States to Congress: Block War Escalation

As the Senate struggles even to open debate on a non-binding – translation: meaningless – resolution expressing frustration with President Bush's plan to surge 21,500 more U.S. troops into Iraq, state legislators across the country are telling Congress to embrace its constitutionally-defined duty to check and balance an out-of-control executive.

With encouragement from the Progressive States Network and activists across the country, members of at least 22 state legislatures have introduced resolutions urging Congress to use its authority to prevent the escalation of a war that should not have been fought in the first place. The resolutions that have been introduced generally declare that: "the Congress should pass legislation prohibiting the President from spending taxpayer dollars on an escalation in Iraq unless he first seeks Congressional approval."

This is a relatively mild intervention at a time when most Americans oppose not just the president's "surge" proposal but the war itself. What the legislators are suggesting, however, is that a divided Congress must, at the very least, act to prevent the escalation of a war that has killed thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, that has made Americans at home and abroad less safe and that has emptied the US treasury of funds that could pay for health care, education and other needed programs in the states.

There will be those who suggest that state and local officials have no place in federal debates. But PSN leaders, citing past moves by states to add their voices to debates over trade policy, argue that the legislative resolutions on the "surge" issue can and should play a vital role on convincing Congress to act.

"States have the power and authority to speak out on issues that will impact them and their citizens," says PSN executive director Joel Barkin. "An escalation in Iraq would cripple our already over-extended guard units, threatening readiness at home."

Barkin's found plenty of agreement for that view in state capitols around the country. So far, PSN is tracking resolutions in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

The moves by state legislators come as city officials across the country are stepping into the debate over the diversion of precious resources to an unwise and unnecessary war. Two weeks ago, the Minneapolis, Minnesota, city council passed a Bring the Troops Home Resolution, making it the 274th community to endorse an exit strategy as part of the Cities for Peace campaign organized by the Institute for Policy Studies' Cities for Progress initiative.

The Cities for Peace campaign, an outgrowth of a pre-war push to get local governments to weigh in on Iraq, began long before the president made his "surge" proposal in January.

The new effort to get state legislators to pass anti-escalation resolutions began several weeks ago. In a PSN-organized conference call with legislators and activists, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who had just proposed legislation that would require the president to attain congressional approval for any move to send more troops to Iraq, said that states should weigh in on the "surge" issue.

Kennedy suggested that members of Congress can be prodded by the states, noting that moves by states to increase the minimum wage has played a role in forcing the US House and Senate to address the issue.

States can do the same on the war, explained Kennedy.

PSN answered the call, using its website to encourage citizens to contact state legislators and urge them to speak out against the surge. More than 10,000 did. And the numbers are expected to rise quickly, as PSN will join MoveOn, True Majority and the Women Legislators' Lobby are preparing to launch a national drive to build citizen support for the state-based anti-escalation resolutions.

The anti-war surge from below comes in conjunction with a broader Americans against Escalation in Iraq campaign, which has won backing the Service Employers International Union (SEIU), US Action, Move On, Win Without War, Vote Vets, Center for American Progress, Campaign for America's Future and United States Student Association.

Americans Against Escalation plans to launch a multi-million-dollar campaign in up to two dozen states with the stated purpose of creating "a firestorm of grass-roots mobilization (to insist that Congress stand up to the President and insist on a policy which responsibly brings our troops home."

The point, explains former Congressman Tom Andrews, the Maine Democrat who serves as Win Without War's national director, is to prevent George Bush from steering the United States deeper into the Iraq quagmire.

"From the outset, the Bush administration's Iraq policy has been rooted in denial and deception and carried out with a lethal combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence," says Andrews. "When you find yourself in a hole, the first principle is to stop digging."

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John Nichols' latest book is THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT: The Founders' Cure for Royalism.

Comments (60)

1. this is all very nice. perhaps within a few months something will then probably happen...

   hows that for specificity of prophesy?

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 02/05/2007 @ 12:22pm

2. Hip deep in RESE and/or PLUNGER, huh. (2 of 16 posts visible).

   Look, good effort but...politically meaningless as the non-binding resolution.

