Ava Lowery's Letter to America

Warning: Images of war by 15 year old Southern Peace Activist



We voted in a new Congress to stop Bush from staying the course. Bush is putting off until January to announce the obvious....

Despite our voices, and our votes, Bush plans to ESCALATE the war in Iraq and also INVADE Iran.

Send the New Congress a strong message via email and phone...and if you can make it to Washington DC...schedule a time to meet with your representatives and march with your fellow citizens on January 11th and/or the 27th....


International Day of Action to
Shut Down Guantánamo.

STOP THE MADNESS NOW

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN, NOW CONGRESS MUST ACT.

On Saturday, Jan. 27th, people from every corner of the country will march on Washington, DC. Our message will be clear, our voice will be strong: End the war in Iraq, Bring all the troops home now! We urge you to join us!

On Mon., Jan. 29th, we will take our message directly to the new Congress during our lobby day. Click here for more info and to sign up to participate.

You can help make these critical actions a great success:

• Make a much-needed donation today.

• Spread the word -- click here for flyers to download and distribute, web buttons to post, videos to share, etc.

• Sign up to be a local coordinator to help mobilize people from your area to come to DC.

• Volunteer in NYC or DC in the weeks leading up to J27, and/or on the day itself.

• Connect with other people from your area coming to DC.

• Find buses, or offer or request a ride, to DC.

• Find or offer housing in DC.

• Endorse this call to action. Click here to see the current list of endorsers.

• Be one of the first to wear an official J27 t-shirt! Order yours today!

Are We Fascist?

FACISM

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.
5. Rampant sexism.
6. A controlled mass media.
7. Obsession with national security.
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together.
9. Power of corporations protected.
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment.
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.
14. Fraudulent elections.

If we had a warning system scale alerting us to Facism in American government where would you rate us on the following scale?

1. LOW RISK........2........3........4........5. MODERATE......6.......7........8.......9.......10. HIGH RISK

I want my Democracy back....Hopefully the new Congress will go about restoring our democracy by restoring the checks and balances, repealing the Patriot Act, and investigating the fraudulent elections and rampant cronyism and corruption.....

Buzz...Buzz....

Explosive Device under Bridge on DC byway

Possible Explosive Device Found Near Bridge In DC Suburb...Developing... Just in...story is developing.

Full of Sound and Fury

In regards to the hanging of Saddam Hussein, I am reminded of Gandhi's statement that violence will vanquish violence only when darkness can dispell the darkness. In other words, if anyone thinks that executing Saddam Hussein in the middle of a civil war is going to curtail the mutual slaughter, this isn't going to happen. Violence is only going to "surge". Many Sunnis were devoted to Saddam and will likely want revenge in the form of assassinations and bombings of Shiites and Americans. Perhaps the Bush Administration will welcome this as an excuse to escalate its attacks on Anbar Province further. But we also know that even our good buddies, the Saudis, are financing Sunni insurgents and organizations in Iraq, to keep them from being exterminated by the Shiites. The confragration will only grow.

Furthermore, everyone knows that Saddam's trial was a cariature of justice by American legal standards, with bizarre goings-on from beginning to end, with the not so hidden hand of the Bush Administration influencing the entire process. This trial, however, was not so much about justice as it was about Shiite revenge, a Roman-style trophy for American audiences and the shutting up of Saddam before he could be questioned about the complicity of American officials in arming and directing him during his war against Iran, as well as other obscenities.

If true justice against Hussein, who was indeed a bloody tyrant, was the goal, why was he executed so hastily, before the trial over his massive slaughter of the Kurds had even taken place, leaving millions of Kurds without any sense of resolution? Hussein should have been tried before an international tribunal. The thousands of Iranians who also lost loved ones because of Hussein's war with Iran should have also been invited to press charges, especially in reference to his chemical attacks on Iranians. But then uncomfortable inquiries about alleged American chemical and biological weapons sales to Hussein might have been brought up during the proceedings, not a welcome idea to George Bush Senior and Donald Rumsfeld, to name a few players. (see Wayne Madsen's revelation on this at: http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_wayne_ma_061228_why_the_bush_crime_f.htm )

As for the poetic symbolism of this event, even though President Bush must certainly feel ecstatic now at fulfilling his obsession to get Saddam, what has transpired with Saddam's hanging is the equivalent of the three fateful witches in MacBeth throwing another bat's wing or spider into their witches' brew, so as to make it all the more potent. Our benighted President, acting out his pathetic version of MacBeth, can't wait to drink another cup from their black cauldron, again mistaking it for the Holy Grail.

Media Watch-- MSNBC

Corporate media is already hard at work labeling John Edwards the "multi-millionaire" candidate.

Are they threatened by a presidential candidate who will actually work to reduce poverty in America? Poverty which has no special interest lobbyist in Washington D.C. (Note: The Corporate Media is the most powerful special interest group in Washington D.C.) Is Corporate Media concerned that their slice of the government pie will get smaller if the poor in this country are given any government assistance?

A more interesting story would be who is NOT a multi-millionaire running for president. I predict "zero."

Why doesn't the Corporate Media run a story on how the current political process prevents ordinary (i.e. Not wealthy) Americans from running for the U.S. Congress and/or the White House?

Another example of why the "liberal" media is simply a myth promoted by Corporate Media itself.

FLOYDFEST 6 -- July 26-29, 2007

FloydFest is an annual four-day World Music Festival held annually in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains. Floydfest proudly showcases the best in World, Bluegrass, Reggae, Folk, African and Appalachian music. The vendors sell products ranging from quality local Arts and Crafts, clothes, jewelry, and of course, great food for all types of eating (including vegans.

This is the place where progressives re-charge their batteries each year. It is also family and kid friendly. If you go without the kids you'll be wishing you had taken them. Everyone has a great time. The tickets are cheapest if ordered before January 1. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

CHECK IT OUT

I Stand Corrected

Goodbye Jim has corrected an error I made yesterday in this post. (I would have also left a comment on his website but there was no option for me to leave a comment.)

Jonathan Mark is correct. I have obviously mistaken Jim Moran for Rick Boucher.

I am truly sorry for this error more for Rick Boucher than myself. Rick Boucher has worked long and hard as an advocate on net neutrality and Boucher co-authored The Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, H.R. 5417,

I definitely want to acknowledge and credit the correct Representative who deserves alot of credit for his work to insure Net Neutrality. So please know that it is Virginia's Rick Boucher and not Jim Moran who deserves the credit.

So thank you Jonathan Mark for setting me straight on this.

Richmond Democrat exposes neocon Republican Trolls

Now that John Maxfield of The Journal for the Common Man has been "outed" as a fraud by The Richmond Democrat, it is going to be amusing to see the right wing extremists try to spin this one. STD has already posted his conspiracy theory...that Senator Jim Webb is responsible for outing Alex's fraudulent claims of being an adult and an attorney. (STD follows Bush's example of evading responsibility. No accountability among the neocons....it's always someone else's fault. Next they will be saying that Jim Webb paid young Alex to commit this fraudulent activity.)

One thing is for sure....this will cull the "incompetents and the trolls" out from among the legitimate conservative bloggers....SwacGirl outed herself quite nicely by posting the following:

A number of conservative bloggers have been writing about this. They have all done a great job standing up for and uniting the conservative bloggers.

-- General Grievous' Dog
-- John Maxfield at The Journal of the Common Man and judging from what goes on from here the "respectable" conservative bloggers will become better known.
....[the list continues)

It doesn't do any of us any good to have such trolls within our ranks. My condolences to the respectable conservative Virginia bloggers out there having to put up with such riff raff among you. But SwacGirl said it well, this provides an opportunity for the "....respectable" conservative bloggers [to] become better known." I trust they will cull their own ranks and disaffiliate themselves from the fraudulent trolls.

LOL....IF any of the extreme right wing neocon trolls have thought of the following Rove trick--creating a "fraudulent" lefty blogger--save your time and energy. The lefty bloggers in Virginia aren't going to band together to defend any troll...be they left or right wing.

An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi

An Open Letter to Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House

By Mac McKinney

Dear Congresswoman Pelosi,

Being a native of San Francisco myself who frequented the 8th District for years, even though I now live on the East Coast, I am very happy to see a fellow San Franciscan elevated to such a lofty position as Speaker of the House. Congratulations. I think it is more than happenstance that at this critical juncture in world and national history, you have arrived on the scene in such a pivotal position, pivotal in respect to the progression or regression of humanity.

