VITAL ISSUES:
* StopIranWar.com (read General Wesley Clark's plea below)
* Put Impeachment of Bush and Cheney back on the table by notifying your Senators and Congressmen.
* Right-wing talk radio is so extreme and hateful, it is positively destructive to democracy. Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Michael Savage in particular should all be taken off the air for spreading hatred of their fellow Americans. Glen Beck said, "Some people who hate America are losing their homes in the fires." He meant, of course, Malibu residents who represent "lliberal Hollywood types." I called KABC Talk Radio this morning to protest Glen Beck's hateful statements. This kind of ideology is what is causing the hatred and division in America.
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Message from General Wesley Clark:
Please join the Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans at VoteVets.org and me -- sign the petition to President Bush today. Urge him to work with our allies and use every diplomatic, political, and economic option at our disposal to deal with Iran. War is not the answer. StopIranWar.com
Yesterday, the AP reported that the Bush-Cheney Administration has instituted "sweeping new sanctions against Iran Thursday -- the harshest since the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979 -- charging anew that Tehran supports terrorism in the Middle East, exports missiles and is engaging in a nuclear build up."
There are 3 choices in dealing with Iran. You can engage them. You can isolate them. Or you can attack them. These sanctions could be part of any of the 3 strategies. The sanctions themselves can only be evaluated within the context of the overall policy. Currently, the administration has chosen a path of isolation with the threat of an attack.
This is the wrong strategy. The Bush-Cheney Administration's failure to use diplomacy in conjunction with these sanctions is unlikely to change Iran's behavior.
Please join VoteVets.org and me. Send a message to President Bush to use diplomacy to deal with Iran. War is not the answer.
http://StopIranWar.com
The AP reported that Condoleezza Rice says Washington remains committed to "a diplomatic solution" and open to negotiations with Iran. Yet the Bush Administration refuses to speak with Iran unless the Iranians pre-emptively surrender their interests. This is not likely to happen, and the Administration will be left with two options: a nuclear Iran or war.
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) stated yesterday:
"Unilateral sanctions rarely, ever work...I just don't think the unilateral approach and giving war speeches helps the situation. It will just drive the Iranians closer together...It escalates the danger of a military confrontation."
Diplomacy is about carrots and sticks. Unfortunately, the Administration seems to believe it only has sticks. They have continued their saber-rattling, and without diplomacy, the announced sanctions only serve to escalate the tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Tell President Bush it is time to begin direct dialogue without conditions. War with Iran is not the answer.
Send a letter to President Bush. If we want to avoid a military showdown with Iran, we must engage them diplomatically.
http://StopIranWar.com
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Wes Clark
VoteVets.org Action Fund
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Kucinich questions Bush's stability, weighs new impeachment effort
At a presidential campaign appearance last Sunday in California, Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich said he's considering introducing a new impeachment resolution against President Bush in light of statements the president has made that Kucinich interprets as a prelude to war with Iran.
"This is not a funny thing I am about to say, and I want you to just be with me on it," Kucinich told an audience in Sierra Madre. "It's not funny at all. There's questions about his stability. Because, if he begins to talk openly about World War Three, I don't think anyone in their right mind would want to talk about that. Because we're talking about a nuclear war."
Kucinich's comments were recorded on this video, posted on YouTube. His impeachment remarks are in its final half.
Kucinich introduced a measure to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney in April. That effort has 21 cosponsors, but has not gone anywhere because House Democratic leaders insist impeachment is "off the table." Kucinich suggested impeaching Cheney first to avoid a Cheney presidency if Bush leaves office.
"I actually am going to be talking to the Speaker about this," Kucinich told the California audience. "I tried to reach her and missed connections. I don't think that Congress can any longer say that impeachment is off the table."
Kucinich has also discussed forcing a House floor vote on the Cheney impeachment measure through the use of a privileged resolution. Posted by Sabrina Eaton October 24, 2007 11:51AM
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CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: LITTLE MOUNTAIN TOWN FIGHTS FOR ITS LIFE
Beautiful Rim of the World High School
It's a good thing Blackwater didn't build their massive artillery storage camp in San Diego near Portrero, on 827 acres. Imagine the explosions and KABOOMS that would have gone off during these wildfires.
And since the President was so concerned about "socialized medicine" that he vetoed SCHIP expansion, can we assume that his trip tomorrow is to deliver a lecture about the evils of socialized firefighting? (Greg Saunders at HuffPo)
RUNNING SPRINGS residents flee while firefighters try to slow fiery onslaught. By Ryan Lillis - rlillis@sacbee.com
In the darkness, you feel surrounded. The village's 700 residents fled, but their best escape route – a winding two-lane road – was suddenly blocked by the fire, forcing them onto even more treacherous mountain passes, said Rick Mull, a longtime resident. Firefighters were also forced to retreat, fearing the flames would surround them.
Trees explode, giving off jarring echoes. The heat bears down from every direction, the moon is shrouded in an orange glow. With each gust of wind, another house can be devoured.
This is the battle to save Running Springs. It began Monday morning with 30 local firefighters trying to save their community, and continued through Tuesday night.
Running Springs is a member community of Rim of the World, one of the most beautiful places in America — an inhabited stretch of the San Bernardino Mountains and wholly contained in the San Bernardino National Forest.
With all of the indiscriminate fury of a hurricane, a wild brushfire descended on this isolated mountain village before dawn Monday, forcing the evacuation of every resident.
By nightfall, the fire had made its way to the outskirts of Running Springs, threatening dozens of Alpine-style homes and rustic cabins. With just 75 firefighters on the scene by then, crews had to keep to the roads and were told not to venture into the forest to save homes.
That didn't stop a group of volunteer firefighters from the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department in Sonoma County who arrived to help the locals Monday afternoon and fought the blaze into the night.
Seeing that a two-story red home with a wrap-around porch was about to be engulfed, they raced a fire hose down a steep driveway. Next to the house the shell of a cabin burned out of control. The wind began to gain strength as the clock rolled past midnight, and spot fires sprouted from the ground, roaring like jet engines. The crew stood guard on the house until being ordered out.
"If we can save the house," Capt. Chris Jacobsen said, "it's worth the risk."
In the end, the house, along with several others on the street, was saved.
But in a briefing of fire officials the next morning, Smith tried to convince his weary staff that "no house is worth jeopardizing your safety."
Seriously I need a technical answer: Why aren't we using more aerial resources? If there is a legitimate answer, such as 'the winds prevent aircraft from large water drops' or some other reason — please let us know by leaving a comment here. And WHY does CANADA have Super Scoopers but we don't? And why so late? "On the fourth day of the fires, helping out that big DC-10 in the aerial attacks is a Martin Mars aircraft from Canada. It's the world's largest scooping water bomber, capable of dropping 7000 gallons."
I am wondering why Canada has the large sooper scooper planes but we don't. Where are the large water dropping aircraft? Apparently we have something called the Evergreen Supertanker but we aren't allowed to use it. Why? Where are the planes that could have saved these 500 homes?
Please call the Red Cross or log on to: redcross.org and see how you can help. Any amount you can send will help. Many senior citizens need help.