   Do you think that the Democrats are EVER going to be worried about the "Progressive States Network", Service Employers International Union (SEIU), US Action, Move On, Win Without War, Vote Vets, Center for American Progress, Campaign for America's Future and United States Student Association....

   voting Republican??? And after Ned Lamont, the fear of primary challenger shouldn't be that great either!

   Posted by Mask at 02/05/2007 @ 1:03pm

3. Any legislator or state congress wasting the taxpayers money in this manner should be summarily dumped at election time!

   Posted by RIO BRAVO 02/05/2007 @ 4:38pm

   Like they were back in November of last year?

   Posted by Mask at 02/05/2007 @ 4:50pm

4. Good God! I see that 29 posts are on this article, but only 5 show up......But then I remembered I'm ignoring RESE! He must really be on a tear.......

   But I have to agree with RIO, this won't go far......

   Need I remind all, that the congress authorized the Iraq campaign overwhelmingly with BIPARTISAN SUPPORT...

   The election of 2006 may have registered the electorate's disapproval of the current situation, but it doesn't change the fact that most who are indignantly claiming that they were misled are doing so out of political expediency, which is to say, exactly the reasons that they voted in favor of the Iraq war in the first place....

   Give points for consistancy to those who have been against the war all along, like Barack Obama, Or even for it, like John McCain, but please, please, please don't get fooled again by the likes of Hillbillary Clinton or "John Boy" Edwards, among others.......

   Posted by davebarlett at 02/05/2007 @ 6:33pm

5. Don't count on Congress being able to do anything soon, as long as the GOP still maintains the power to block legislation in the Senate. Reuters just reported today that the toothless resolution failed to garner enough votes to make it to th full debate stage. It may take another revolution to unseat the dictatorship now occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

   Posted by ARCHANGEL_M at 02/05/2007 @ 7:17pm

6. Block war escalation? NOT! You twerps still don't get it! Anyway, how about those liberal family values? After all, liberals " care " so much about their fellow man that some of them have gone as far as pleasuring their friends'/campaign manager's wives. How selfless of Gavin Newsome to step away from his busy schedule of pushing the homosexual agenda in order to give back to his fellow man and friends by screwing their wives! He truly is a great man who should be looked up to and honored by all. And in the face of this, the moral authority herself, Diane Fienstain, has deemed Mayor Newsome's kind act as a " mistake " ! Where have we heard that before? When a person loses their car keys, trips and falls, forgets to pay a bill etc., it's a mistake. Yet, until i was enlightened by the lunatic left, i hadn't realized that it is possible for a man's penis to find it's own way into the vagina of his friend/campaign manager's wife by mistake. Seriously, this act is just another example of San francisco ( liberal ) family values! No doubt, this will actually improve Newsomes popularity in San fran freako amongst the vermin ( liberals ). The most disgusting aspect of this typical immoral act and the supposed fallout from it, it Fienstien's description of it as a MISTAKE! She and all other's who call this type of betrayal a " mistake " are the truest forms of scum on the planet. If what Newsome did was a mistake, then every concious act of every human being on this planet ( including sawing off the heads of innocent civilians ) can be deemed a mistake. i am sickened to be living in a country alongside scum like Fienstaien, newsome and the illiberal left. PURE SCUM, VERMIN!

   Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 8:15pm

7. BARRY25, Did you hear the latest.....Looks like Galavantin' Newsome is going into rehab......Who woulda thought?

   Posted by davebarlett at 02/05/2007 @ 8:33pm

8. That's a shocker! Looks like his advisors went right to chap. 2 in the liberals handbook where it states that one should immediately find something or someone to blame in order to deflect any criticism or personal accountability! This technique has been mastered by prominent liberals such as the Kennedy family and all of Hollywood. In this case, Newsome decided to follow Patrick kennedy's lead and " blame the Alcohol"! I guess it's better than blaming " whitey " since gavin is white ( not that it would stop some lib's from trying ). Anyway, pretty sick stuff, ain't it? Hypocrites of the highest order is what they are, liberals that is! Pure scum, low-life immoral vermin who take delight in immoral acts that destroy the lives of the victims involved. But, as many liberal dirtbags would argue, " it's just sex" !

   Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 8:51pm

9. psychotic Barry informs us that adultery is purely a liberal pastime. he's foaming at the mouth, this pintsized Savanarola.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 02/05/2007 @ 9:50pm

10. RED? RED? Where are you...those soon to be extinct repubs are at it again..............

    Posted by davebarlett at 02/05/2007 @ 10:25pm

11. ZERO, you're a loser, an idiot, and you obviously don't read often. The troops are very upset about what the MSM is doing and feel as if the MSM is not portraying their efforts and successes factually ( imagine that )! The Dem's fight to have military overseas votes blocked for one reason, our troops overwhelmingly vote republican. The vast majority of troops feel betrayed by the MSM and Dem's and this is factual. So, please, wake up, stop dreamin', grow a sack and a brain and get back to reality!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 10:29pm

12. Rese, no one pays attention to you. Stop wasting space and go get yourself arrested at a Bush speech or something!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 10:30pm

13. Hey Zero, the Bush administration and the Dem's are doing absolutely nothing about the ILLEGAL invasion at our borders even though over 70% of the American people are against it and want something done. Why aren't you cryin'/whinin' about that?

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 10:38pm

14. Johannesdork, as I've explained countless times, both dem's and rep's commit adultery. The problem is that Dem's don't criticize the act, they accept, defend and embrace it ( the same with terrorism, pedophilia ( see ACLU defending NAMBLA and Pelosi's pedophile friends ), murder and all other despicable acts ). Republicans condemn that act. There will always be bad apples in every bunch, no matter what. My point is that the Republican bunch ( as despicable as they are )will condemn the immoral acts of the bad apples amongst them, whereas, the Dem's ( see: no morality or values )won't! No Son, this is the 100th time I've explained this to your moronic ass, and if you don't get it by now, there's no hope, junior!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 10:45pm

15. Adultery, betrayal, and dishonesty are the pillars of liberal family values! Don't stop believin'!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 11:07pm

16. Gavin may be a soulless, emotionally bankrupt person, but at least he didn't cheat on his wife by buttfucking a staffer that he appointed to a very important homeland security position like that dem. Governor from back east ( N.J. maybe? ) did! Gavin can learn a thing or 2 from this great man. The Gov. ended up writing a book about his adventures in Buttfucking and got a sympathetic appearance on Oprah where she sat with great concern and sympathy as he expressed the pain and hurt he felt after he betrayed his wife, abused his power as Gov., and buttfucked a friend whom he gave a position of power to ( which had nothing to do with their sexual relationship I'm sure ). Gavin, if only you had chosen to break up a marraige by Buttfucking a man, you too, could have harnessed the sympathy of Oprah and liberals everywhere to the pain and hurt that your transgressions have caused "you" ( not the actual victim )!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/05/2007 @ 11:16pm

17. Posted by BARRY25 02/05/2007 @ 11:16pm | ignore this person

    Barry, I thing it's time for a double dose of your Prozac. Calm down, take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. See, doesn't that make you feel better.

    As to the non-binding resolution, it is shameful that the lemming repugs are trying to prevent it from coming up to a vote. What ever happened to the repugs belief that the Senate should decide thing with an Up or Down Vote?

    It seems to me that the administration lap dogs want to stop a vote because they are worried that if a vote were to be taken, either there would be a large number of non-lap dog True to America Republicans who would vote with the Democrats and the repugs who vote against the resolution would be labeled war-mongers, War-profiters, and just all around jerks.

    Hey, Barry "Against logic there is no armor like ignorance." Lawrence J. Peter

    Posted by COProgressive at 02/05/2007 @ 11:58pm

18. heres the story--

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan resolution repudiating President George W. Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq failed to advance in the U.S. Senate on Monday, dealing a serious setback to critics of the war.

