Can George Bush be charged with war crimes?

There is precedent for charging a sitting President of a sovereign nation with war crimes: SEE THIS STORY.

The latest findings by Congress in the build-up to the Iraq War proves beyond any doubt that the Bush Regime lied and bullied their way into collecting the false "intelligence" that supposedly justified invading a country that never committed any act of war against us (as scummy as their President was and make no mistake, Saddam and his spawn were scum).

Shouldn't that alone be a war crime? And what about the hired help over in Iraq, acting on behalf of Halliburton and other Bush-Cheney "protected" clients? Can their murders of innocent civilians be considered war crimes? And then there's that little thing called Abu Ghraib which destroyed America's internatonal honor and image.

Can there be an international tribunal of Bush and Cabal and the things they've done that are contrary to American law, our Constitution, our military code of conduct, the Geneva Convention and other treaties and international laws that may apply?

And where do our own soldiers go to sue for their destroyed lives and injuries for a war based on false pretenses? Who do they sue for being deliberately given spoiled food and tainted drinking water? That's right, it was Dick Cheney's company... Halliburton and yes, he still collects millions from them.

Number of disabled veterans rising

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total population of America's vets shrinks.

...The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 — to 2.9 million — and the cause really is no mystery.

...VA and Census Bureau figures show the previous six-year period, before hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a more modest increase of 4 percent in the number of disabled vets.

...The American Legion's Smithson says the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are resulting in more severe injuries — amputations and traumatic burns — the kind of injuries that troops in Vietnam and earlier wars would not have survived.

Smithson says today's veterans also are filing claims for more disabilities.

...Annual benefits run from $1,404 for a veteran rated at 10 percent to about $30,324 for those at 100 percent. Severe disabilities, such as the loss of a limb, draw additional compensation.

READ THE WHOLE STORY (link will expire)

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Head of 9/11 panel had friends in White House

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The September 11 commission's executive director had closer ties with the White House than publicly disclosed and tried to influence the final report in ways that the staff often perceived as limiting the Bush administration's responsibility, a new book says.

Philip Zelikow, a friend of then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, spoke with her several times during the 20-month investigation that closely examined her role in assessing the al-Qaida threat.

He also exchanged frequent calls with the White House, including at least four from Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser at the time.

The commission's executive director once tried to push through wording in a draft report that suggested a greater tie between al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Iraq, in line with White House claims but not with the commission staff's viewpoint, according to Philip Shenon's "The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation."

Shenon, a New York Times reporter, says Zelikow sought to intimidate staff to avoid damaging findings for President Bush -- who at the time was running for re-election -- and Rice. Zelikow and Rice had written a book together in 1995 and he would later work for her after the commission finished its job and she became secretary of state in 2005.

MORE...

The only thing left that still surprises me are those suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome - those twisted misguided sick puppies who will follow their leader right off the edge of the cliff.

Can We Impeach Him Now? PLEASE?

There is no doubt. The American people have known it for a long time. We are spending American blood in Iraq for George Bush's lie. We have spent billions on useless empire-building to fulfill the neocons' wet dreams.

Can the criminals who hijacked our country finally be brought to justice?

Study: False statements preceded war

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

...The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

Looking at America

There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.

...This sort of lawless behavior has become standard practice since Sept. 11, 2001.

...Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer.

...We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

For real Americans, those who actually cherish this nation and those G-d given rights that are our birthright, what's been done to our nation in the name of greed and zealotry is absolutely heartbreaking. We are shattered and it is nearly incomprehensible that an American President could so utterly betray the American people. It is to be hoped that our long national nightmare will begin to be over after this November. It's only the beginning for there is much damage to repair.

If you are an American and you love your country, it is your sacred duty to vote. Please, don't sit this one out and assume your vote doesn't matter. You matter. Your vote matters. America matters.

"The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends" - Soldiers Speak Out

SEE THE TRAILER:
"The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends," takes an unflinching look at the training and dehumanization of U.S. soldiers, and how they struggle to come to terms with it when they come back home.

