CDA :: Smart Ass, The Official Blog of College Democrats of America

CRNC Officer Promotes Voter Supression

College Republican National Committee Treasurer (and leading candidate for CRNC chair) Paul Gourley, on the record...

Snip

"Can anyone tell me," asks Gourley, a veteran mock electioneer, "why you don't want the polling place in the cafeteria?"

Stephen, a shy antiabortion activist sitting toward the rear of the class, raises his hand: "Because you want to suppress the vote?"

"Stephen has the right answer!"

Snip

"This is not anti-democracy. This is not shady. Just put [the polling place] somewhere where you might have to put a little bit of effort into voting."

Thank goodness for the college Dems!

Semper Fi

uticaOD.com : Romney vetoes stem cell bill for Mass

BOSTON (AP) -- Gov. Mitt Romney vetoed a bill Friday that would expand embryonic stem cell research in Massachusetts, but the measure has had more than enough support in the Legislature to override the governor's veto.

This is an important of legislation. I hope they over ride his veto. It will save countless lives.

Semper Fi

JON CARROLL

Friday, April 8, 2005

The following is the first communique from a group calling itself Unitarian Jihad. It was sent to me at The Chronicle via an anonymous spam remailer. I have no idea whether other news organizations have received this communique, and, if so, why they have not chosen to print it. Perhaps they fear starting a panic. I feel strongly that the truth, no matter how alarming, trivial or disgusting, must always be told. I am pleased to report that the words below are at least not disgusting:

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

Must read for all.

Semper Fi

Government Shirked Its Duty to Wild Fish, a Judge Rules - New York Times

By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: May 27, 2005

WASHINGTON, May 26 - A federal judge in Oregon ruled Thursday that the Bush administration had arbitrarily limited and skewed its analysis of the harm that 14 federal dams cause to endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead.

As a result, Judge James A. Redden of Federal District Court ruled, the administration had shirked its duty to ensure that government actions were not likely to jeopardize the survival of the species.

The ruling came in a challenge by environmentalists, fishing groups and Indian tribes to the administration's determination that the harm the hydropower dams were posing to the young salmon and steelhead could be remedied over the next 10 years by $6 billion in improvements to the dams, including spillways designed to get the fish through safely.

Save our free flowing water ways! I love fly fishing. Catch and release as much as you can. If not, then take only what you can use.

Semper Fi

Slain Soldier's Mom Rejected by Gold Star

By JIM FITZGERALD
Associated Press Writer

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Everyone agrees that Ligaya Lagman is a Gold Star mother, part of the long line of mournful women whose sons or daughters gave their lives for their country. Her 27-year-old son, Army Staff Sgt. Anthony Lagman, was killed last year in Afghanistan, but American Gold Star Mothers Inc., has rejected Lagman, a Filipino, for membership because - though a permanent resident and a taxpayer - she is not a U.S. citizen.

"There's nothing we can do because that's what our organization says: You have to be an American citizen," national President Ann Herd said Thursday. "We can't go changing the rules every time the wind blows."

That explanation isn't satisfying the war veterans who sponsored Lagman's application, some other members of the mothers' group or several members of Congress.

"It is disheartening that any mother of a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who has died in the line of duty would be denied membership in an organization that honors the memory of fallen service men and women," said Rep. Nita Lowey, whose district includes Lagman's home in Yonkers.

Rep. Eliot Engel, who represents an adjoining district, said the group should change its rules immediately.

"Whatever the excuse, American Gold Star Mothers' decision smacks of xenophobia and is in stark contrast to what Mrs. Lagman's son fought and died for," Engel said.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "We now have many noncitizens serving honorably in our armed services, and I hope that this can be satisfactorily resolved."

A past president of the mothers' group, Dorothy Oxendine, of Farmingdale, said, "There's no discrimination in a national cemetery. There's no discrimination when they get killed side by side. So how can we discriminate against a mother?"