You are fully aware that the country is beset with glaring problems, the worst of which are the festering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have already taken a horrific toll in human lives, resources and wealth, wars that are manifestations of deep fear and hatred between large sections of the human race, emotions that are being exacerbated daily by the ongoing carnage. Fear and hatred have also degraded our national character as we have watched, shocked and outraged, while torture and cruelty have been openly embraced as acceptable, if not legal practices, by our government abroad. Even worse, the politics of confrontation and preemption that the White House espouses threaten to widen warfare in the Middle East and Southwest Asia into regional conflagrations of devastating global consequence. We are now being drawn into a downward spiraling cycle of death and destruction that is quite aptly symbolized by the whirlpools of the sea monster Charybdis that nearly consumed Odysseus (Ulysses) in the Greek legends.

All of this is set against the backdrop of the looming threat of global warming, which, depending upon which scientist you interview, will either regress humanity, devastate humanity or destroy humanity, three very poor options indeed. It will take vast global resources to deal with this challenge successfully, resources that will never be available if the world is consumed with war. This then is our Scylla, global warming, the second monster that beset Odysseus in the Strait of Medina off the coast of Sicily.

The Ship of State is now sailing erratically, so to speak, between Scylla's rock and the whirlpool, with a helmsman more reminiscent of Captain Ahab in obsessive search for the White Whale, then of resourceful Odysseus, who eventually reached safety. It is not an exaggeration to say that the White House is consumed with a vision of permanent warfare against a perceived enemy whose presence half exists, specter-like in the realms of imagination and mythology, the worlds of nightmares and the Arabian Nights. It is ludicrous in the extreme to hear government and Pentagon officials seriously envisioning a one hundred year war against a phantom Caliphate of Hydra-like proportions extending across the continents. It all too easily flows into a fratricidal "clash of civilizations" with the Moslem world that protagonists such as Newt Gingrich are presently lobbying for. This is the stuff of psychosis.

Against this paranoid, dualistic vision of humanity at war with itself that the White House so fervently embraces, this dark vision and violent paradigm that paralyzes all progress toward resolving the world's real problems, enters the new Democratic Majority in the House of Representatives this January, led by you, fortunately led by you, because you have the perfect background to present the country, and the world, with a far more enlightened vision for all to embrace. It is the vision presented by Saint Francis, the patron saint of San Francisco, who said simply:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy."

This timeless quote lies at the core of the collective soul of San Francisco and is what has made San Francisco what it is, a beacon of light and a Mecca of love and tolerance for all of humanity. In San Francisco, as in few places in this country, there is an evolved sense of community between Asian and African, Latino and Irishman, Italian and Pakistani, Buddhist and Catholic, Moslem and Jew, and Gay and Straight that you, Congresswoman, have certainly witnessed in the 8th District. And a tour of Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill brings it all home when one gazes upon the historical mural on the nave wall depicting the founding of the United Nations in 1945 in our city. So, even that preeminent organization of world unity is in our city's heritage. San Francisco's spirit is not about division and hostility between nations, but rather about their opposite, the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind.

San Francisco has also had a proud intellectual tradition of breaking down intellectual and social barriers, of confronting the Establishment, of speaking outside the box, graced with such shooting stars as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, to name a few, who always seemed to return to that Buddhist theme of Enlightenment, of seeing beyond dualism, of grasping the oneness of Being. That is a part of San Francisco too. What America and the world need right now, Congresswoman Pelosi, is a vision of that oneness, a vision that you are now in a position to give them.

Finally, San Francisco has a progressive tradition of promoting equal rights for women and listening to their voices and perspectives. Senator Feinstein and you are both living proof of that. And the feminine perspective is sorely needed in the world today, a world catering all too much to the male ego and its proclivities. The brilliant author of The Color Purple, Alice Walker, recently wrote an article based on her newest book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness. In it she tells the story of the Swa people of the Amazon, who, although they consider men and women equals, have a traditional division of labor between them in one respect. The men are considered to be a destroying principle, the women a conserving principle, and when the men throw the world out of balance, the women are expected to step in and tell them to stop. To quote Alice Walker:

"It is the woman who says: Stop. We have enough firewood and canoes, don't cut down any more trees. Stop. We have enough meat; don't kill any more animals. Stop. This war is stupid and using up too many of our resources. Stop."
(http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2906/ )

So I humbly ask you, Congresswoman, to walk in the spirit of Saint Francis and with the soul of the Charter of the United Nations in your heart as you approach the Speaker's podium in the Capitol in January. Please speak and legislate from the core of your being for the good of humanity and the planet as you confront the mammoth challenges awaiting us all. Please uplift us with a positive vision of world peace and unity. We will strongly support you in such an endeavor.

We Are The Web

When you're contacting your elected officials in DC on Jan 3 and 4th about Iraq withdrawal (asap)...you might remind them that net neutrality needs to be addressed asap too. There's no reason this measure can't be passed quickly...there are fine bills from Jim Moran in the house and one from Olympia Snowe in the Senate that were introduced last session. Moran's was defeated and Senator George Allen wouldn't let Snowe's bill leave his committee for a vote. So the DEMS need to insure Net Neutrality asap...

Visit Save the Internet

Update: Thanks to Jonathan Mark at Goodbye Jim for finding my greivous error.
Rep. Rick Boucher (VA-09) deserves the credit I wrongly gave to Jim Moran.

The "MYTH" of Environmentally Safe Offshore Drilling

This just in....Gulf of Mexico has oil spill caused by ship anchor rupturing the pipeline.

Thanks to the Republicans selling off "our" Oil at fire sale prices and cheating American taxpayers from a "decent" price.

Virginia Beach also has a future of tarred, spoiled beaches....Buzz..Buzz...

Bush is on another vacation

President George W. Bush went to his Crawford Texas ranch yesterday to take one of his famous "working" vacation breaks.

Of course the White House statement is that he went to his Crawford ranch to "think" about Iraq....probably while riding one of his mountain bikes and resting up from his Christmas festivities to prepare for his New Year's celebration....

Meanwhile our troops are stuck in Iraq...and if Bush has his way they will stay stuck in Iraq.

According to the polls the majority of the American people, the Iraqi people, and the troops stationed in Iraq want the troops to come home. I haven't seen a single poll that says otherwise.

Lobby your elected official on January 3 and 4th in person, or with emails and phone calls. Remind them that only 11% of Americans now support the Iraq war. The rest of us want them to come home asap. No surge...let's do the right thing...Honor the wishes of the Middle Eastern people; they want freedom from the United States. The Time to Withdraw is long past due.

Virgil H. Goode is still on the hook

Virginia's Virgil H. Goode remains in the news. The Baltimore Sun has an excellent piece discussing Goode's shameful and ignorant hate speech during a season that is supposed to represent peace on earth. I've already posted my thoughts of Virgil Goode here.

Mac followed up with a nice piece on misconceptions about Islam.

All of Virginia's elected officials should be speaking out on this issue. Many Virginian bloggers are promoting that Goode's hate speech is not typical of Virginians. However, the silence of our elected officials on this issue sends a different message--agreement with the bigotry Goode is promoting.

We should not let our elected officials "off the hook" so easily. They should clear the air and have the courage to verbalize their positions on this crucial issue.

Mosquito welcomes Mac to the Blog

This is a delayed introduction but we have another blogger joining the Mosquito Blog. Many of you in Hampton Roads know him...Mac is an active member of the Gaia Circle and the Tidewater Peace Alliance.

He's been published in alternative and the mainstream press. Mac has also been featured online at OpEd News website

He's already posted one article and he will be posting periodically "as the mood strikes him" and/or as time and life permits.

Here at Mosquito Blog we are proud to welcome Mac to the Virginia Blogosphere.

Happy XMAS--War is Over

Warning--Video contains images of war

Merry XMAS and Peace on Earth! God Blesses EVERYONE not just Americans.....

This war is over if we want it. We spoke out loufl during the midterm. Now they are hoping we will shut up and go on about our lives while they continue to mislead us.

IF we want out of Iraq we will need to keep speaking out and not shut up until all our troops are home. GO TO D.C. ON JANUARY 3 OR 4 AND LOBBY CONGRESS TO END THIS WAR. If you can't do it in person CALL or EMAIL ALL your elected officials in D.C.

We voted to end this war. Bush, Cheney, Rice, Gates, et al are going to spin it and lie to keep us in Iraq AND have us start ANOTHER war in Iran. Let's do what is necessary to stop these war profiteers and "their" terrorism of others.