This film overrides familiar images of heroic soldiers in battle, and overjoyed returning faces, reunited with their families with one effortless stroke. Instead, we see a scenario that can include illness, amputation and injury, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), of which Iraq has become a fertile breeding ground. While America's poor treatment of veterans is not news to most, "The Ground Truth" makes it so personal and real, it is impossible to dismiss its characters simply as war statistics.

The film gives us glimpses into a Marine Corps boot camp that allows us to comprehend how a man or woman can kill as part of their job. We get hit with more understanding of our soldiers' dehumanization by seeing Iraq combat footage that shows routine indiscriminate killing. Their jobs over, the confusion, guilt and shame that comes home with these "killers" is the tip of the iceberg.

Left with few resources and families that cannot understand what they have seen or done, their anguish only intensifies. Foulkrod's graphic footage and still-photographs of the ground conflict in Iraq, should forever shatter the sanitized images found on the nightly news and provide a much needed wake-up call for all of us.

More Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

You can find more in my earlier post here. Please download images to your own computer. Do not directly link (hotlink) to any images here. I often reorganize and change folders and file names and you may end up with a broken image link if you hotlink any images here. Also, I sometimes change the image to something embarrassing to the hotlinkers. You do not have to link back to my blog to use the images but it would be nice if you could. Don't sweat it, though.

Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

Please download any image you wish to use to your own hard drive (usually by RIGHT-clicking on the image). Do not DIRECT LINK (hotlink) to these images. I often change directories or delete items and occasionally will substitute something rather embarrassing for the hotlinkers, so thanks for not doing that. You don't really have to link to my blog for using these images, but it would be nice if you did. Enjoy!

Military Families Turn on Bush

Bush loses ground with military families
A majority disapprove of the president's handling of the war in Iraq and come closer in line with the views of the general public

WASHINGTON -- Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.

Nearly six out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the general population does.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Is the President of our country mentally ill? Is he under the influence of the Carlyle Group (Bin Ladens) or Cheney-Halliburton or any of his father's old cronies? Exactly who's running the show in Washington?

Biden To Bush: Bomb Iran And I'll Impeach

PORTSMOUTH — Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach President Bush if he bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval.

Biden spoke in front of a crowd of approximately 100 at a candidate forum held Thursday at Seacoast Media Group. The forum focused on the Iraq war and foreign policy. When an audience member expressed fear of a war with Iran, Biden said he does not typically engage in threats, but had no qualms about issuing a direct warning to the Oval Office.

"The president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach," said Biden, whose words were followed by a raucous applause from the local audience.

Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much and intends to send it to the president.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

Rove Confronted Over Iraq War Lie

Farther down here, you'll find the post about Karl Rove's insane claim that poor little President Bush never wanted to go to war with Iraq but that nasty mean old Congress forced him into it.

These delusions would be laugh-out-loud hysterically funny except it's the current lie being pushed by the lunatics running our country.

They really think America is living their delusion with them. That's scary.

From Nico Pitney:

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen called out Karl Rove for his false claim that Congress, not President Bush, had pushed for a speedy vote on the 2002 Iraq war resolution.

"Clearly things have not gone right in Iraq and you've tried to revise history," Van Hollen told Rove, demanding he "retract the outrageous statements you made."

Rove refused to back down, instead reading off a series of quotes by then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) that Rove claimed backed up his point. But as ThinkProgress documents, "None of the quotes that Rove used suggested Daschle was desperately trying to force a war authorization vote."

Van Hollen then laid down his trump card: a quote by former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer in today's Washington Post: "It was definitely the Bush administration that set it in motion and determined the timing, not the Congress. I think Karl in this instance just has his facts wrong."

Read the rest of the confrontation here.

Soldiers Escorting Body Home Are Strip-Searched, Treated Like Terrorists by TSA Employee

What was your first clue they were American soldiers, you damn dickwipe?

Was it their uniforms? Their combat medals? Or was it the Honor Guard they formed as their fellow soldier's remains were lowered out of the plane?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Then after the ceremony, the soldiers were ordered into the terminal where they were ordered to strip in front of an apparent crowd and they were treated like criminals.

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO LOSE THEIR JOB.

What's Karl Rove Been Smoking? Dude, you've gone totally batshit insane.

