Blackwater USA

Today, Congress began an important hearing into Blackwater USA, a private mercenary firm who has extensive contracts in Iraq and their use of force. This isn't a new problem, but it took an egregious act of aggression to bring it to a hearing.

Why mention this on a blog about Maine? Mostly because it's so very important. Blackwater's activities in Iraq undermine any small good we've managed to accomplish and our dependence upon them and other private contractors is economically excessive and not viable as a long term solution. Right now we're in a viscious cycle. We can't win with them, and we shouldn't abide their actions, but we cannot go to war without them.

There's a whole lot about Blackwater that's smelly: The founder, Erik Prince, is a fundamentalist Christian, from a very, very wealthy Michigan Republican family. He served as an intern in the Bush White House. His sister The firm has shown an 80,000% increase in government contracts since 2001; most of the contracts awarded have been in no bid situations; your tax dollars are spent at a rate of $1,222 per day per Blackwater contractor, and Blackwater operatives earn as much as $600.00 per day. Does your loved one who's serving in the military get even close to that salary? In previous cases where Blackwater has killed innocent Iraqis, the State Department has arranged cash payoffs to make the matter go away.

But the stinkiest thing of all: Order number 17 , signed into effect by Paul Bremmer, which effectively gives contractors working in Iraq a free pass to do as they please, without fear of prosecution. Our troops can be tried for murder and excessive use of force, but not a Blackwater mercenary soldier. Our "Christian Nation" is effectively turning a blind eye to injustice and "sin" and no rule of law for these men, and it's got to stop.

The New York Times blog live blogged Erik Prince's testimony today, complete with embedded video and the WaPo has an extensive article. Salon has background here and here.

If you're really interested, Jeremy Scahill has written an excellent book on Blackwater, entitled Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Don't read it at night. It's scary enough to give you nightmares.

Barack In Portland

Barack Obama will be holding a Countdown to Change event in Portland on Tuesday September 25th. Doors open at 4 and the program starts at 5.

You can buy tickets online ($23.00)

The Portland Expo
289 Park Avenue
Portland, ME 04102

Even Reagan Knew Better

Must. Not. Blog. About.The.Sox. Must. Not. Think.About.The. Sox.
Gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, just received this little tidbit in an email from someone I trust (and who is a Republican, so I assume he's got no vested interest in a misquote):

...Even Reagan knew better. This is a direct quote from the recently published Reagan Diaries. The
entry is dated May 17, 1986.

'A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne'er-do-well son around
this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who
lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking
shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real
job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll
hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.'

Time Out

I took a time out from my work to read Thomas Friedman's column in todays' New York Times.
Regardless of whether you are For the war or Against the war, support troop withdrawal or think we need to stick it out, I hope you find this as inexcusable as I do:

I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I were the parent of a soldier in Iraq and I had just read that the Iraqi Parliament had decided to go on vacation for August, because, as the White House spokesman, Tony Snow, explained, it’s really hot in Baghdad then — “130 degrees.”

I’ve been in Baghdad in the summer and it is really hot. But you know what? It is a lot hotter when you’re in a U.S. military uniform, carrying a rifle and a backpack, sweltering under a steel helmet and worrying that a bomb can be thrown at you from any direction. One soldier told me he lost six pounds in one day. I’m sure the Iraqi Parliament is air-conditioned.

So let’s get this straight: Iraqi parliamentarians, at least those not already boycotting the Parliament, will be on vacation in August so they can be cool, while young American men and women, and Iraqi Army soldiers, will be fighting in the heat in order to create a proper security environment in which Iraqi politicians can come back in September and continue squabbling while their country burns.

Senators Collins and Snowe--expect a letter from me, posthaste.

You'll Thank Me Later

It's early for this, I know, but when it's really time, I won't be able to find the link. So I'm sharing now (and adding it to the side bar).
Oh-ate.com is the place to go for 2008 election coverage of all of the Democratic candidates.

UPDATE (a few more 2008 election sites that you might find helpful) :
Polling Report now has a 2008 election polls page.
The Pew Forum 2008 election site
Rolling Stone's Coverage
Election 2008 Blog

Here's to hoping this link isn't necessary in 2008, but just in case,
The Supreme Court of the United States Blog

I think I'll start a new link category in the side bar for 2008 election coverage. That will give me an outlet for my political obsession without posting about it and it will save you from reading the inane thoughts that pop into my head.

