Well after all of that standing up for police bit I sat down and did what I do almost ever saturday at 8pm. I watched COPS. I can be mad as hell and frustrated with the world but there is something about that show that just makes me smile. Anyone out there have a tv show that provides this level of release?

This is hard evidence that people need to be fired for incompetence. I don't think action in Iraq is illegal (because I don't believe in illegal armed conflicts, nor do I believe a nation can surrender their ability to wage conflict), so I have never believed an impeachment was possible without hard evidence (high crimes and other misdemeanors). But this is definately a signal that individuals sitting in certain posts within the administration are incompetent.

When my older cousin returned from Iraq following the initial invasion with the 82nd Airborne (he also served in Haiti and Kosovo under the Clinton administration), he said Rumsfeld needed to go then.

Military intelligence may not be an oxymoron, either.

CNN: "War simulation in 1999 pointed out Iraq invasion problems":

A series of secret U.S. war games in 1999 showed that an invasion and post-war administration of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, nearly three times the number there now.

"Iran's anti-Americanism could be enflamed by a U.S.-led intervention in Iraq," the briefings read. "The influx of U.S. and other western forces into Iraq would exacerbate worries in Tehran, as would the installation of a pro-western government in Baghdad."

"Also, some participants believe that no Arab government will welcome the kind of lengthy U.S. presence that would be required to install and sustain a democratic government."

I've been watching this story, I thought you might all find it interesting.

I gotta learn how to do those incognito links like enpen does.

*You've been visited by the link fairy*

[via omjp]

A quick reminder that WROC Night Out is Monday, November 6th, and we will be holding a roundtable voter discussion. Bring your ballots and any information you have about candidates and initiatives. If you haven't had time to research, come and hear what others have learned.

Starts with a potluck at 5:30, discussion from 6 - 8. We have onsite childcare and can reimburse your travel expenses if needed. Hope to see you there.

Monica Peabody

Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition
701 Franklin Street SE
Olympia, WA 98501
(360)352-9716
toll free (866)343-9716
www.wroc.org

Commit to the “No Surprise” rule.  If Councilmembers plan to bring up new information about issues on the table or new issues at Council meetings, they should provide their fellow Councilmembers and the City Manager no less than 48 hours notice. Information should be as inclusive as possible and address such issues as: Why are you bringing this issue forward? What outcome do you hope to accomplish?

Talk to one another.  Communication, both formal and informal, is essential to an effective working relationship.

Work issues, not people.  Councilmembers are expected to work on issues without personalizing them.

Vote and move on.  Once an issue has been voted upon, Councilmembers should accept the vote and continue on with the important work that must be done, though this should not restrict debate on similar or related issues that come up for a future vote. If we are working together, we will achieve the best outcomes.

Work to build Council credibility.  Council is most effective when it works as a whole. Individual Councilmembers should work to promote the credibility and positive image of the full Council.

Media.  Agree to not use the media for personal gain or to make other councilmembers look bad.

Staff Analysis Requests.  Agree that requests to the City staff for legal analysis will be brought to the full City Council for consideration.

The western media are doing superb work of befuddling and over simplifying a complex situation. The USA is no where near exhausting diplomatic avenues of conflict resolution. There is no solid proof of a clandestine Iranian nuclear weapons program. It's time to stop the chest beating and drum thumping rhetoric of war and pursue negotiations with the true intention of discovering a lasting peaceful relationship.

If you are interested in or concerned with the situation vís a vís Iran, well then, this article is a must read.

Here's a link to and some hard hitting excerpts from the original:

The Case for Engagement
by Scott Ritter
...
My trip convinced me that support for US intervention [in Iran] does not exist to any significant degree but rather resides solely in the minds of those in the West who have had their impressions of Iran shaped by pro-Shah expatriates who have been absent from the country for more than a quarter-century.
...
In our haste to lash out at those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, we forget that Iran not only condemned the attacks, as did its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, but that it nearly fought a war against Afghanistan's Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies in the late 1990s. There is no greater potential ally in the struggle against Sunni extremism than Shiite Iran, a point made over and over by everyone I talked to, especially those affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard. As one veteran told me, "Iraq is our neighbor, and of course we have a vested interest in its stability. We fought an eight-year war with Iraq, so we understand the realities of that country. We are very glad the United States got rid of Saddam. But now what America is doing only makes the region more insecure. We could help America in Iraq if only they would let us."
there's more

By Scott Lanman

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A group of military-targeted trade publications is calling on President George W. Bush to fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, citing a lack of support from military leaders over the Iraq war.

``The time has come, Mr. President, to face the hard bruising truth,'' said an editorial appearing in the Nov. 13 issues of Gannett Co.'s weekly Military Times newspapers, which include the Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times. ``Donald Rumsfeld must go.''

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE

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