Bush on tour to promote war by Angelo P

Bush hits the road to promote War effort

With his approval ratings sagging President Bush went on the offensive to help garner support for the war in Iraq. With Civil war looming and the elephant getting bigger and bigger, The President made one of many speeches planned for this week at George Washington University, a hotbed of progressive thinking.
The topics that are to be covered are the progress the Iraqi army has made in assuming a larger security role. As well as recent efforts to counter the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat that has thus far claimed many civilian and American lives. It is puzzling that on the 3-year anniversary of the American led invasion President Bush choose to focus on the IED threat.
"The Iraqi people made their choice. They looked into the abyss and did not like what they saw. "By their response over the last two weeks, Iraqis have shown the world they want a future of freedom and peace and they will oppose a violent minority." Bush said.
At this point in the game the Iraqi people would do anything to stop the calculated killing of thousands civilians. The Feb 22 bombing of the Shiite mosque led to the death of hundreds in retaliatory attacks. Any sane clear thinking person need only turn on the TV even FOX news to see the winds of Civil War taking hold. The President of course chooses to focus on the strong performance of American trained Iraqi troops. The President has also started to lay down the seeds to perhaps another adventure, claiming that many of the components of the lethal IED's come from Iran. We look forward to seeing the proof of that claim.

Enviroment by Aaron B

We believe that there is absolutely no doubt that our world has been negatively effected by man made activities of the past 150 years. You could refute this claim, but then we would just accuse you of having a political agenda. The overwhelming scientific evidence supports claims that industrialized pollution has created a hole in the ozone (which heats up the planet), made our air sickly to breath (which causes more illness, especially in children and elderly), injected our farmland with inorganic chemicals (making land inoperable to grow future crops, poisoning our food supply), and seen mercury levels in fish rise so astronomically in the past few years, that every US state in the union has deemed levels too unsafe to eat. This is an area of political concern that we believe the traditional right (hunters and fisherman), traditional left (hikers, campers, and general tree-huggers), and the middle (those with children who have asthma, and simply want clean air to breath) can all come together. There are many outside issues that could be discussed here (ANWR, costs of health care rising, The Kyoto Treaty, CAFE standards). But the simple point is this: Man has indeed forced the evolutionary swing of environmental change to happen much more quickly and dramatically, and our current administration (lead by people formerly and currently involved with oil industries) is only hurting our undeniably dirty situation.

My Opinion-Angelo P

Opinion: A. Prieto
I woke up this morning and did what I always do and that’s to get a smoke and watch cable news before I have to go to work.
I even check out FOX news for a quick laugh, ill even go so far as to write down some of the more questionable comments that are spewed by Murdochs Minions and check them out later in the day,I call them fair and balanced propaganda.
This morning Fox was featuring Ret. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney, I'm not sure how much he knows, but based on his extensive title ill assume its quite a bit. I suppose that’s why Fox hired him. Gen. McInerney a military analyst, believes that Al-Qaeda has been wholly responsible for the high and alarming levels of Sectarian violence that is plaguing Iraqi civilians since the Feb 22 bombing of a Shiite Mosque.
He also stated that there really is no looming Civil War in Iraq and that this whole mess is a direct result of Al-Qaeda's planning to mislead the rest of the world. In other words if Al-Qaeda were cut out of Iraq the Civil unrest would stop. Like the scene in the first Superman movie where supes flies around the world so fast the he turns back time and all is ok, If Al-Qaeda is removed all the problems vanish! Well General maybe if Al-Qaeda is in fact removed then the hundreds of lives lost since Feb 22 would magically come back. The point is that everyone who watches the news needs to question and research everything they read and see. Networks especially rely on the quick flashy news that can hold a viewer's attention for a few seconds. If the viewer isn't careful they become lifelong members of the Republican Party. Now don’t get me wrong you should question even this website. Send your comments let us know if agree or disagree. In this case I don't believe a word the good General was saying I've done my research, I know that Al-Qaeda is not wholly responsible for the ongoing violence. There are many reasons for what is going on in Iraq. Simply put question everything! We will be doing extensive coverage of the war…look for future issues.

U.S. begins Offensive by Angelo P

The United States along with…(ahem) Iraqi Security forces launched the biggest air assault campaign against Insurgents, Terrorists and Al-Qaeda, since the beginning of the war. The marketing dept at the Pentagon named the operation: Swarmer, after the largest peacetime military maneuvers that occurred in 1950.
Participating in this massive assault, the largest air campaign since "Shock and Awe" are nearly 1,500 coalition troops, supporting them will be 200 tactical vehicles and over 30 aircraft. The United States 101st Airborne Division will also be mixed in the fray.
The objective is aimed at clearing out a suspected Insurgent operating area Northeast of Samarra and is expected to continue over the next few days.
Samarra is part of what is now known as the Sunni Triangle, Insurgents have been active in the area since the beginning of the American invasion nearly 3 yrs ago. In fact Uncle Saddam was captured here, not far from his hometown of Tikrit.
The assault according to Iraq's interim foreign minister is necessary to prevent the insurgents from establishing a stronghold much like Fallujah. As you recall Fallujah was bombed right back into the Stone Age.
According to local residents the operation was taking place near the four villages of Jillam, Mamlaha, Banat Hassan and Bukaddow. These villages are located roughly 20 miles North of Samarra. Locals have complained of loud explosions and large groups of Coalition forces, no doubt keeping them awake at night. More to follow stay tuned.

Economy-Aaron B

Thoughts on the Economy By Aaron. Buckley
The Righties are going to say that the economy is going well because unemployment is at something like 4.7% (which is good), and that 250k jobs were created last month (which is good). All polls show that the average middle-class American is not pleased with the economy, and that all the tax breaks (4 of them now) have gone primarily to the top 1% of the population, while a real pittance has been doled out to those at the bottom of the economic scale. The top 1% has recieved 40% of the tax money, while 99% of the population recieved 60%. So, in actuality, we poor reches did recieve more of the tax cut money, however, since there are many more of us than the rich, we individually recieved much less. Also, we have to pay it back in other forms, through higher college tuition, higher costs for health insurance, higher premiums for housing, and much more hidden costs. All the while, these tax breaks for the rich also mean that our children will eventually have to pay it back in the end (Isn't it the right-wing that likes to pass themselves off as the moral ones who care about our children?) In addition, our tax breaks mean that we are putting our national debt into the hands of the Chinese and India. All of this occurring during a time of war! This has never happened in our (or any other civilized nation's) history - giving tax cuts in a time of war.

250k jobs - that was the low end of the average job increase each month during the Clinton administration, but these Republicans act as if they're doing us a favor. The US population grows at a rate of 150k each month. That means that you have to create 150k jobs each month just to keep pace. 250k is one of the highest job creations for the Bush administration.
But a theory of mine: The Right likes to say how entrepreneurship is up higher than it's every been before. That may be true. But the reason that may be so, is because the conservatives policies have shipped so many jobs over seas to India and China. The US people, therefore, don't have a choice. They get fired, for example, from their GM jobs (30k were recently cut at GM) and now have no choice but to find another job. In other words, there are so few good jobs to be had - because they've all been shipped - that now they have to create their own, often at much lower pay, with no benefits, much longer hours worked, and with no security. An entrepreneur would be lucky if he succeeds with his new taco stand, restaurant, real estate agency, or whatever, and now he's in debt for years to come. And if all else fails, they can't file for bankruptcy because the Republicans in Congress have cut off those avenues through legislation. It's a never ending and hard process it seems, and we the people are the ones who must suffer through it.

Dubai Port Deal by Angelo P

Dubai Ports World
President Bush recently decided to test of his popularity by announcing a proposed deal with a foreign corporation that would divest it's leases to terminals at 6 US ports basically handing over control over 6 major U.S. ports across the country. The company in question is Dubai Ports World, which hails from the United Arab Emirates. The roots of the controversy, surrounding this proposed move is of course terrorism and the ethical inconsistency that has thus far marred the Bush Administration.
The agenda of the 2nd term Bush Administration post 9/11 has been Homeland security and the war on terrorism. Some of the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 hijackings were said to have come from or have had dealings with the UAE, making this deal perplexing and unsettling. According to inside sources familiar with the specifics of the deal, security would still be in the hands of the Coast Guard, Customs and the Dept of Homeland Security. However in a country like the United States where the borders are extremely porous and security is lax due to budget cuts it is no wonder that this move has been very unpopular for President Bush.
Democrats such as Sen's Charles Schumer (NY) and Hillary Clinton (NY) have long tried to put forth legislation to bolster port security. Republicans meanwhile have continually blocked this legislation. Estimates from the Dept of Homeland Security state that one out of three shipping container's that enter the United States is inspected by customs. This alarming and glaring fact could prove hazardous and potentially fatal if left literally unchecked. When the Dubai deal was announced the outcry was loud and BI-partisan. Both Republicans and Democrats were vocal in their disapproval. The Bush Administration quickly went on the defensive and President Bush himself publicly stated that: "This deal is important for this country and our allies". The Dubai port deal has given the Bush Administration yet another black eye. One of the many already sustained by this President and his Administration.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the Administration's inability to deal with a natural disaster that we saw coming. It is no wonder that so many have come out against this deal. While some supporters of the port deal have said that if this had been another country like Finland or France there would be no outcry. It is only because the UAE is a Muslim country that so many have disapproved. This argument has been brushed off to race card politics, however the facts of the matter remain. If the Bush Administration cannot gather the vast resources at their disposal to help with a natural disaster how can they possibly cope with a man made disaster where there is no warning. The Dubai port deal is bad politics with no semblance of common sense. This lack of sense was further demonstrated when more details of the port deal were released. When asked who initiated the deal President Bush said that even he wasn't aware of all the facts. Members of his staff had been responsible for the overall planning of this merger. Amid growing tensions over the war in Iraq and corruption in the White House it is no wonder that the President's approval ratings have plummeted to 37% according to MSNBC. This has Republicans jumping ship.
As of last week Dubai Ports World has retracted their bid for control over the ports. Much to the relief to anyone who is remotely interested in a basic common sense approach to security.