ONE Vote '08

I love this idea.
I hate that Bill Frist has anything to do with it.
As my friend Gail says, "sometimes you have to hold your nose while you work with the guy (or vote for the guy) who can get the job done."


I'll hold my nose this time, but now instead of "Can I kiss you?", the first thing I'll ask Bono when I meet him is "What were you thinking when you made Frist co-chair?"

Dr. Bill Frist? The man who gets confused about clearly known facts regarding the transmission of the AIDS virus and the reliability of condoms? He's the guy you want speaking out for this thing?

Just One More Reason....

That Ohio is a good place to be from:

As if this isn't enough, now we have this to add to his February breakdown during a debate in the House of Representatives. Was anyone else appalled by his uncontrollable sobbing on the House floor yesterday (Think Progress has the video), or are my trials and tribulations with the Ohio Department of Taxation obscuring my empathy and general goodwill to my fellow Buckeyes?

I invite you folks in Cincinnati who read the blog on a daily to comment on this one. I welcome your thoughts about Mean Jean and John. I must be missing something.

Maine Group Calls for Bush's Impeachment

We're not the live free or die state, but we think for ourselves. At least we think we do:

President Bush's policies on Iraq have prompted two groups in Maine to call for his impeachment. Maine Lawyers for Democracy and the group Maine Campaign to Impeach held a news conference Monday.

They say President Bush and Vice President Cheney broke laws when they made the call to invade Iraq four years ago.

"The Bush-Cheney administration mislead this nation into the Iraq war and commenced the war in clear violation of law. They deceived Congress and the public about the so-called imminent threat posed by the nation of Iraq," said John Kaminski from Maine Lawyers for Democracy.

"Not only must we hold our highest leaders in the land accountable, but we must also hold ourselves responsible for ensuring that those leaders are not betraying the trust that we have invested in them," said Dud Hendrick from Maine Campaign to Impeach.

The groups are calling on Maine congressmen Tom Allen and Mike Michaud, both Democrats, to begin impeachment proceedings against the President and Vice President.

The Church and State Question

I've moved this back to the top of the blog, due to its importance, and added some links. No matter your faith or in this case your right to be an atheist if you so choose, you've got a stake in this ruling.

You know those guys that Newsweek called the King Makers? (that would be Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, James Dobson)? All three are dominionists, meaning they believe the United States is destined to be a Christian nation, a theocracy if you will, and anyone who does not fall into their narrow view of what a Christian is will be destined to a more subordinate role in society (kind of the same role they put women into in their churches and families).
this ruling brings them one step closer to that theocracy. And all three are lobbying their constituency especially hard to have this ruling over-turned. The fact that these three are for it, should make any rational person strongly against it.

From today's New York Times Editorial:

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a case that could have a broad impact on whether the courthouse door remains open to ordinary Americans who believe that the government is undermining the separation of church and state.

The question before the court is whether a group seeking to preserve the separation of church and state can mount a First Amendment challenge to the Bush administration’s “faith based” initiatives. The arguments turn on a technical question of whether taxpayers have standing, or the right to initiate this kind of suit, but the real-world implications are serious. If the court rules that the group does not have standing, it will be much harder to stop government from giving unconstitutional aid to religion.

Under the Bush administration, federal grants to religious organizations have increased 38% and faith-based intitiatives are providing everything from sex education (generally abstinence based) to food for the poor.

As the child of a preacher man, I believe that church groups can do many things better than federal programs can, but I object strongly to federal dollars being used to fund programs that can discriminate based upon religious preference. And faith-based groups are discriminating based upon religion.

This means that if you're not an Evangelical Christian, your own tax money actually funds a program where you can be denied employment for which you are qualified. These groups can't discriminate based upon color, but they can and do discriminate based on religion. Which is fine-- as long as they aren't taking Federal money.

The Bush Administration has done serious damage to the wall that separates church and state. Hopefully, this ruling will provide a way for Americans to challenge this slide toward a theocracy.

3/1 UPDATE: Americans United, an organization headed by the Rev. Barry Lynn, reports on the hearing yesterday.
Slate's take on yesterday's hearing. Most chilling quote from this wry essay?