Media Watch and Net Neutrality

The corporate media has definitely not been covering this issue. This is their special interest that NOT in the best interests of the American people.

Thanks to the Seattle Times we have an update on the Republican FCC Chairman's push to allow ATT and Bell South to merge without Net Neutrality guarantees. The Republican Chair-- Kevin Martin--tried to force the newest Republican member to vote on this issue to break the deadlock (a tie vote). The newest member--Robert McDowell--refused to vote choosing to honor his word. McDowell had testified before Congress that he would not vote on any issue affecting the telecommunications industry (he has strong ties here).

The two Democratic members are holding firm...so the merger is currently blocked. For more info on this merger and other media news check out Free Press.

Bush Cheney and Gates with THEIR Families at XMAS....

It's traditional for the Secretary of Defense to "serve" the troops their holiday meals. Gates buzzed into Iraq BEFORE Christmas...and then flew back out to join "his" family and loved ones for Christmas.

The only time President Bush visited the troops in Iraq during a Holiday was for a Thanksgiving "photo op" during his 2004 re-election campaign. Our President, Vice President, Secretary of State are taking a Christmas vacation to be with their family and loved ones for Christmas. There is no shame among these folks. The mainstream corporate media never mentions the hypocrisy or the lies..

Hard questions need to be asked of this President and this administration come January....

TOB--Imagine a Bush remix

Thinking Outside the Box



Warning--Viewer Discretion Advised--curse words and images of war.

On Misconceptions about Islam

There are scores of misconceptions, driven by fear and loathing in the last few decades, about Islam. One is that Islam possesses a fanatical desire to undermine and destroy the Christian and Jewish faiths, converting Christians and Jews to Islam by the sword if necessary. But these ideas are from the realms of fantasy, propaganda and projection. And they are fertilized by the noxious and hateful neocon movement, which has ulterior motives for demonizing Islam, namely to justify agression against Islamic States and peoples.

Historically, Islam has been rather tolerant of Christianity and Judaism. The Prophet Mohammed called Jews and Christians "People of the Book", and considered Moses and Jesus both earlier prophets as well. During the Middle Ages, when temporal Islamic Empires were very widespread and powerful, Christians and Jews within their realms were allowed to practice their own religions and, although not granted all the rights of Moslems, were neither generally oppressed nor assaulted with recurring pograms, such as were common against the Jews throughout Europe and Russia. In contrast, the Jewish community in Moorish Spain flourished and was a center of Jewish philosophy. The modern city of Fallujah, so recently devastated by the American military in Iraq, was also a center of Jewish culture in the midst of the larger Islamic culture.

Meanwhile, hatred circles like a shark waiting to strike. It replaces the historical and experiential truth with stereotypes and projections and one's mind becomes infected with these stereotypes. Moslems in this country are in danger of becoming the new "Japs" and the new "Negroes (and you know what else)" of our ugly past, and it is always demagogic politicians who lead the way. So, take a cue from Jesus and think unconditional love, when tempted, to keep your minds clear of this spiritual pollution.

Virginia's Word

First there was George Allen and the macaca incident. Allen's use of a racial epithet from his mother's native land and his subsequent explanations garnered so much attention that "macaca" is becoming a new, widely used word in American English.

Now a new "macaca" moment comes from the mouth of another right wing Virginian Republican, Virgil Goode (R-VA-5th). The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned Goode's "ignorant and divisive statements " and called on him to apologize. As if this writing, Goode has issued no apology.

I love my home state. However, recent bigotry is not the sole domain of a few right wing Virginian Republicans. In the midterm elections, Virginians voted to enshrine Jim Crow into our state constitution. As a young girl I have memories of living in a Jim Crow state. Things were separate, but definitely not equal.

Bigotry is bigotry. Elected officials such as George Allen and Virgil Goode, and the passage of the marriage amendment indicates that VA has more than it's fair share of racists, bigots and homophobes. I don't seem to have a case to present in defending my home state of VA against these charges of racism and bigotry.

I suggest that my home state adopt a new state symbol to recognize and "honor" the power and the influence of right wing extremists in our state.

We have a eleven state symbols (not counting our flag and various seals). These symbols include a state boat (Chesapeake Bay deadrise), a dog (American Fox Hound), and a state bird (red cardinal). So why not a state word? And a state word from George Allen, a state politician the corporate media describes as "very popular," seems appropriate.

Why not enshrine Macaca as Virginia’s state word?

Buzz...Buzz...

Three Cheers for Vivian Paige....

Actually this is a four buzz announcement...

Buzz...Buzz...Buzz...Buzz...

Vivian Paige's blog was given a mighty mention by the Daou Report at Salon.com.

Way to go Vivian....well deserved. It's great when hard working bloggers get some credit.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Introducing the first of our Thinking Outside the Box series. TOB's will be utilized to assist our creative thinking, expand our options, choices, and solutions and hopefully help us reduce the close mindedness and narrow world view that comes in part to a "puritan heritage" that helped found this county. However, the lack of options that comes with narrow mindedness is promoted by many power brokers in the USA mainstream, especially our corporate media.

Thanks to Liz Diaz for creating great graphics for our Thinking Outside the Box series....

Now...for our first installment we will travel to Denmark and a creative solution they put into action to stop speeding. There was only one problem...It worked too well.

VA "lefty" blogs under surveillance

Mosquito is usually on top of things and was aware when military intelligence was visiting on a regular basis, as well as various other governmental departments. M knows Corporations keep an intense check on blogs and mail list. They've even been known to "threaten" lawsuits if someone writes negatively about them and/or their products. With the recent medical experimentation article the Sentara operation has given us a number of hits. My personal fave are hits from folks like the latimes.com (That's one paper I enjoy reading.)

Mosquito told me about this regular visitor from Yorktown who would spend hours at a time on the blog. I checked and six visits already today from 1:58 am until 8:44 a.m. for over 3 1/2 hours on this blog. I was amused that M hadn't already figured it out. But the CIA has a facility located in the Yorktown area and the blog "fan" is most likely "not" a fan. It sounds like one or more employees working a shift monitoring blogs. The outclicks usually go to "interesting" places like site meter and various beta blog pages that should not be assessable to the average net surfer. However, there was one "outclick" to Black Nell's blog.

I bet there are other lefty blogs in VA with regular visits from Yorktown for multiple page views on the same day....sharing the same "ISP." So check your blogging records folks. Let's see if the CIA, military intelligence, and/or DHS are wasting their time "monitoring" Bush's political opposition instead of those "actual" terrorists who plan violent actions. That's where they should be spending there time isn't it?

But then in Bush World they have a reputation for incompetency and wasting time and money?

I know that Mosquito blogged about various government visitors months ago (and recently another progressive VA blogger wrote about the CIA visiting them. (yes...sometimes it actually says CIA. Mosquito reports one known prior visit that was identified as CIA)

Unfortunately we've entered dark times in our country where the people who should be "under surveillance" aren't and the patriots trying to shed light on all the illegal stuff going on are the ones under surveillance.

So don't be intimidated and let's keep working to get our democracy back on track.

Christmas At War

A few crazy extremists have grabbed power and wrecked havoc on the US and British governments, and distorted the true meanings of the Christian and Muslim faiths. Some in this minority love war so much they have created a conspiracy theory that there is a War on Christmas. With hundreds of thousands of children and their parents being killed in the Middle East due to the Corporate Profiteers and their partnership with Religious Extremists it's time for the responsible people in American to get serious about stopping this madness.

For everyone who lives their faith and works hard to create Peace on Earth and Goodwill to "others"....I direct your attention to Ava Lowery's vision of the REAL Christmas War we need to STOP ASAP.



Buzz...Buzz...

SAVE THE INTERNET

Be wary of the corporate media's FAKE grassroots "front group" called Hands off the Internet....this is their public relations propaganda to kill net neutrality...one of the founding principles that the creators of the internet instilled into the system to make it what it is today.

Join the millions of Americans fighting to Save The Internet This is the issue that is uniting America not dividing us. Groups as varied as MoveOn.org and the Christian Coalition all support net neutrality.

The internet is currently our strongest tool to counteract the corporate and "neo con" propaganda.....let's not lose our voice!!

Let's Act now so that Net Neutrality is one of the first bills passed in our new "Democratic Congress." We've fought long and hard and it's time to put a stop to the corporate dirty tricks and their dirty money polluting our democratic system.