Gold Star Mothers E-Mail

Gold Star Mothers Web Site

Semper Fi

The Stakeholder :: Pelosi: Shameful

Pelosi: On Eve of Memorial Day, Republicans Reject Key Efforts to Help Troops and Veterans

Washington, D.C. - This week, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives rejected three key amendments to help our troops and veterans, one to expand health care for National Guard and Reservists, a second to increase our investments in veterans' health care, and a third to assist veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

'It is unthinkable as we approach Memorial Day that Congress would not take every opportunity to demonstrate our gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much for our nation,' House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said. 'Now is the time for a grateful nation to honor their service.

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U.S. helicopter fired on in Iraq, crashes

By Andrew Marshall

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. helicopter has crashed in Iraq after being shot at and the fate of its crew remains unknown, the U.S. military said in a statement on Friday.

It said two helicopters received small arms fire near Baquba 60 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad on Thursday night.

One sustained damage but landed safely at a U.S. base and the "other aircraft crashed and the status of the aircrew is unknown at this time," the statement said.

"Coalition forces responded to the scene and secured the site," it said.

A defense official at the Pentagon in Washington said the aircraft was an OH-58 Kiowa, a single-engine two-seater helicopter.

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Dems Won't Take Part in Medicaid Panel From Yahoo! News

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer

Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that they would not participate on a commission that will recommend how to trim Medicaid by $10 billion over the next five years.

Michael Leavitt, the secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, announced last week the framework of the commission, which was mandated by Congress. He will appoint up to 15 voting members and 15 non-voting members.

Republican lawmakers were invited to designate four lawmakers to serve as non-voting members, and Democrats were invited to do the same.

Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, said that they would not accept an advisory role for lawmakers rather than a voting role.

"Unfortunately, the partisan nature of the commission and the lack of voting rights are not our only reasons for refusing to appoint members," the two lawmakers said in a prepared statement. "We fundamentally disagree with the premise that this commission should make recommendations on how to cut Medicaid outlays by $10 billion by Sept. 1."

The senior Democrats on the congressional committees overseeing Medicaid also declined to participate.

I say good on the Dems. Bushco broke (by not telling us the true cost of) Medicaid, so he owns it, so let him make the cuts. Then in 2006 and 2008 exploit this fact. If we had voting rights on the panel then help fix it.

Semper Fi

DCCC - Sign the Pledge - Stop Extremism and Abuse of Power in the House

A handful of moderates in the Senate showed what can happen when Republicans stand up to their extremist Leadership and put their country first.

With House Republicans continuing to march in lockstep with the radical agenda of Tom DeLay, they would do a service to their country to take a lesson from their handful of reasonable colleagues in the Senate.

The outrageous behavior of Tom DeLay, from threatening judges to scuttling stem cell research, does not befit a Leader of the United States Congress. The willingness of DeLay to subvert good government on behalf of extremists and for the sake of his personal political survivor is an insult to our democracy, and directly opposed to the tradition of the "People's House."

We, the undersigned citizens of the United States, demand a proper respect for the Constitution from our elected leaders and we demand that our government meet the needs of the American people, not right wing extremists.

Please go sign the pledge.

Semper Fi

Pastor apologizes for sign : Thursday, May 26, 2005

From staff reports

Pastor Creighton Lovelace has decided to apologize and take down a sign outside his church that had people across the country shaking their heads in disbelief.

In the face of national media attention and overwhelmingly negative response to his actions, including a critique from the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee, Lovelace issued a written statement May 25, according to The Daily Courier and Baptist Press, saying he 'did not realize how people of the Muslim faith view the Koran - that devoted Muslims view it more highly than many in the U.S. view the Bible.'

'Now I realize how offensive this is to them, and after praying about it, I have chosen to remove the sign,' he said. 'I apologize for posting that message and deeply regret that it has offended so many in the Muslim community."

Here is the sign I posted earlier. What a f*&king idiot.

Semper Fi

Marines clear officer who shot Iraqis

MIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. Marine Corps said on Thursday it had dropped all charges against a Marine lieutenant accused of murdering two Iraqis during a vehicle search near a weapons cache in Iraq last year.

The Marine Corps said in a statement from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina that charges of premeditated murder were dismissed against 2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano for his involvement in the shooting deaths of two Iraqi men on April 15, 2004, during combat operations in Iraq.

Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division, had completed an investigation that included a review of the autopsies of the Iraqis shot by Pantano, the statement said.