"When most of the justices are treating the key precedent as a punch line, it's a good clue they are preparing to pull the plug."

Findlaw has the legalese take on this.
Crosswalk reports that "humanists and atheists" gathered.......
Jay Sekulow, regarded by many as the Christian Right's finest legal mind weighs in.

Some Light Reading For A Saturday

We're in a dither getting ready for Eldest and her boyfriend to visit. Cleaning and changing sheets (we're so excited), cooking, shoveling the driveway yet again (because Eldest and the boyfriend), shopping for their favorite foods (are so much fun to have visit) and deciding what to cook for Monday night dinner when both kids and their significant others will join us for dinner.

So while we're dithering, here're are few easy reading (heh) articles for your consideration:

The Kingmakers-- Howard Fineman reports on the GOP candidates' battle to win the evangelical endorsement. There's more at stake than just an endorsement here. If Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have their way, we'll be living in a theocracy where non-Christians are second class citizens.

Glenn Greenwald looks at John McCain's blogger and Frederick Clarkson takes it a step further, calling Patrick Hynes "McCain's Personal Christian Nationalist."

Andrew Sullivan and Sam Harris debate fundamentalism. Oh, and they argue about some other stuff as well.

Political Cortex has the weekly roundup of blog posts about the religious right.

With this reading list, I'd imagine that someone with think I'm anti-Christian, but that's not the case at all. I'm pro-Christ and his teachings, but anti-Christianist.

I'd like this to be a non-political zone, but until our churches are once again the non-political safe sanctuaries they were meant to be, you'll have to forgive me for an occasional foray into these topics. It is a safe zone, and while I welcome dissenting--even strongly dissenting-- thoughts, no swearing, no personal attacks, no offensive or abusive comments will be tolerated and as always, I reserve the right to delete any comments that aren't keeping with the spirit of civil debate.

Unforgettable Fire

In today's Maine Sunday Telegram (the paper called The Portland Press Herald Monday thru Saturday), Washington correspondent, Bart Jansen reports on Bono's visit to Capital Hill to lobby for a $1 billion boost to AIDS and tuberculosis funding:

An unusual aspect of Bono's visit was his refusal to publicize it. Senators weren't supposed to talk about it beforehand. They could have snapshots taken with him, but they were not to distribute the pictures or post them on their Web sites.

Maine Senator Susan B. Collins was one of nine Republican Senators who met with Bono--but she isn't a fan of U2's music. Rod Stewart is her kind of guy musically, but she has great respect for Bono's commitment and the knowledgeable way he has approached his lobbying efforts.

If you'd like to help Bono's efforts, One.org will help you send a letter to W.

Senator Dodd to Visit Dover, NH

Senator Christopher Dodd, who announced he's running for President earlier this week will hold a Townhall meeting in Dover, NH on Saturday, January 20. Details will follow.

A Day Of Mourning

On the day after the Michigan Men lost to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl, on the day after the Michigan Wolverines wore a helmet sticker with Gerald Ford's number 48, the nation pauses to remember the "accidental President," a Michigan Man.

Ford was an outstanding offensive lineman for the Wolverines, but passed up an opportunity to play in the NFL, choosing to attend Yale Law instead.

He remained a true Michigan Man to the end, often asking that "Hail to the Victors" be played instead of Hail to the Victors at White House functions. In a media guide largely devoted to Michigan's storied tradition, Ford has a page of his own: Three Varsity Letters. Most Valuable Player. Yale law degree. Sworn into Congress in '49. Minority leader in '65. President in '74. Number retired in '94. His number is the last Michigan number to be retired.

In 1997, Lloyd Carr asked Ford to address the team before the big game against Ohio State. The Wolverines were 10-0 and ranked No. 1, en route to what would be the program's second national championship. Carr needed to do anything possible to lessen the pregame tension.

Ford addressed the team during practice on that cold, gray November day.

"He said, `I've watched and followed you closely all year. I watched the Notre Dame game. I saw that great, comeback win against Iowa. I watched the Penn State game. But I'm going to tell you something: Saturday, you're going to play in the most important game in the history of Michigan football,"' Carr said. "And I thought to myself, 'Well, so much for trying to take the pressure off the guys."'

Farewell, Mr. President.