I. The 2004 Democratic National Convention ****************************************************************
KERRY'S ACCEPTANCE , July 29, 2004 "I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a secretary of defense who will listen to the advice of the military leaders. And I will appoint an attorney general who will uphold the Constitution of the United States.
My fellow Americans, this is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We are a nation at war - a global war on terror against an enemy unlike we've ever known before. And here at home, wages are falling, health care costs are rising and our great middle class is shrinking. People are working weekends, two jobs, three jobs - and they're still not getting ahead." Message 20363202 ************************************************************************** Senator John Edwards's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention "You know, for the last few months, John has been traveling around the country talking about his positive, optimistic vision for America, talking about his plan to move this country in the right direction.
But what have we seen? Relentless negative attacks against John. So in the weeks ahead, we know what's coming don't we? More negative attacks. Aren't you sick of it? They are doing all they can to take the campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road." Message 20360085 ************************************************************************************** II.**** 2004 Presidential Election Concerns:*****
---Saving the Vote " Everyone knows it, but not many politicians or mainstream journalists are willing to talk about it, for fear of sounding conspiracy-minded: there is a substantial chance that the result of the 2004 presidential election will be suspect." ............................... "Much of Florida's vote will be counted by electronic voting machines with no paper trails. Independent computer scientists who have examined some of these machines' programming code are appalled at the security flaws. So there will be reasonable doubts about whether Florida's votes were properly counted, and no paper ballots to recount. The public will have to take the result on faith." PAUL KRUGMAN Message 20424835
--- Suppress the Vote? "The smell of voter suppression coming out of Florida is getting stronger. It turns out that a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, in which state troopers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando in a bizarre hunt for evidence of election fraud, is being conducted despite a finding by the department last May "that there was no basis to support the allegations of election fraud."BOB HERBERT Message 20415871
---Voters Worried About America's Global Image: Poll shows eroding support for the war and dissatisfaction with Bush's foreign policy. Message 20428492
III.---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 ********************************************************************************* 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. Message 20454744 ---A Recovery Trying to Keep Its Legs Suddenly Feels Woozy Message 20303863 ---Budget Deficit Seen Soaring Above $400 Billion Message 19024245 ******************************************************************************** ---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 ******************************************************************************* --THE WAR ON THE HOMELAND-- --Bush will not protect the homeland Message 18785681 ******************************************* --- 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 ******************************************** ---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 ************************************************************************* ---- 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 *************************************************************** 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 *************************************************** 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 **************************************************** .*******. 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 ******************************************************************** Political Forums democrats.org ...........................................**********************............................................ Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said: "We now know why the Bush Social Security Commission met in secret: because it plans to cut Social Security benefits and raise the retirement age. (12/11/2001) democrats.org Message 16789731 |