Buzz...Buzz...

NewsFlash-- McCain's War on Blogs

John McCain who has the brand marketing of a "maverick" but marches in lockstep with George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the neo-cons is showing his true FASCIST colors.

He's introduced legislation that is declaring a War on Blogs....Check it out here.

Better get in touch with your Senators and raise some "holy hell."

Buzz...Buzz...

Soldiers want withdrawal is not recent news....

The fact that the soldiers want to withdraw from Iraq is not a recent phenomenon. There's been a poll out for awhile where 72% of the troops (stationed in Iraq) thought the US should withdraw from Iraq. Grassroots "peace" activists in Hampton Roads are regularly approached by local service members voicing concerns about the Iraq occupation.

The "news" was that the topic got some coverage by the Nation. (I noticed a few other VA bloggers were posting this Nation scoop a few hours "after" it first appeared on the lefty blog roll...Kudo's go to this blog for breaking the story in the VA Blog network. Credit where credit is due folks.)

There are two Virginian Pilot articles featuring Jonathen Hutto and his appeal for redress. October article November article (So the VA Pilot "finally" deserves some credit for not ignoring this story. Hopefully, the Virginian Pilot will become "curious" about what local activists in Hampton Roads are up to and more pertinent local news coverage will be done. Folks are tired of the media obsession with crime, crime, and more crime. We want in-depth coverage on "pending legislation" so that folks have time to research and then contact their elected officials BEFORE the bill is passed.)

It is amazing that the Appeal for Redress project has managed to obtain over a thousand signatures in spite of systemic obstacles. We know that military personnel are "hesitant" to speak their minds when their opinion differs from the commander in chief. The military structure discourages speaking out an opinion or concern. The service members working on the Appeal to Redress project are not allowed to discuss the issue on base with their colleagues. All Appeal for Redress activities have to be done off base and in civilian life (including the clothing). [Note to Service Members: Jonathen Hutto (the founder of this Appeal for Redress) is currently up for "Sailor of the Year."]

I "predict" that if the Corporate Media adequately covers this story and the service members discover they can legitimately voice their concerns to Congress...there will be more "thousands" of signatures headed to Congress. I believe just the reservists who would like to "Appeal for Redress" number in the thousands....IF this gets adequate coverage the service members themselves may be the factor that ends the occupation of Iraq.

Heck....even Colin Powell has "finally" decided to speak out and call for the troops to withdraw within the next six months.

UPDATE: Star is correct on one point....This blog was first up on Lefty Blogs at 12:02 pm. However, as I surfed this a.m. I believe that the west of shockoe blog is the one who got the scoop on all. Their post on this reads 11:01 a.m. We stand self-corrected on this point....Buzz...Buzz...Mosquito

My Thanks to....

I want to thank a few folks for making my first six months in the blogging world easier.

Thanks to Vivian Paige, for helping me out with newbie blog questions, sharing her wisdom, and giving me honest feedback on the Senate race in VA.

I have appreciated the kind words and moral support from the Virginia Beach Dems. I have enjoyed the progressive views from this corner of the HR blog scene. You have managed to ruffle some feathers this year.

F.T. Rea at Slantblog gave me some insightful comments when I appeared to be the lone VA blogger covering Israel's invasion of Lebanon. I really enjoy SlantBlog's coverage of Richmond and Virginia life and his original art work is an added bonus.

Recently Terry Carter at The Liberal Progressive gave me much needed assistance to get my blog back on the lefty blogs blog roll. Terry strikes me as one of those wise old souls....I find it hard to believe he's "only 21." I was still playing a "jock" during that time frame....I love D.C. btw, and I have made this my D.C. must read blog.

Alice Marshall of GoTV has been a source of inspiration for me. Alice's analysis, thoughts and opinions are "must reads" in my book. I definitely appreciate how she acknowledges quality blogs emerging in VA. This helps me stay on top of things.

To all of you who have visited, linked, and especially those who attempt an honest dialogue (no matter what your beliefs and position) I thank you and appreciate the encounters....I will try to be as courteous as possible even with the passionate topics...but being a "mosquito" I can't make an ironclad guarantee. But I'm not a disease carrying "mosquito" so my bite is not deadly....I'll save those "disease periods" for the few who truly deserve a deadly bite. For those of you who are just spin, try to spread mindless propaganda, and "play word games" I will continue to "call you out" whenever you post nonsense comments.

Happy Holidays.....Buzz...Buzz...

The Pentagon's New Guinea Pigs--Civilians

After suffering various side effects from "experimental" vaccines, the enlisted military does not trust the Pentagon when it comes to medical experiments. The Pentagon decided to turn to the civilian sector for their medical experiments.

The Pentagon used civilians to test Polyheme in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Hospitals (such as Sentara's Norfolk General and Richmond's Medical College of VA) participated in the first Pentagon Polyheme study and they were paid $10,000 per patient. (The trauma team chose the unwilling civilian patient who took all the risk and received no compensation.)

The Pentagon is relying on a rarely used 1996 FDA rule that "allows for waiver of the consent required in clinical trials, if some type of community outreach program is put into practice... to make informed consent irrelevant." This rule demands that community outreach and discussion be conducted....however, this was not done appropriately.

The first civilian tests on Polyheme must have "flunked." The Pentagon wants to test another blood substitute product--Hemapure-- a cow blood substitute on the US people...again without our permission. Federal Health Advisers have declared the Hemapure experiments on US civilians as too risky and report that the benefits do not outweigh the costs.

The Pentagon is continuing to exert pressure so these experiments can move forward.

Hopefully, folks will contact their Senators and Representatives and demand that our right to consent to medical experimentation be protected. The 1996 FDA provision needs to be revised so that an "opt in" program is created. Therefore, "prior consent" must be obtained for trauma medical experiments. It should work this way....Hearings are held to educate the public on the need for the drug, risks, etc...etc... Then anyone who is willing to be included in the experiments can wear a wristband, bracelet, or necklace, that identifies them as a "potential" subject in the trauma study. Prior consent is necessary since most trauma victims are not in a condition to give consent. This way no one (not the Pentagon nor Big Pharma) can use US citizens as guinea pigs unless we give our consent to the arrangement.

Is the Pentagon thinking that "all of us" fall under their hierarchy now? This is dangerous thinking in any democracy.

Buzz...Buzz....Buzz....

Norfolk Sailor making history

The Nation reports that a Norfolk sailor, Seaman Jonathan Hutto, is making history with his Appeal for Redress.

Jonathan Hutto gets the mosquito's highest commendation...Five Buzzes.

Buzz...Buzz....Buzz...Buzz...Buzz...

Diabetes Cure?

Canadian researchers "may" have found a cure to diabetes.

I'm not surprised that this is a Canadian discovery. Canada, a country with national health insurance, has more incentives to cure disease than does Big Pharma and the other health care corporate profit mongers in the USA.

I've always loved Canada and I hope the new prime minister, Bush's boy, doesn't dismantle much of what has made Canada a truly great democracy since the 1960's.

Buzz...Buzz...

SHUT UP & SING

"One of the most thought-provoking and powerful films of the year."—Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER

"Life in Bush America gets a blunt, honest telling in this documentary that makes you want to stand up and cheer without ever begging for tears or glib sympathy."—Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

I had a blast last night. Tench Phillips of the Naro gave me the movie poster because I was willing to stand up and say a few sentences about the fabulous Dixie Chicks. It's a great poster....Thanks Tench.

It's so cathartic to actually stand in front of an audience and say, "I am disgusted and ashamed of George Bush." I suggest you try it sometime.

Tench was "brilliant" doing a double feature of SHUT UP & SING and the U.S. versus John Lennon. For those of us old enough to "remember" it was definitely a reminder of parallel universes. For the younger folks in the audience it was "eye opening" to hear the same rhetoric (God and country) used to cover up illegal acts, crimes of high treason, and other "dastardly" acts.

My recommendations is take the time to watch both these films this weekend. It's quite an experience. Here are the show times:

Sat, Dec 16
SHUT UP AND SING 2:30
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 4:15
INTO GREAT SILENCE 6:15
SHUT UP AND SING 9:15

Sun, Dec 17
INTO GREAT SILENCE 2:30
SHUT UP AND SING 6:00
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 7:45

Tonight's Peace Fest Events: The Dixie Chicks and John Lennon

Tonight's Peace Fest Happenings:

Naro Expanded Cinema
1507 Colley Ave. in Ghent
625-6276 or www.narocinema.com

Friday, Dec 15
SHUT UP AND SING 7:15
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 9:15

Media Watch--WAVY TV 10 ignores the "Static"

Amy and David Goodman appeared on the Washington Journal (Cspan) today discussing their new bestseller, “Static,” and answering questions called in from viewers. Amy Goodman is the award winning journalist working with Democracy Now. Amy Goodman said, “We need media that covers the movements that create static in our society.” I agree with her; the discussions important to a democracy can occur when media covers the “static.”