"After careful consideration of the Article 32 Investigative Report and of the autopsies, Maj. Gen. Huck has decided to dismiss all charges," the statement said.

Semper Fi

BBC NEWS | Americas | Camp Delta death chamber plan

A court and execution chamber could be built at the US detention camp in Cuba under plans being drawn up by military officials.

Military tribunals for some of the hundreds of men detained at the US base on Guantanamo Bay moved a step closer last month with the appointment of a chief prosecutor and chief defence counsel.

Pentagon rules for the tribunals permit death sentences to be passed and the construction of a death chamber at the camp is among options being considered.

But defence officials stress that everything remains on the drawing board until orders are issued by the president.

If the the defense official thinks Bushco isn't going to sign off on this he's sadly mistaken. This is what Bushco wants. Especially, with Bushcos track record in Texas.

Semper Fi

This sign posted in front of Danieltown Baptist Church has sparked debate in Rutherford County about religious tolerance.
(Josh Humphries/Daily Courier)Koran should be flushed
"A Baptist minister in Forest City (N.C.) refuses to apologize for a church sign saying the Muslim Koran should be flushed [see photo below]." susanhu writes: "The Reverend Creighton Lovelace of Danieltown Baptist Church says he believes it's a statement that the Bible is above any other religious book 'that does not teach Christ as savior and lord.' On Keith Olbermann's Countdown, the minister just said that the Quran is a 'tool of Satan.' And, 'Jesus would commend us for our stand.'"
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REUTERS/Antony Njuguna
A four-year-old Sudanese boy lies on the ground after collapsing from hunger at a feeding centre run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres in the village of Paliang, roughly 160 km (99 miles) northwest of the southern town of Rumbek, May 25, 2005. The United Nations warned on Tuesday that its food distribution operations in southern and eastern Sudan faced a funding shortage that could provoke a new humanitarian disaster in the giant country. The U.N. World Food Programme said it needed $302 million to feed some 3.2 million people in the two regions of Sudan this year but had so far managed to raise only $78 million.
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REUTERS/Mike Segar
The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kenndy passes the Statue of Liberty as she makes her way into New York harbor and up the Hudson River, past Battery Park, May 25, 2005. U.S. Navy ships were parading into New York Wednesday on the opening day of the annual 'Fleet Week' festivities.
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REUTERS/Yves Herman
Members of the European Parliament hold placards with the word "OUI" meaning yes in French, during a plenary session in Brussels May 26, 2005. French opinion polls have put the 'no' campaign in the lead for the May referendum, raising the possibility that France, one of the founding members of the Union, could reject the EU constitution next Sunday May 29.
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REUTERS/Kamal Kishore
Former American president Bill Clinton (L) waves to newsmen after visiting the HIV section of a hospital in New Delhi, May 26, 2006. Clinton is in India on a three-day visit to meet Indian leaders and visit tsunami hit areas of southern Tamil Nadu state.
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1,000 U.S. Troops Launch Offensive in Iraq on Yahoo! News

By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writer

Helicopters swept down near palm tree groves and armored vehicles roared into this Euphrates River city before dawn Wednesday as 1,000 U.S. troops launched the second major offensive in less than a month aimed at uprooting insurgents.

Fierce gunbattles broke out and six insurgents were killed in central Haditha — including one man identified as a cleric who was firing an automatic weapon, the U.S. military said, adding that another four were killed in separate clashes.

Marines brought by helicopters blocked one side of Haditha, while other troops on foot and in armored vehicles established checkpoints and moved toward the city's center. U.S. warplanes circled overhead.

Two Marines were wounded and evacuated, Capt. Christopher Toland told an Associated Press reporter embedded with U.S. forces.

Semper FI

Filibuster Deal Called Blow to Frist Presidential Ambition: Standing as Leader is Hurt

From the FreeRepublic:

Last week, GOP leaders in Iowa sent a letter warning two GOP presidential hopefuls--Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska--that they would risk losing the state's first in the nation presidential caucuses if they didn't support the ban on judicial filibusters.

McCain, who skipped the Iowa caucus in 2000, ignored advise and was a key broker of the deal. Religious conservative groups said McCain's decision effectively ended his chances of running for the presidency as a Republican.