    The resolution needed 60 votes before the 100-member Senate could begin debate, but it got 49, with 47 voting against. Although it would not have been binding on the president, the measure was the first serious effort in Congress to confront Bush over the unpopular Iraq war.

    The proposal, sponsored by Virginia Republican John Warner and Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, fell victim to partisan wrangling over the limits and terms of the Iraq war debate. The measure could still be revived, but the way ahead was unclear.

    Opponents said the resolution was a thinly disguised political slap at Bush that would dishearten U.S. troops and signal American disunity.

    Reuters Pictures

    Editors Choice: Images from Super Bowl XLI View Slideshow

    It does not force Bush to abandon his plan and the president has said he will not be swayed by a nonbinding resolution.

    Supporters say the measure would be a first step, a warning to Bush that he must revamp his strategy to start moving toward a withdrawal of the 138,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq.

    Posted by Mask at 02/06/2007 @ 07:13am

19. Anybody still reading RESE....

    save you some time. Just read Robert Anton Wilson's "Illuminatus Trilogy" available at amazon.com or fine book stores everywhere!

    Posted by Mask at 02/06/2007 @ 09:05am

20. Posted by COPROGRESSIVE 02/05/2007 @ 11:58pm | ignore this person

    25 is a foulmouthed twit, who only comes here to fling excrement, with the result that he is covered with shit from head to toe

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 09:10am

21. I say that we should stop the escalation at all costs. Supporting the President's surge has the best chance of stopping the escalation of bloodshed. That is what we all want .. right? I mean we don't want more bloodshed which is what will happen if we withdraw. Look at Vietnam. When we withdrew, millions were slaughtered. So I say SUPPORT THE SURGE AND STOP THE ESCALATION!!!!

    Posted by abell12ct at 02/06/2007 @ 10:08am

22. When we withdrew, millions were slaughtered

    they were also slaughtered while we were there. america got NOTHING out of the Vietnam adventure, except death. same with Iraq.

    there are however those who profit from that death. let's name them and shame them.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 10:26am

23. I thought we were there to get the oil.

    Posted by abell12ct at 02/06/2007 @ 10:38am

24. I thought we were there to get the oil.

    Posted by ABELL12CT 02/06/2007 @ 10:38am | ignore this person

    yes, de-nationalising is stealing it from the Iraqi people and giving it to the oil cartel. this plan is even in the Iraq study group's recommendation. needless to say, most Iraqis disagree.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 10:49am

25. Posted by RIO BRAVO 02/06/2007 @ 10:49am | ignore this person

    RIO,

    Why are you posting today? I thought Tuesdays were when you visited your vermin kids in the reformatory.

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 10:54am

26. Posted by RIO BRAVO 02/06/2007 @ 10:49am

    RIO, I'll happily blame BOTH

    Kennedy and Johnson and Bell Helo and Dupont...

    AND Bush and Cheney and Halliburton

    Posted by Mask at 02/06/2007 @ 11:21am

27. Well Actually the withdrawal is the Democrats plan to take over the whole region. When we withdraw and a wider war the Dems can go back in and take over the whole Middle East. So thats why I say no to the Dems escalation and yes to the troop surge.

    Posted by abell12ct at 02/06/2007 @ 11:32am

28. Thanks for the good belly laugh Frank. You are really out there!!!

    Posted by abell12ct at 02/06/2007 @ 11:45am

29. Dont you just love our Constitutional processes. ZERO is damn near suicidal......I love our democracy.

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 11:46am

30. Posted by FRANKGRITS 02/06/2007 @ 11:46am | ignore this person

    Do it every day...hero

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 11:47am

31. FRANKGITS

    I find extreme humor in your posts....and i am glad you found this website to pound the drum of your political point of view....you are on par with those who you claim exploit troops for profit. You are not that different...exploiting Soldiers deaths for your view...I know you think you are saving lives......but you are not...in the long run you grandkids will have to deal with consequences of leaving now.