Media should not be silent on the important issues and important questions of the day. Media should go where the silence is. Independent media is crucial for any democracy. How can citizens "rule" if they don't have the information they need to make informed decisions?

In this spirit of media I must express my “disdain” for Wavy TV 10 news who has repeatedly failed to cover recent demonstrations and street theatre occurring in Hampton Roads (even when they are “there.”) I watched Wavy TV 10 parked their satellite truck in a parking lot across the street from a local demonstration outside the gates of the Norfolk Naval Base but did not attempt to talk or “cover” the demonstration.

On Wednesday night I watched Wavy TV 10 drive by the Naro Theatre as local residents honored the Iraqi children killed a memorial of candles and children’s shoes bearing the names of children killed. There were readings of the names and singing to honor these victims of America’s current occupation of Iraq.

The Corporate Media ignores the voices of local citizens speaking out against the Bush agenda.

We will not be silenced.

December....taking it easy

December is a month I prefer to "slow down" and catch up on stuff. So posting at mosquito blog will probably be "erratic" this month instead of a daily process....

Tonight the Naro is showing Iraq in Fragments which I'm definitely looking forward too...along with other peace fest events this month.

Wishing ALL a "happy holiday" whatever and however you are choosing to celebrate.

Buzz...Buzz...

Link to Save Net Neutrality

Here's the link to help Save Net Neutrality

It's a Girl....Congratulations to Jim and Hong Webb

Early this morning Hong Webb birthed a 7 pound, 3 ounce baby girl. Hong and the newest member of the Webb family are reportedly doing well.

The baby's name is Georgia LeAnh Webb. She's named after Jim's mother and LeAnh combines Hong's family name (Le)with a common Vietnamese middle name Anh.

Iraq in Fragments at Norfolk's Naro Theatre...

Wednesday, December 13, 7:15 p.m., at the Naro

The feature film Iraq in Fragments will be the opening film of the Light in the Dark Film Festival at the Naro. Filmed in cinema-verite style, director James Longley's poetically rendered documentary looks at contemporary Iraq through the eyes of Sunnis, Shites, and Kurds. Stories include a fatherless 11-year-old apprenticed to the cruel owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rallying for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; and a family of Kurdish farmers welcoming the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. Winner of three Documentary awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival: Best Director, Cinematography, and Editing (94 minutes)

Introducing the film, and the situation in Iraq concerning the targeting of teachers will be former liaison officer for Doctors Without Borders, Nabil Al-Tikriti:

Nabil Al-Tikriti (naltikri@umw.edu) received his Ph.D. in Ottoman and Islamic History from the University of Chicago in 2004 and joined the University of Mary Washington faculty the same year. Concurrent with his academic career Prof. Al-Tikriti has spent several years working in international emergency relief and election monitoring in several countries in the Middle East, Balkans,and Africa. His scholarly interests include Ottoman History, Modern Iraq, and Human Rights

Light in the Dark Peace Festival

The web pages are up for the Light in the Dark Peace Festival courtesy of the iMage Project and web designer Liz Diaz. Website had the schedule of events and information about the Tidewater Peace Alliance and the progressive groups making up this organization. This team "kicked" into action when it was discovered that the web pages were wanted but had not been planned. Thanks to Jean Campbell and Liz Diaz for putting some dynamite web pages up.

Check it out here. (I also update the links on the sidebar).

NET NEUTRALITY ALERT....ACTION NEEDED NOW

FCC TRYING A DECEMBER SURPRISE

According to The Nation, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has bent the rules to force FCC commissioner Robert McDowell to "un-recuse" himself and vote on the telecommunications merger issue.

The FCC Chairman appears to have an unreported, unacknowledged conflict of interest himself. Allegedly, FCC Chair Kevin Martin has plans to run for Governor of NC and he is hoping to be able to have the favor returned with lots of telecommunications money for his campaign coffers. Therefore, he is trying to rush the telecommunications merger of AT&T and Bell South throught the FCC with NO NET NEUTRALITY GUARANTEES. Martin knows that the new Congress will not go along with such a maneuver.

Martin is IGNORING the voices of the overwhelming majority of the American people who continually contact the FCC making their voices heard to preserve Net Neutrality. The difficulty is that Martin only appears to "hear" the voices of the special lobbyists with money.


Contact the FCC toll free at 1-866-418-0232 to voice your concerns and ask how to file an official complaint to stop this merger from occurring in December with no Net Neutrality guarantee.. . You might ask who you call to report a the FCC Chair's possible conflict of interest in this matter.

Martin is undermining the public interests he is supposed to be protecting.

It's also a good idea to contact the new Democratic leaders of Congress and members of the Senate Commerce Committee and ask them to intervene to prevent the FCC from selling us out on Net Neutrality to the telecommunications industry. The subcommittee members phone numbers are here.

ACt now and SAVE NET NEUTRALITY.

Remind Congress WE want out of Iraq....

Congresswomen Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) were on TV yesterday; they are concerned that many in Congress did not receive the message we sent to Congress during the midterm election. They suggested that those of us who voted for change and to end this illegal occupation of Iraq contact our representatives and Senators in Congress and let them know what WE want regarding Iraq. After all we are the ones that end up bearing ALL the costs.

So keep your elected officials honest....At the very least, contact them this week (phone and/or email) to give them something to ponder during their Christmas vacation....maybe you'll want to contact their office and schedule an office visit with yourself and a few neighbors while they are home for the holidays.

It's probably a good idea to stay in regular contact with them. After all, "special interest" lobbyists (defense contractors, corporations) are sending many folks to their congressional office every day with their "reasoning." So plan on contacting them again when they return to Congress and then continue to give them "regular" wake up calls as needed.

If you'd like to stay an extra step ahead of the special interest lobbyists you might let them know that we don't want our government starting any new wars with Iran or down in South America either.....If you're afraid and thinking that someone is planning to invade America and "occupy" us then I suggest you make a psychiatric appointment for an assessment.

We have OUR priorities that need to be addressed asap amd it's up to us to speak them to the powers to be...we, the people are the ones who don't have the special interest lobbyists and we know what that means. If we don't speak out on OUR issues--health care/health insurance, our troops special health needs, transportation issues, rebuilding NOLA and the nation's infrastructure--they will not be addressed.

Here's a video from the 15 year old peace activist Ava Lowery if you need any inspiration....just substitute Christmas for Thanksgiving....

Samidoun in Norfolk

Last night, we were spellbound watching Samidoun, a multi-media presentation of the war Israel launched against Lebanon and its aftermath. (* Samidoun translates from Arabic to “steadfastness,” or “those who stay.”)

The producers, two award winning independent reporters--Ana Nogueira and Andrew Stern-- were in attendance. They shared their experiences and told us of their journeys obtaining the images and sound to create Samidoun--a multimedia presentation of the reality of war in Lebanon. We intimately experienced the raw truth of war and it's aftermath. We were able to see and hear the reality of what surrounded these reporters. The Lebanese people were given the platform to speak their truth. Best of all, Samidoun gave us the space to make up our own minds and opinions of what happened in Lebanon.

We learned details, new facts and information from legitimate, independent war reporters. "Hezbollah/hizbollah have no preferred English spelling of their name. The English words are simply a phonetic translation of Arabic. Hezbollah's television station is named Al-Manur. Al-Manur is the Arabic word for light house. Many Lebanese believe the British targeted the Lebanese lighthouse (which are historic and valued in Lebanon) as a symbol of Hezbollah. Stern and Nogueira shared a story of how they learned about drones. Drones make a whizzing, almost a buzzing, sound. They were walking around a Lebanese town when this whizzing buzzing noise started. Their Lebanese guide ran for cover under an awning and frantically waved and yelled for them to take cover. A drone was in the area. Israel used the drones to launch their bombing attacks. If civilians did not take cover in time to hide from the drones they would die in a bombing attack. Even in their homes people would freeze and stop all physical movements when drones came whizzing and buzzing so as not to set off an attack.