Sabato agreed that McCain could only run as an independent. 'This reminded conservative activists of why they don't like John McCain and why they don't trust him."

The GOP in Iowa making John McCain run in 2008 as a Independent? A split in the republician is about to happen. The Moderates on the left, and wing-nuts to the right.

Semper Fi

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Vets Sue Rumsfeld Over Health Care Cuts

By ROBERT BURNS

AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Residents of a historic retirement home for war veterans filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, asserting that the Pentagon chief has imposed excessive and illegal cutbacks in on-site medical and dental services.

The suit was filed in federal court on behalf of the nearly 1,000 residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, one of two such institutions managed by the Defense Department.

The home's chief financial officer, Steve McManus, said in an interview that the residents who filed the complaint do not fully understand the reasons for some of the changes. He said they have not only saved money but also produced efficiencies and improvements.

``We're really trying to improve the benefits for our residents and create the foundation for the financial stability of the Armed Forces Retirement Home,'' McManus said. The budget for operating the home has fallen from about $63 million last year to $58 this year, he said.

In their complaint, the home's residents said Rumsfeld has a ready remedy for the financial problems that led to the cutbacks in services and staffing, but he has chosen not to act.

They said Congress gave the Pentagon authority in 1994 to increase one source of the home's operating funds - a 50-cent-per-month payroll deduction paid by every enlisted member and warrant officer in the military. Raising it to $1 per month would generate $7 million a year in new revenue, the suit says.

The retirement home's operating costs are borne mainly by a trust fund and by monthly fees paid by its residents. Another source of revenue are the fines and forfeitures levied upon members of the active-duty military in judicial proceedings.

Semper Fi

Donald Rumsfeld finds no way out

By BOB HERBERT
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

How does Donald Rumsfeld survive as defense secretary?

Much of what has happened to the military on his watch has been catastrophic. In Iraq, more than 1,600 U.S. troops have died and many thousands have been maimed in a war that Rumsfeld mishandled from the beginning and still has no idea how to win. The generals are telling us now that the United States is likely to be bogged down in Iraq for years, and there are whispers circulating about the possibility of "defeat."

Iraq is another Vietnam, whither we like it or not.

Semper Fi

R News: Hundreds Rally Against Bush Plan

by Kate Welshofer

More than 1,200 people gathered in downtown Rochester to protest President Bush’s social security plan.

A rally was held inside and outside of the First Universalist Church. It was organized by the In This Together Campaign: New Yorkers United to Protect Social Security. It began after Mr. Bush left Rochester, but those involved say they're more interested in getting their message out to the general public.

Amy Schramm of Rochester explained, "I think he already knows that a lot of people don't like him, but I think that we're trying to get across to the other Americans who still might believe it what he says."

"We want the public to get activated and become concerned about the possible ramifications of changing the program the way the President wants to change it," said Carol Brown, who is on the Working Families Party board of directors.

Carol says they also hope to reach lawmakers, especially Republican members of Congress who may be behind Bush’s plan.

Thanks, Amy

Semper Fi

For GOP, Deeper Fissures and a Looming Power Struggle

By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 25, 2005; Page A11

The fallout from the Senate compromise that averted a showdown over judicial filibusters fell most heavily on the Republican Party yesterday, signaling intraparty warfare that is likely to shape the battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination and further strain the unity the GOP has enjoyed under President Bush.

Monday's surprise deal left two of the party's most prominent potential 2008 candidates, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), on opposite sides of an ideological and strategic divide that is likely to widen as the party begins in earnest to hunt for a successor to Bush. Perhaps mindful of the power of social and religious conservatives, other GOP senators with presidential aspirations, including George Allen (Va.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.), condemned the deal.

So, the repug power struggle begins. McCain on the left and Frist on the right. Should get interesting. I like John McCain.

