to express my vision and my hopes for America. We worked hard and we fought hard. And I wish that things had turned out a little differently.
But in an American election, there are no losers. Because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans. And that - that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth.”
Transcript of John Edwards's Speech on Wednesday
November 3, 2004
The following is an exerpt:
“We will keep marching toward that one America and we're not going to stop until we get there. (APPLAUSE) You know, I've learned a lot of lessons in my life. Two of the most important are first, there will always be heartache and struggle. You can't make it go away. But the other is that people of good and strong will can make a difference. And we can make a difference. Rest assured, we will make a difference. One lesson is a sad lesson, but the other lesson is inspiring. And we are Americans, and so we choose to be inspired. We choose to be inspired because we know we can do better, because this is America, where everything is still possible.
And at the end of our heartache today resides an eternal hope for the country we're going to fight for and the country we're going to build together.”
---Gary Wills writes in The New York Times :
“Can a people that
believes more fervently in the Virgin Birth than
in evolution still be called an Enlightened nation?”
Message 20735306
II.---IRAQ**************************************************************************************************
--- U.N.: Iraq had no WMD after 1994
Message 19871546
--- Early Iraq [Prison] Abuse Accounts Met With Silence
"Detailed allegations of psychological abuse, deprivation, beatings and deaths at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq were met by public silence from the U.S. Army last October - six months before shocking photographs stirred world outrage and demands for action."
Message 20108222
--- BOOKS OF THE TIMES | 'PLAN OF ATTACK'
"Plan of Attack" reveals that President George W. Bush asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Nov. 21, 2001, to start a war plan for Iraq, and to do so in secret because a leak could trigger "enormous international angst and domestic speculation."
Message 20040021
--- Was Bush fixated on 'getting Saddam'?
Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said in his memoir that from the first meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) 10 days after the inauguration, the White House seemed obsessed with Saddam Hussein as "a bad person who needed to go."
The White House dismissed O'Neill as a disgruntled employee. But now we have the dramatic account of Richard Clarke, who served as antiterrorism coordinator for 10 years under four presidents. In his newly published memoir, Clarke says that ousting Hussein was"Topic A" from the first NSC meeting, just as O'Neill had said, and there was little discussion of why the Iraqi dictator was being targeted.
Message 19958510
--- The U.S. Winked at Hussein's Evil
" Sometimes democracy works. Though the wheels of accountability often grind slowly, they also can grind fine, if lubricated by the hard work of free-thinking citizens. The latest example: the release of official documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, that detail how the U.S. government under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush nurtured and supported Saddam Hussein despite his repeated use of chemical weapons." Robert Scheer
Message 19644169
---Bush Pals Get Rich Off Iraq ---
Message 18733533
" Most of the US companies contracted or bidding to open up those free markets happen to
enjoy direct or indirect connections to members of the Bush
administration." Ed Vulliamy and Faisal Islam report - The Observer
Message 19070392
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IV. George W. Bush's Economic and Social WAR on AMERICANS
---The Health Care Crisis and the Weak Economy
"Working Americans have two great concerns: the growing difficulty of getting health insurance, and the continuing difficulty they have in finding jobs. These concerns may have a common cause: soaring insurance
premiums." PAUL KRGUMAN
Message 20459190
---Poverty in the U.S. climbs for third year---
"The U.S. poverty rate and the number of Americans without health insurance rose last year, each for the third consecutive year, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
---Working Your Way Down---
But this recovery is now nearly three years old, and employment and wages are not so much trailing business success as diverging from it. A new study of recent Commerce Department data by the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities confirms that wage and salary growth has been exceptionally poor, while profits have been unusually robust.- The New York Times
Message 20490060
---A Recovery Trying to Keep Its Legs Suddenly Feels Woozy---
Message 20303863
---Budget Deficit Seen Soaring Above $400 Billion
Message 19024245
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---THE WAR ON SCIENCE---
---Bush Misuses Science Data, Report Says
The Bush administration persistently manipulates scientific data to serve its ideology and protect the interests of its political supporters, a report by the minority staff of the House Committee on Government Reform says.
Message 19221913
---Stem Cell Battles
Message 20415584
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--THE WAR ON THE HOMELAND--
--Bush will not protect the homeland
Message 18785681
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--- The War on Children, Students and other people who aren't rich!----
We can thank our children for tax cut
Message 18486434
When you can't afford to eat-Molly Ivins
Message 18379606
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---The War on Veterans:
"As the war began, members of the House of Representatives
gave speech after speech praising our soldiers, and passed
a resolution declaring their support for the troops. Then
they voted to slash veterans' benefits." PAUL KRUGMAN NYTIMES
Message 18846115
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---- Bush's War on the Environment----
"The White House has removed damaging references to global warming from a major US government report on the environment"
Message 19047558
Message 18688023;
Huge new loophole erodes Clean Air Act
Message 19261932
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Environmentalists say the Republicans' leadership choices will aid business and end the party's tradition of conservation
"Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) and Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) walk the corridors of the U.S. Capitol in cowboy boots. Both also rail against environmental regulations they consider scientifically dubious
and overly burdensome to business.
Message 18544828
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United States Infrastructure Decays
--- Report Blasts American Infrastructure---
America's infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and
holes and is getting worse, according to an analysis by civil engineers that concludes the nation's transportation, water and energy systems have shown little improvement since they were given an overall grade of D-plus in 2001.
Message 19273113
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.*******. War on Afghanistan***********
Afghanistan's Future, Lost in the Shuffle
"Why are the Americans helping President Hamid Karzai
and helping his enemies, the warlords, too?"
Message 19094215
Even if It's Not Perfect, a Ballot Beats a Bullet
Message 20462504
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