Nogueira and Stern remained on site for many hours to obtain their stories. After one Israeli bomb attack the Corporate Media showed up for their superficial "tour" and then left to dispatch their stories. During their tour the bodies of five Lebanese civilian had been recovered. Which is why the Corporate Media reported that five Lebanese civilians were killed and Democracy Now reported the true civilian death figure as 20. Nogueira remained on site until the last body was pulled from the wreckage in the evening hours.

Did you know that only four countries in the world label Hezbollah a terrorist organization? Acording to Stern and Nogueira the four countries are the U.S., Israel, Jordan, and the Netherlands. After some online research it looks like the number could be high as 9 IF all the countries listed online actually do define Hezbollah this way (U.S., Israel, Jordan, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy and Poland). Wikipedia states that six countries label Hezbellah as terrorists. ( U.S., Israel, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands.) The American Spectator reports that the Netherlands, Italy and Poland are the only Eurpoean countries defining Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Another online source states that Great Britain does not identify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, only an "arm" of Hezbollah is identified as terrorist. Their is no consensus online of how many or which countries actually identify Hezbollah as terrorist organization. (Of course, no one disputes that the U.S. and Israel define Hezbollah as terrorists.)

The work of Ana Nogueira and Andrew Stern exemplifies what independent media strives to create. It is in-depth, investigative reporting that presents the reality surrounding the reporters and sparks a discussion of the situation. In reality there is no one truth, no one party line that everyone adheres to. Only in "propaganda" is news distorted an presented this way.

Samidoun is the polar opposite of the propaganda that corporate media produces and packages as news in the USA.

Ana Nogueira worked as a producer at DemocracyNow. She is now an independent reporter and continues to work on assignment for Democracy Now. A sample of her recent reporting in Lebanon is available here.

Andrew Stern is a photographer and author whose work focuses on social and political issues around the world. For additional information and to view Andrew's work visit andrewstern.net

Star Womanspirit is blogging with Mosquito

Star Womanspirit, a local Hampton Roads activist has agreed to blog here with Mosquito. Star will present information on various events and happenings in the progressive community in Hampton Roads and areas she may visit.

Star has been affiliated with many local organizations over the years in the LGBT and feminist communities--Womynspace, Unicorn Productions, NOW, Equality VA, and Hampton Roads Pride. Star enjoys concert production and features the work of various Independent performing artists as time and money allows via MuSeek and the Hampton Roads Indy Media Coalition. She spends most of her time working with the Broadcast Group--website, video, and radio--at Hampton Roads Indy Media Coalition, and organizing projects and events with the Tidewater Peace Alliance, and the iMage Project.

Star lives in Portsmouth with her beloved Jean, and three mystifying spirits from Tibet.

John Warner needs serious scrutiny

The recently passed John W. Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2006 has some fine print that should concern everyone. The new law--PL109-364--should be reviewed by many. The provision that is so alarming is entitled, “Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies.”

According to Senator Leahy, (D-Vermont), the measure virtually invites the White House to declare federal martial law. It breaks h historical tradition of "federal restraint." “The changes to the Insurrection Act will allow the President to use the military, including the National Guard, to carry out law enforcement activities without the consent of a governor....Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy."

Is anyone surprised that this bill was rubber stamped and rushed through Congress with the due haste that we have come to expect from the "Rubber Stamps" anxious to continue Bush's War on our civil liberties? This provision “was just slipped in the defense bill as a rider with little study,” Leahy said. “Other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals.”

Of course, our sweet talking allegedly "moderate" Senator John Warner had his hands all over this bill and it's passage.

Just like Warner was able to successfully prevent hearings on the renderings and White House authorized torture policies he was able to rush a hasty bill provision through Congress that authorizes Bush to trump the rights of states and their citizens if Bush decides martial law is necessary.

Warner has granted more power to a President who has shown that he is the one who needs adult supervision. It seems to me that John Warner and Arlen Specter (R-PA) are operating by the same game plan.

I hope that Warner does run in 2008. The message that the voters could send the Rubber Stamp Congress in showing him the door would truly be powerful.

Hopefully the new Democratic chair--Carl Levin--will legislate Warner's martial law provision out of existence asap. No one needs to give George Bush a new toy to wreck havoc with in his remaining two years in office.

SAMIDOUN IN NORFOLK TONIGHT

Tonight residents of Hampton Roads can discuss what's happening in Lebanon with two award winning independent journalists who have recently returned to the US. Here's the Info

SAMIDOUN

Wednesday, December 6, 7:15 p.m

Seminar at the Studio for the Healing Arts

Admission $10

In Attendance: Ana Noguiera and Andrew Stern

Samidoun: a multimedia journey through the 34 day war in Lebanon and its aftermath, produced by award-winning independent reporters Ana Nogueira and Andrew Stern. Interweaving still photography, audio and video, Samidoun is a uniquely intimate look at the human cost of this conflict that took the lives of over 1200 people, wounded thousands more, and displaced over one million.

RECEPTION FOR THE FILM MAKERS 6 p.m. at Azars Restaurant, 2000 Colley Ave.

Another Rubber Stamped Nomination

The media and the Senators united today to talk about how impressed they were that Gates was candid in stating that “We are losing in Iraq.” It takes so “little” to please this Rubber Stamp Senate. If Gates had stated the obvious deceitful propaganda, “that we are winning,” he would have been blasted. Frankly I don’t think there was any other answer that a logical, reasonable person could have given to the question. Therefore, it’s not time to “applaud” this candidate.

I’m not saying that Gates should NOT get the nomination. However, I have grave concerns given his history of deceiving Congress during the Iran Contra scandal and “cooking” the intelligence to fit his agenda. There is no history of Gates speaking "Truth to Power" and being truthful with intelligence reports to Congress. The Gates nomination has troublesome questions and to Rubber Stamp this nominee is irresponsible.

Bush and the Republicans are RUSHING this nomination through the current Republican lame duck congress. It’s only a matter of a month before the Democratic Senate would be installed.

Americans voted to put the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress out of business. Given Bush's horrible track record with his nominees the Senate needs to thoroughly assess any Bush nominee.

Consider this scenario...Bush obtained Rumsfeld’s resignation quickly after the mid-term elections so that he could put another "loyal Yes Man" appointee up before the Republican Rubber Stamp Senate.

A quickie four day hearing and then a vote by the current Rubber Stamp Congress is a slap in the face of the the voters ended the rule of the Rubber Stampers. This is the Congress that has rubber stamped Bush’s previous disastrous appointments.

The head of Homeland Security--Chertoff--was derelict in his duties during the Katrina disaster and allowed incompetents to head up disaster relief without overseeing the situation. The debacle during Katrina showed that his people were incompetent, corrupt, and guilty of cronyism. Gonzalez at the Justice Department and Rice as Secretary of State are simply extensions of the Bush administrations, worst they aren’t producing results. Gonzalez “shields” the White House from the legal system and gives opinions that appear “un-constitutional.” The one case that has been sent to the Supreme Court overruled Gonzalez’s opinion on the matter (I continue to wonder why Bill Frist doesn’t have his ankle bracelet on for insider trading. What’s good enough for a wealthy private citizen should be good enough for a wealthy, Republican “rubber stamp” Senator.)

Condoleeza Rice is showing the same incompetence as a Secretary of State as she did when she was in charge of national security when the 9/11 attacks occurred on the World Trade Center. Rice did nothing, in spite of a report with a title spelling out that Al Queda was determined and ready to attack the United States.

I’m not alone in this opinion; many others, including Donald Trump have noted that Bush “does not surrounded himself with good people. Rumsfeld is a disaster. Condoleeza Rice is a nice woman. But when she walks in she doesn’t solve any problems…..You think that’s good?”

It's obvious that Bush needs Congress to do it's job properly and provide the necessary oversight to insure that the best candidates are being nominated for these positions. Bush desperately needs help in order to hire the right people who can produce positive results.

Any current Democratic Senator who is not willing to thoroughly "vet" this nominee is choosing to support the Rubber Stamp Republican Congress that has thoroughly disgusted the American people. IF this nominee ends up being a disaster their maybe "hell to pay" when it comes re-election time. Americans voted and voiced their disgust with the Rubber Stamps.

With all due respect Mr. President....

With President Bush making public statements about how minority extremists should not be allowed to inflict their ideology onto the people (of course he was referring to someone "other" than himself). This is a great description of how the neocon Republican minority has operated in the USA. Bush continues to insist that he remains the decider (and divider or the dictator) and what the American people want is trumped by Bush desires.....