From Paul Abrams who reports on Rove's interview with Charlie Rose:

You are not going to believe this, well, actually you will... According to Karl Rove (on Charlie Rose), the Bush Administration did not want Congress to vote on the Iraq War resolution in the fall of 2002, because they thought it should not be done within the context of an election. Rove, you see, did not think the war vote should be "political".

Moreover, according to Rove, that "premature vote" led to many of the problems that cropped up in the Iraq War. Had Congress not pushed, he says, Bush could have spent more time assembling a coalition, and provided more time to the inspectors.

If you are like me, you have stopped reading/listening, and are rushing to get your anti-emetic.

It is worth remembering that the Senate in the fall of 2002 was controlled, barely, by Democrats. Get it? George Bush, we are being told, wanted to delay, wanted to hold back, wanted to take the time to build a coalition and let the inspectors finish their job, but that damn Congress just pushed him into it.

MORE...

This is actually scary. The lunatics running the country apparently, really are lunatics. Abso-fucking-lutely delusional. And very, very scary. This is the insanity that's deciding our fates. All of us.

Generation Chickenhawk - fun with the College Republikkkans

Max Blumenthal takes us on a hilarious and shocking tour of the College Republican National Convention, where the GOP's next generation cheer on the war in Iraq, then make sorry excuses for why they can't serve.

LINK

America Always Knew They Were Lying

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The Whole Blackwater Mess

The Basics: On September 16, 2007, employees of Blackwater USA (our State Dept.'s main civilian security contractor in Iraq) killed at least 11 Iraqis. The Blackwater fellows say they'd come under fire and were defending their lives. The Iraqi government says that's a lie. Our own U.S. military faults Blackwater. Blackwater does have kind of a shaky history, after all, being involved in 195 other shootings.

Some reactions:

FROM THE BLOG, JESUS' GENERAL:
Lawless Mercenaries: Fueling Imperial Ambitions & Imperial Downfall

Since its earliest days, America's war in and occupation of Iraq has included a larger number of mercenaries — men and women doing the jobs that used to be done by soldiers, but for a lot more money and without the same legal responsibilities. Some aspects of the privatization of military-related jobs may make sense, but not when it comes to combat roles. Even some of those that do make some sense (transportation, for example) make a lot more sense in peacetime than in a combat zone.

Mercenaries probably aren't going anywhere any time soon, even though they may not even be legal under the Anti-Pikerton Act and complicate matters incredibly. READ MORE

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FROM THE FREE REPUBLIC FORUM:
"It’s a witch hunt...the Dems in Congress hate all those that carry a weapon in defense of this country whether that be a US soldier or a Blackwater operative..."

"I see Waxman’s name attached, and I automatically want to take the opposing view. It’s reflexive."

"They cannot beat our Military. ..so now they are trying to take out the 'underpinnings'. . .the support systems. The hand of Soros is at work here. . ."

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TALKING POINTS MEMO HEADLINES:
5/27/07 - Blackwater Contractors Open Fire in Baghdad
9/19/07 - Blackwater VP is Romney Adviser
9/20/07 - Blackwater in Iraq: Above the law and beyond accountability....
9/22/07 - Blackwater to face arms smuggling investigation
9/23/07 - Blackwater -- caught on tape?
9/24/07 - Let's be clear here: The recent Blackwater shoot-'em-up is by no means the first time the contractor has acted with impunity in Iraq....
10/01/07 - Still More Blackwater Goodness
10/02/07 - Blackwater CEO Testifying Now on Capitol Hill

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FROM THE LITTLE GREEN FOOTBALLS BLOG:
MSM Bias Totally Out of Control

Did I miss something? Has it been proven that Blackwater contractors are trigger happy goons who go on shooting sprees, slaughtering innocent civilians?

No? It’s still being investigated, you say?

Then how the hell is Agence France Presse allowed to throw all the rules of responsible journalism out the window? Rice’s low-key agents stalk trigger-happy armed guards in Iraq.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Aided by radio and video links, a little known enforcement arm of the US State Department is to stalk the guards of American private security firm Blackwater in Baghdad after their trigger happy ways anger Iraqis.

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What is a mercenary?
***To be answered later***

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What is Blackwater and what is their connection to Halliburton?
***To be answered later***

These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed