philly

Dems v. Chickenhawks

Just read over on Skaroff Blog an email he received and posted. An excerpt:

I got this via email today and thought it was pretty interesting. We hate America, right?
DEMOCRATS:
* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
...
REPUBLICANS — and these are the guys SENDING PEOPLE TO WAR:
* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* Jeb Bush: did not serve.

Yes, the list is biased, but it does list some pretty big wigs from inside the Beltway.

Click over to see the longer list.

A Plan?!

A plan strategy for withdrawal victory?! [.pdf].

Will read through this ASAP.

There will be a speech later this morning.

My Letter to The Nation

I'm writing in response to the stand the editors took in the November 28th issue of The Nation http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051128/editors. I'm a Nation subscriber and I'm especially proud of the editors for taking this stand to only support candidates who are for an exit strategy with a timetable. I wanted to highlight a particular Senate race for 2006, the PA senate race. I am a volunteer for the Chuck Pennacchio campaign. Chuck is a pro-choice, pro-embryonic stem cell, pro-universal health care and anti-war pro-exit strategy candidate (more here: http://chuck2006.com/facts.asp). The opponent on the other side is Rick Santorum. Standing nearly next to him is a Democratic candidate who has the backing of the Dem elite: Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and PA Gov. Ed Rendell. They annointed him as their candidate and they do not want a primary in my state.

There are two other candidates Alan Sandals (D) and John Featherman (R), but I'm not going to shill for them right now, but either of them would be a better choice than either Jr. or Santorum.

I hope that the editors of The Nation can keep their promise to "help identify - and encourage support for - those candidates prepared to bring a speedy end to the war and to begin the hard work of forging a new national security policy that an end to the Iraq War will make possible." Chuck is one of those candidates. If you'd like to get in contact with the campaign, please feel free to contact them through the website or the blog. Or through me, I'm in contact with them daily, hell, hourly.

You can expect to see my renewal of my subscription in the next week!

Thank you,
Albert Yee

* * * * *

Feel free to poach what you'd like. Contact The Nation here.

Support the Troops, Support an Exit Strategy

My favorite magazine, The Nation recently took a stand on its editorial pages and said:

We will not support any candidate for national office who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her campaign. We urge all voters to join us in adopting this position. Many worry that the aftermath of withdrawal will be ugly, but we can now see that the consequences of staying will be uglier still. Fear of facing the consequences of Bush's disaster should not be permitted to excuse the creation of a worse disaster by continuing the occupation.

We firmly believe that antiwar candidates, with the other requisite credentials, can win the 2006 Congressional elections, the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries and the subsequent national election. But this fight, and our stand, must begin now.

In the coming weeks and months The Nation will help identify--and encourage support for--those candidates prepared to bring a speedy end to the war and to begin the hard work of forging a new national security policy that an end to the Iraq War will make possible.

I'm down with that.

A few weeks ago, Democracy For America issued a similar pledge via a message from Ohio Senate candidate Paul Hackett:

I pledge to only support candidates who:

1. Acknowledge that the U.S. was misled into the war in Iraq
2. Advocate for a responsible exit plan with a timeline
3. Support our troops both at home and abroad

While Paul Hackett seems to have backed down from that pledge, I stand by it.

A candidate right here in Pennsylvania who supports an exit strategy with a timetable: Chuck Pennacchio. You can read his Iraq Exit Strategy [.pdf] one-sheet. His stance on other important issues here.

The Pennacchio Blog asks to tell The Nation of Chuck's mission. Neither Santorum nor Casey Jr. support an exit strategy let alone a timetable. Contact The Nation here.

Subscribe to The Nation here. You won't regret it. I love it.

War is Not Heroic

I refuse to do this anymore. War is not heroic. It is not a lesser evil. It is not an inevitable fact of life we must adjust ourselves to, and everytime we pacify ourselves with that lie, we make the next war as inevitable as the next rainstorm.

The full post from: It's My Country, Too

Jarhead

I really want to see Jarhead on Friday night. It's playing at The Bridge over on Walnut/40th Sts.

Bush's Church for Withdrawal

Fellow blogger and frequent commenter here Jim Dicus of Full Circle out of the ATL [I gotta get down there!] points out an interesting thing about the very church that W and Tricky Dick belong to. They're both Methodists [W is not a Catholic as Sanitorum would have us believe] and the United Methodist Church, last week, passed a resolution calling for... hold it... hold it... THE WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM IRAQ.

Jim's full post.

Osama Clock: 1500

Today is

Day 1500

Since W said he wanted Osama bin Laden "Dead or Alive"

2000th Soldier Vigil

Tomorrow night MoveOn is helping to organize vigils across the US in honor of the announement of the 2000th armed forces serviceperson killed in Iraq since the start of this quagmire of a war. Find an event closest to you here. I'll be at the west side of City Hall at Dilworth Plaza at around 6.30p. There will be a candle light vigil, procession to Senators offices and reading of names of the fallen. I believe the Senate offices are on Broad St or Chestnut St somewhere.

It's gonna be chilly cold out there. But I know lots of people will be there standing with Celeste Zappala, the organizer of this event. Celeste's story in PW from September.

Also involved in organizing this particular event: Brandywine Peace Community, Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace/Vietnam Vets Against War, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Vets Against the War, House of Grace, Catholic Peace Fellowship, Shalom Center, American Friends Service Committee.

Tell Washington to Get Serious About Iraq

Democracy for America is asking it's members to only support candidates who are serious about Iraq. They want voters to pledge:

1. Acknowledge that the U.S. was misled into the war in Iraq
2. Advocate for a responsible exit plan with a timeline
3. Support our troops both at home and abroad

Guess what? Chuck Pennacchio scores a solid 100 on that test. Bonus points for also being pro-choice, pro-gun safety laws, pro-stem cell research [not just adult stem cells] among a whole bunch else you can read on the issues page.

Sign that pledge and then make good on it.