I wonder if Bush would continue to push for this war if it involved "any" sacrifice from him and his family? Maybe Bush should offer up his new ranch in Paraquay to help pay for the Iraq debacle and impose a hefty war tax on everyone who has prospered because of this disaster.

I applaud Jim Webb and join him with my own sentiments. Image is courtesy of buzzflash and it is available as a refrigerator magnet here

PEACE FEST EVENTS

Friday and Saturday a capacity crowd attended Susan Posey's annual Fair Trade Festival at Sacred Heart Church in Norfolk. The entertainment was excellent with many crowd pleasing acts. Terra Nova was on hand with vegatarian meals made from local produce.

On Sunday thirty folks gathered for the Bringing It Home Seminar. A short video--The True Cost of Food--was shown. Farmer John Wilson was in attendance and he shared information about Community Supported Agriculture--CSA--and the benefits of local, sustainable, organic farming. Five Points Farmer's Market also sent a representative to discuss the community building and activism that is occurring in the Five Points Section of Norfolk surrounding the local Farmer's Market there.

There was intense discussion of what the community can do to support the local sustainable farm movement by volunteering at the CSA's, the local Farmer's Market, and creating urban vegetable gardens. The Fair Trade cities and zoning was also discussed.

Food Not Bombs folks are serving the homeless at two locations in Norfolk every Sunday afternoon and they obtained some additional food resources at this event. Approximately 15 folks have decided to continue meeting and volunteering their time and energy in these projects.

Afterwards some of the participants gathered to eat at the local No Frill Grill in Ghent.

On Wednesday night. Samdouin will begin with the filmamkers at a reception at Azar's in Norfolk at 6 pm. This will be followed by the multi media presentation of Samdouin and a discussion to follow. It is great to have an opportunity to discuss the middle east with two independent, investigative journalists who recently spent time there.I'll put up more on the Samidoun event later.

Hampton Roads Peace Celebration

Welcome to the Second Annual
Light in the Dark Festival for Peace
Sponsored by the
Tidewater Peace Alliance
throughout December 2006
10 Regional Film Premieres at Naro Cinema
Peace Festival Seminars and Special Events
Peace Festival Seminars and Special Events
Primary event location:
The Studio for the Healing Arts
1611 Colley Ave., 2nd floor (one block north of the Naro)


FIFTH ANNUAL FAIR TRADE FESTIVAL

Friday, December 1, 3-10 p.m.

Saturday, December 2, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Princess Anne and Blow Streets in Ghent

Coffee, chocolate, hand-made crafts, and other goods from both local artists and fairly paid artists and farmers from around the world. Music, poetry, theater, and spoken word! Shop for change this season!

BRINGING IT HOME

Sunday, December 3, 1-4 p.m. :

Seminar at the Studio for the Healing Arts

Admission: Please bring a food donation to serve the homeless: pasta, canned goods, flour, etc.

Moderator: Susan Posey

* Community Supported Agriculture * Farmers Market * Becoming a Fair Trade town * Buying Fair all year round * Introduction to the Hampton Roads Fair Database

Free Food Served by Food Not Bombs

SAMIDOUN

Wednesday, December 6, 7:15 p.m

Seminar at the Studio for the Healing Arts

Admission $10

In Attendance: Ana Noguiera and Andrew Stern

Samidoun: a multimedia journey through the 34 day war in Lebanon and its aftermath, produced by award-winning independent reporters Ana Nogueira and Andrew Stern. Interweaving still photography, audio and video, Samidoun is a uniquely intimate look at the human cost of this conflict that took the lives of over 1200 people, wounded thousands more, and displaced over one million.

RECEPTION FOR THE FILM MAKERS 6 p.m. at Azars Restaurant, 2000 Colley Ave.

The Second Saturday Salon:
Fire and Light, and Off-Road Search for the Spirit of God

Saturday, December 9, 8-11p.m.

Free and open to the public

Faciliator: John Robertson, author of Fire and Light

“In FIRE AND LIGHT, Jon Robertson searches for evidence of a unifying spiritual intelligence among the world's religious texts, scientific theories, and spiritual philosophies. This off-road quest leads him through the Bible, the Qu'ran, and the Bhagavad Gita to psychotherapists, mystics, and even a retired sailor from Southern California. At the end of his pursuit, Robertson discovers a powerful and loving force accessible to everyone on the planet.”

Bring a dish to pass

Walk In Their Shoes: Remembering the Children

Wednesday, December 13, 5:30 p.m. in front of The Naro Cinema

Organizer: Carol Manuel

A silent visual tribute to the thousands of children who have been casualties of the invasion and occupation of Iraq will be held in front of the Naro Theater on Colley Avenue. Children's shoes bearing the names, ages, date of death, and the circumstances of the death will be laid out in tribute to the innocent lives that have been snuffed out as a result of war and violence since 2003. A brief reading of names and candle lighting will take place at the opening of the display. You are invited to participate in this memorial to the Iraqi children

Iraq in Fragments

Wednesday, December 13, 7:15 p.m., at the Naro

The feature film Iraq in Fragments will be the opening film of the Light in the Dark Film Festival at the Naro. Filmed in cinema-verite style, director James Longley's poetically rendered documentary looks at contemporary Iraq through the eyes of Sunnis, Shites, and Kurds. Stories include a fatherless 11-year-old apprenticed to the cruel owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rallying for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; and a family of Kurdish farmers welcoming the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. Winner of three Documentary awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival: Best Director, Cinematography, and Editing (94 minutes)

Introducing the film, and the situation in Iraq concerning the targeting of teachers will be former liaison officer for Doctors Without Borders, Nabil Al-Tikriti:

Nabil Al-Tikriti (naltikri@umw.edu) received his Ph.D. in Ottoman and Islamic History from the University of Chicago in 2004 and joined the University of Mary Washington faculty the same year. Concurrent with his academic career Prof. Al-Tikriti has spent several years working in international emergency relief and election monitoring in several countries in the Middle East, Balkans,and Africa. His scholarly interests include Ottoman History, Modern Iraq, and Human Rights

Sufi Dances of Universal Peace,

Friday, December 15, 8-10 p.m.: Studio

$10 (space is limited so come early)

Location: Studio for the Healing Arts

The Dances of Universal Peace are simple, meditative, joyous, multi-cultural circle dances that use sacred phrases, chants, music and movements evocative of the worlds many sacred traditions.

Offered as "body prayer" in a spirit of sacredness, the dances promote peace and create an integrated experience of body, mind and spirit, helping dancers to gain direct experience of the unity of all.

No experience is necessary - the dances are simple and are taught each time by a trained facilitator.

Kids for Peace Art Fest

Saturday, December 16, 1-4p.m.

Location: Studio for the Healing Arts

Organizers: Sonia Monson and Dani Vedros

Please join us for an afternoon of art, music and fun for the entire family. Kids 18 and under are welcome to submit art work in any medium for display at the Art Fest. Performance art, spoken word, poetry or musical performances are also welcome. This is a non-competitive and inclusive event where the joy of giving and receiving our unique gift is embraced and celebrated. The theme for this year is “Creating Peace: Within Ourselves, our Community and our World”. This event is part of the Light in the Dark Peace Festival.

You can submit art ahead of time at The Studio for the Healing Arts at 1611_D Colley Ave or bring it with you the day of the event.

Transforming Ourselves and The World: The Premiere of the Dharma Gaia Satyagraha Sangha

Sunday, December 17, 1-4 p.m.

Location: Studio for the Healing Arts

Free and open to the public

Facilitators: Tom Ellis, Mac McKinney

Join us for the premiere of a biweekly, ecumenical sangha (community of practice) dedicated to exploring the universal Dharma set forth by all the great sages of the past, as applied to the political and ecological crises of the day by such Satyagrahis as Gandhi, King, Mandela, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Wangari Maathai.

