What Do You Think of Our War in Pakistan

Sounds too much like Nixon going into Cambodia from our 'police actions' in Vietnam to me.

Officials: US Spy Drone Crashes in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the Pakistani military is claiming it’s recovered the wreckage of an American spy plane near the Afghan border. Pakistani officials say the drone crashed due to a malfunction, but villagers in the area say it was shot down. It’s believed to be the first time a US spy plane has crashed inside Pakistan. The news comes amidst ongoing US-Pakistani tensions over several US-led attacks inside Pakistan.

From Democracy Now!, Sept 24

US, Pakistan Trade Fire Near Afghan Border

In Pakistan, US and Pakistani troops have exchanged fire near the Afghan border. Pakistan says it opened fire after a US-Afghan force crossed the border. The US says its troops were behind the Afghan side. A series of cross-border attacks by US troops have heightened tensions between the US and Pakistan.

From Democracy Now! Sept 26

Listen to Our Veterans

Veterans Call for Bush, Cheney Arrest

In Washington, five members of the group Veterans for Peace unveiled a banner at the National Archives Tuesday calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The twenty-two-foot-long banner reads: “Defend Our Constitution–Arrest Bush / Cheney–War Criminals.” The veterans occupied a ledge of the National Archives where they began a day-long hunger strike.

from Democracy Now! and Pacific Radio

In a press release, the group described the reasons for its protest:

Bush and Cheney’s serial abuse of the law of the land clearly marks them as domestic enemies of the Constitution. They have illegally invaded and occupied Iraq, deliberately destroyed civilian infrastructure, authorized torture, and unlawfully detained prisoners. These actions clearly mark them as war criminals. Accountability extends beyond impeachment to prosecution for war crimes even after their terms of office expire....

We are not conducting ourselves in a disorderly manner; our action is well-ordered and well-considered. We are not trespassing; we have come to the home of our Constitution to honor our oath to defend it.

from The Los Angeles Times

Experienced Military Pilot on McCain

If there is one thing I know about America's right wing, they claim to hold what experienced military people have to say as word. Here is a man who fought in Vietnam, who was shot down in Vietnam, who was a POW in Vietnam longer than McCain. He was awarded:

(2) Silver Stars
(2) Bronze Stars
(2) Legions of Merit &
(2) Purple Hearts

Listen to what he has to say about John Sidney McCain III:





The mainstream press has already begun to call out McCain for overusing his POW story. And it's cut across all political persuasions.

* "Whether he's deflecting criticism over his health-care plan or mocking a tribute to the Woodstock music festival, Senator John McCain has a trump card: the Hanoi Hilton. - Edwin Chen, Bloomberg
* "Noun, Verb, POW" - Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic Monthly
* "The McCain campaign's constant invocation of the candidate's POW past is weird bordering on irrational..." - Ana Marie Cox, TIME
* "I think they are going to it way too many times." - Howard Fineman, Newsweek

This from Robert Greenwald and the Brave New team who produced this video:

Remember how Joe Biden got the press to refer to Rudy Giuliani as "A noun, a verb, and 9/11"? Well, let's actually take Andrew Sullivan's lead here and get the media to boil McCain down to a similar phrase: "A noun, a verb, and POW." Considering how often the McCain campaign invokes his POW story, isn't that what they're already doing?

People Should Not be Forced

The Bush administration has proposed stronger protections for health-care workers who refuse to participate in abortions, issuing a sweeping regulation that could also undercut access to birth-control pills and other forms of contraception (Wall Street Journal).

In an NPR interview, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said, "The basic idea is that people should not be forced to say or to do things they believe are morally wrong."

Does that include soldiers who don't want to kill Iraqis in an immoral and illegal war? The hypocrisy of this administration is staggering!!!

Jeremy Hinzman faces up to five years in prison because he refused to kill in Bush's war. Robin Long is now serving a jail term in Colorado. Support our soldiers, yeah right! Read about it at Democracy Now.