Semper Fi

REUTERS/Daniele La monaca
A flag is waved in front of a poster of CARE International worker Clementina Cantoni hung on Milan's town hall during a demonstration in La Scala square in Milan May 24, 2005 to express solidarity with Cantoni. Half a million Italians took to the streets when a respected left-wing journalist was kidnapped in Iraq earlier this year, but just 300 turned out on Monday night to demand the release of Cantoni, an aid worker abducted in Afghanistan. The flag reads "Peace".
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REUTERS/Kamal Kishore
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton waves to journalists as he enters a hotel in New Delhi May 25, 2005. Clinton is in India on a three-day visit to meet Indian leaders and tour the tsunami-hit areas of southern Tamil Nadu state.
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Voinovich continues campaign against Bolton nomination

The Republican senator who snubbed the White House by opposing John Bolton's nomination for US ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday took the unusual move of asking his colleagues to vote against Mr Bolton.

George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, wrote a letter to his fellow senators, arguing that the appointment of Mr Bolton, the outgoing undersecretary of state for arms control, would hurt US efforts to improve relations with its allies.

"John Bolton's nomination sends a negative message to the world community," Mr Voinovich wrote.

"In these dangerous times, we cannot afford to put at risk our nation's ability to successfully wage and win the war on terror with a controversial and ineffective Ambassador to the United Nations.

"

Semper Fi

The Raw Story | Congress Daily: Frist keeps finger on 'nuclear' trigger

Senate Majority Leader Frist will file for cloture on President Bush's nomination of William Myers to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later this week, according to sources on and off Capitol Hill, wasting no time in testing the resolve of 14 Republican and Democratic senators who forced at least a temporary halt to the battle over Democratic filibusters of President Bush's judicial picks.

snip

At the same time, Senate Minority Leader Reid is looking to parlay the political momentum he believes he won as a result of the filibuster deal into a broader attack on the Bush administration and GOP congressional leaders. According to Democratic aides, Reid will roll out a broad government reform agenda Wednesday and Thursday that Democrats will promote as a way to combat alleged Republican abuse of power.

Although the political fallout from the deal on Frist is still to be determined, Republicans quickly moved to defend him from charges -- largely from his right flank -- that the deal represents a failure in leadership.

And it continues!

Semper Fi

Iraq Can't Explain $69 Million in Fuel Oil From '04, Audit Says - New York Times

By ERIK ECKHOLM

Iraqi officials cannot explain what happened to $69 million worth of fuel oil produced in the second half of 2004, raising fears that it was smuggled out of the country for private gain, according to a report released yesterday by United Nations-appointed auditors.

The report, by the auditing firm KPMG, said Iraq's recorded exports of fuel oil mysteriously declined by a comparable amount during that same period of 2004, the initial months of sovereignty for the newly installed Iraqi government.

Snip

The group that hired KPMG, the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, was created by the United Nations to watch the handling of Iraqi assets, mainly oil revenues, after the American-led invasion.

The board has repeatedly criticized the American government for its loose spending controls during the period it controlled Iraqi assets, from the invasion in early 2003 to the transfer of sovereignty last June.

Semper Fi

CNN.com - Nine American troops killed in Iraq - May 24, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgent attacks during the past 24 hours have killed nine U.S. troops in Iraq, the military said Tuesday.

Three soldiers died in a car bombing in central Baghdad on Tuesday and a fourth -- who was manning an observation post -- was killed by a drive-by gunman, Task Force Baghdad spokesman, Maj. Darryl Wright said.

Four other American soldiers were killed by a bomb on Monday, the military said. They were assigned to the 155th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.

The explosive "detonated near their vehicle" in fighting in Haswa, south of Baghdad.

A ninth American -- a Marine -- died Monday after an "indirect fire attack" on Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, the Marines said.

Nine brave young men, gone!

Semper Fi

REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Iraqi women mourn for relatives wounded in a car bomb attack at a restaurant in Baghdad May 23, 2005. A car bomb at a restaurant in northern Baghdad caused more than 50 casualties Monday, Iraqi police said. They did not know how many people had been killed and how many wounded, but said at least 52 people had been caught up in the blast, which struck the restaurant at lunch time.
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REUTERS/Stringer/iraq
An Iraqi policeman views a destroyed vehicle after a suicide car bomb attack in Baghdad May 24, 2005. A suicide car bomb targeting an Iraqi police convoy exploded in central Baghdad killing two civilians and wounding at least eight others, police said.
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REUTERS/Ho, Photographer
The National Zoo's first litter of cheetah cubs, born on Nov. 23, 2004, test out their reputation as the world's fastest land mammals on May 18, 2005. The cubs turned 6 months old on May 23, 2005, and are on exhibit at the National Zoo's Cheetah Conservation Station in Washington. Picture taken May 18, 2005.
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CNN.com - Senators compromise on filibusters - May 23, 2005

Bipartisan group agrees to vote to end debate on 3 nominees

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A bipartisan group of senators announced Monday evening that they had reached an agreement after days of talks to avert a showdown Tuesday over President Bush's judicial nominees.

Under the agreement, three nominees for appellate courts stalled by Democratic filibusters will go forward and two others will remain subject to filibuster.

The group's members also agreed that they would oppose attempts to filibuster future judicial nominees except under "extraordinary circumstances."

Snip

Under the deal, the senators will allow three of Bush's controversial nominees to come to a vote: Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor.

The group made no commitment to vote for or against a filibuster on two nominees, William Myers and Henry Saad.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid later welcomed the deal and indicated Democrats would continue to filibuster Myers and Saad, likely dooming their nominations.

Semper Fi

USATODAY.com - Approval slips for Bush and Congress

By Susan Page, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval ratings for handling the economy, Iraq and Social Security have fallen to the lowest levels of his White House tenure, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday.

Snip

On the filibuster debate, by 48%-40% those surveyed said they favor the Democrats over the Republicans. But they seem to see merit in the arguments by both sides. A 53% majority say the filibuster — the ability of at least 41 senators to continue debate and delay a vote — should be preserved. But 69% want the Senate to hold up-or-down votes on judicial nominees.

By 47%-36%, those polled say the country would be better off if Democrats controlled Congress. That's the best showing for Democrats since Republicans won control in 1994.

Snip

Bush's overall job approval rating was 46%, down 4 percentage points since early May but higher than the 45% low he held in March. On specific issues, 40% approved of the job Bush is doing on handling Iraq and the economy; 33% approved of him on Social Security.

The Republician numbers keep going down and Democratics are going up. The CNN political analysis, can't remember his name, said that the elections in 2006 "were a year and a half away". Quess what, mister analysis. Voters do have long memories, and the last time we elected a Democratic President when the voters wanted "a change".

Semper Fi

Tillman's Parents Are Critical Of Army

Family Questions Reversal On Cause of Ranger's Death

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer

Former NFL player Pat Tillman's family is lashing out against the Army, saying that the military's investigations into Tillman's friendly-fire death in Afghanistan last year were a sham and that Army efforts to cover up the truth have made it harder for them to deal with their loss.

More than a year after their son was shot several times by his fellow Army Rangers on a craggy hillside near the Pakistani border, Tillman's mother and father said in interviews that they believe the military and the government created a heroic tale about how their son died to foster a patriotic response across the country. They say the Army's "lies" about what happened have made them suspicious, and that they are certain they will never get the full story.

Will the Army's investigation conclude that low level people, i.e. enlisted, were the ones who develop this story about Tillmans death? Or will they concluded or sacrifice a token officer involved?
What a shame, that The Army put ahead it's recruiting possibilities, over a brave mans death.

Semper Fi

REUTERS/Felix Ordonez
A snowy owl looks on during a bird exhibition in Burgos, northern Spain, May 22, 2005. The snowy owl is a diurnal white owl with yellow eyes and a black bill and can turn its head 270 degrees while waiting for prey to hunt.
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Laura Bush heckled in Jerusalem shrine visit on Yahoo! News

By Adam EntousSun May 22, 2:31 PM ET

Protesters jostled and harangued U.S. first lady Laura Bush on Sunday when she visited a Jerusalem shrine at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

'How dare you come in here! Why your husband kill Muslims?' one protester shouted at the first lady as Israeli police and U.S. Secret Service agents formed a tight cordon around her to keep people back. For Bush, on a Middle East goodwill tour, it was a rare close encounter with hostile demonstrators.

A small crowd of people pressed in on Bush as she entered the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem's walled Old City. One worshipper cried out as she entered: 'None of you belong in here.'

Bush, who made an appeal for peace later, did not respond to him or to an old woman inside the mosque who shouted 'Koran, Koran' at her in Arabic.

You mean to tell me, that the bushco didn't prescreen in Jerusalem?

Semper Fi