DOUBLE FEATURE AT THE NARO

Tuesday, December 19, 6 p.m. "Invisible Children"

Discussion Facilitator: Duke White

No admission charge for this film. Donations will be collected.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN The filmmaking adventure of three young Americans who have traveled to Africa is transformed into much more when they find themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. What they discover is a tragedy of huge proportions-a true story in which children are both the weapons and the victims, being abducted from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers. With coverage on Oprah, CNN, and the National Geographic Channel, this film has taken on a life of its own, empowering youth across the world to change culture, policy, and lives. (60 mins)

Tuesday, December 19, 7:30 p.m."Dorothy Day: Don't Call Me a Saint"

Discussion Facilitators: Steve and Kim Baggerly from Catholic Worker House

DOROTHY DAY: DON'T CALL ME A SAINT: Few people have had as lasting an effect on the world as Dorothy Day, who was born in 1897 and was a noted journalist and social activist who was arrested for participating in various social protests. How is it that Day (who died in 1980) now finds herself on the path to sainthood, already bestowed by the Vatican with the title "Servant of God"? In 1933 she co-founded the left-leaning Catholic Worker newspaper. The subsequent movement spawned by this publication became one of the leading proponents for social and economic justice for the poor. Directed by photographer Claudia Larson. (60 mins)

"Angry Gods: Theocracies Wage War", Seminar

Wednesday, December 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Location: The Studio for the Healing Arts

Moderators: Junaid S. Ahmad and Rev. Paul Boothby

The role of the state and media corporations to spread a message of fear and retribution has been well documented. But how are religious values and ethics compromised by Christian, Judaic and Islamic institutions in order to align with the militant goals and human rights abuses of the nation state? Film clips from such new movies as Jesus Camp and Passionate Voices will be shown with discussion led by expert facilitators.

Junaid S. Ahmad is a J.D. candidate in law at the College of William and
Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

Rev. Paul Boothby is Minister of the Unitarian Church in Norfolk.

First Annual Peace Walk in Ghent

Friday, December 22, 5 p.m.

Begins at Bella Yoga on Colley Ave.
Sponsored by: Tapestry Inc.

Opening circle with prayer, song and setting of intention at Bella Yoga
Please join us for an evening of reflection and communion as we use walking meditation to unite as a community with an intention of universal peace. We will walk silently through the streets of Ghent aligning our hearts with a common wish for peace and then we will celebrate the solstice with an open house at the Blair Building.

Winter Solstice Celebration: An Embodied Invocation for Peace, Compassion and Global Healing

Friday, December 22: , 7-10 p.m.,

Location: Studio for the Healing Arts, $10.00 (space limited, come early.)

Please join us for one of the final events in the Light in the Dark: Festival for Peace, an evening of dance, drumming, meditation and ritual in celebration and invocation of peace and compassion within ourselves, our community and our world.

Facilitators: Dani Vedros, Elizabeth Gay, Alexandra Kedrock and the Drum Group Beleza

For more Information: http://www.studioforthehealingarts.org/ or e-mail dvedros@cox.net

"I Know I am Not Alone"

Friday, December 27, 9p.m.

Location: Special showing at The Boot, 123 21st Street in Ghent

The Reel Prospects for Peace: Israeli Cinema 1948-2006 (Part 1)
Seminar

Wednesday, January 3, 2007, 7p.m.:

Location: The Studio for the Healing Arts

Moderated by Dr. Avi Santo, Assistant Professor of Communications at Old Dominion University

This new seminar uses selected clips from Israeli films spanning nearly sixty years to engage an audience in a conversation about how peace and conflict have been represented on the silver screen and what these shifting images suggest about real ongoing strategies for peace in the Middle East.
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10 Regional Film Premieres at Naro Cinema

Film dates and show times. See below for full film synopsis.

Naro Expanded Cinema
1507 Colley Ave. in Ghent


Wed, Dec 13
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS 7:15

Thurs, Dec 14
WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER 7:15

Friday, Dec 15
SHUT UP AND SING 7;15
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 9:15

Sat, Dec 16
SHUT UP AND SING 2:30
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 4:15
INTO GREAT SILENCE 6:15
SHUT UP AND SING 9:15

Sun, Dec 17
INTO GREAT SILENCE 2:30
SHUT UP AND SING 6:00
U.S. versus JOHN LENNON 7:45

Mon, Dec 18
AT THE GREEN LINE
plus short TALKING PEACE 8:00

Tues, Dec 19
INVISIBLE CHILDREN 6:00
DOROTHY DAY: Don't Call Me a Saint 7:30
SHUT UP AND SING 9:15
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Ten Premiere Films at the Naro Cinema/ Descriptions

INTO GREAT SILENCE The unlikely European arthouse hit arrives in America! What would it be like to renounce the modern world and live a communal cloistered life? After years of asking for permission, filmmaker Philip Groening was finally granted the opportunity to live with the Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, a monastery in the French Alps, and film their simple daily lives. We find that all of their rituals of prayer, work, meals and meditative walks are imbued with the spirituality of the present moment. Large portions of the narrative are entirely silent, and the gorgeous visuals within this unique film transform the cinema into a great monastery where we're granted a palpable experience of the contemplative life. (160 mins)

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS Filmed in cinema-vérité style, director James Longley's poetically rendered documentary looks at contemporary Iraq through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. Stories include a fatherless 11-year-old apprenticed to the cruel owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rallying for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; and a family of Kurdish farmers welcoming the U.S. presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied. Winner of three Documentary awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival: Best Director, Cinematography, and Editing. (94 mins)

SHUT UP AND SING The Dixie Chicks were at the height of their popularity as the national-anthem-singing darlings of country music and top-selling female recording artists of all time when they made their now infamous anti-Bush comment in 2003. The film follows the lives and careers of the three women over a period of three years, during which they were under political attack and received death threats while continuing to live their lives, have children, and of course make music. The film ultimately presents who the Dixie Chicks are as women, public figures, and musicians. (93 mins )


WORDS OF MY PERFECT TEACHER The renowned Bhutanese Buddhist "king", scholar, filmmaker (The Cup, Travellers and Magicians), avid soccer fan, and world teacher Dzongsar Kyentse Rinpoche is the subject of this terrific new documentary. Filmmaker Lesley Ann Patten breathlessly chases Kyentse around the world-the UK, Bhutan, Canada, the U.S., and the World Cup playoffs in Germany-in what becomes her own spiritual quest. This is a rare opportunity to spend time with a Buddhist Master who says it's time for his students to "wake up" and has no qualms about revealing secrets that many have spent lifetimes searching for. And he does so with a perfect command of English! The film is set to a world beat that includes music by Sting. (100 mins)

INVISIBLE CHILDREN The filmmaking adventure of three young Americans who have traveled to Africa is transformed into much more when they find themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. What they discover is a tragedy of huge proportions-a true story in which children are both the weapons and the victims, being abducted from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers. With coverage on Oprah, CNN, and the National Geographic Channel, this film has taken on a life of its own, empowering youth across the world to change culture, policy, and lives. (60 mins)

No admission charge-donations to be collected.

DOROTHY DAY: DON'T CALL ME A SAINT Few people have had as lasting an effect on the world as Dorothy Day, who was born in 1897 and was a noted journalist and social activist who was arrested for participating in various social protests. How is it that Day (who died in 1980) now finds herself on the path to sainthood, already bestowed by the Vatican with the title "Servant of God"? In 1933 she co-founded the left-leaning Catholic Worker newspaper. The subsequent movement spawned by this publication became one of the leading proponents for social and economic justice for the poor. Directed by photographer Claudia Larson. (60 mins)
Norfolk Catholic Workers Steve Baggarly and Kim Williams will facilitate a post-film discussion.

TALKING PEACE Jews and Palestinians come together in the suburban home of a San Diego couple to share their stories and their pain. This intimate film documents what happens when a human face is put on those considered to be the enemy: a foundation of trust that can grow. (30 mins) Plus 2nd feature....


AT THE GREEN LINE Military service in Israel is mandatory, and the act of refusal is considered treason. Regardless, a "Courage to Refuse" movement has been growing steadily among high-ranking soldiers and officers. This powerful film takes the viewer to the front lines of the conflict with Army reservists who patrol the occupied territories and interact with Palestinians. Through interviews they reveal their struggle to reconcile individual conscience with responsibility to, and love for, one's country. (60 mins)

I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE Armed with an acoustic guitar and a video camera, musician Michael Franti takes us on a musical journey through war and occupation in Iraq, Israel, and Palestine. Along the way he shares his music with everyday people who in turn reveal the often overlooked human cost of war. (90 mins)

U.S. VERSUS JOHN LENNON Lennon's transformation from Beatles rock star to anti-war activist to iconic inspiration for peace is documented by biographers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld. They reveal the U.S. government's attempt to silence Lennon, showing that this was not just an isolated episode in history but that the issues and struggles of that era remain relevant today. (PG13, 99mins)