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 11:50am

32. FRANGITS

    Nope...FYI...but even still...been to war, done everything your boy has done. probably a little more

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 11:51am

33. Sure i do...but you have a BARE majority...not two-thirds in either house....and for that matter the President is elected every four years for a reason. And you guys really need to think on the reason it is that way.

    And I do love democracy the way we as Americans do it.

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 11:56am

34. Frank, I would not bother with Abel, he is a nutcase pure and simple. you might as well argue with Rese.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 12:09pm

35. FRANKGITS

    If you dont want me to get personal, then i believe you should also practice what you preach.

    To me, i know what i have done....i do not use that expereince as precondition for bludgenoning those on the left who disagree with my point of view. I dont use the, "i have been to war, you havent your opinion is shit" argument.

    And your are incorrect, i know what your son has accomplished, because you told so, he is a grunt, devildog, and SSG.

    So he was at least a squad leader of about 8-10 guys, who use their fire and manuever to close with the enemy.

    He is at least a guy who kicks his Marines in the ass when they dont clean their weapons. who knows his weapon systems, knows his AO, knows the strengths and weaknesses of his individual Marines under him, is at least capable of dissimenating orders and planning and executing squad level operations. Knows the bitches, gripes and compalints of his Marines, and knows they have a healthy appetite for Maxims and playboys in theater

    But again there are two-sides to not getting personal, if you dont want me to, then you should not as well.

    I do entertain the possibility, albeit i think slight one, that your posts are "just a bunch of words" as well.

    But its a free country to think what you will

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 12:13pm

36. Sorry, but there are Ugly Truths...and these are some-

    1. The Iraq War and occupation is a failure. NOBODY could lose 3000+ lives, take more time than World War-2, and spend a TRILLION dollars....and have the government that we're propping up BLAME US for not letting their militia friends "defend" the Shiia population when the Sunnis blow up a market-place (as happened yesterday)....and explain why 21,500 (plus another 25K in support) will "fix it".

    2. The Democrats won't do anything substantive about it.

    This last point based on the fact that with MASSIVE public disapproval for "the Surge" (as high as 70%) and almost as large disapproval of the war in general (atleast in the 60%s)....they push a "non-binding resolution"....and the Republican supporters in the Senate (Hagel, Warner)...vote to kill it via filibuster.

    And given public pronoucements from Speaker Nancy that "cutting funding for the troops" is another "off-the-table" item (like impeachment)....they're basically holding a broomstick at Bush and not even going "Bang! Bang!".

    So, CPT, RIO et al have "won"...the Surge goes forward. And when it fails in late fall of this year, they'll blame "the liberal Media", "the Demoncrats" (who did nothing)...maybe even turn on Petraeus (never Bush!)....and a couple hundred American GIs will have died, as well as a couple thousand Iraqis

    Posted by Mask at 02/06/2007 @ 12:29pm

37. Hey Mask The Iraq war did not take longer than WW2. We took over Iraq in a month or two. The occupation is what is going on now and if I am not correct we still have troops in Germany. So 66 years versus 4. And the Democrats won't do anything about it because it was the right thing to do and still is. Just because the American people did a John Kerry Flip Flop doesn't mean that the war wasn't the right thing to do. Just because something is popular doesn't make it right.

    Posted by abell12ct at 02/06/2007 @ 12:41pm

38. Posted by CPT 02/06/2007 @ 12:13am | ignore this person

    What a cannonade of idiocy! Anyone still wonder why they call these flunkies Jarheads? This cretin is so dim he actually shows off of his intellectual stupor and defunct curiosity by again and again talking about guns and other weapons, plans, strategies, porn and circle jerks. Never has a single post by the asinine author evinced even the faintest knowledge about anything not told him by a superior officer or a commissar on his state-controlled propaganda aparatus. No doubt this dope and his gang of asses with queer nicknames and atomic dreams spend their spare moments watching a hit parade of flicks like Rambo, Platoon, Apocolypse Now and Deer Hunter, interlarded with the latest episodes of 24 and FOX friends - that is, when they're not out trying to inveigle some other slacker to enjoy a free trip or three to Iraq or out reverberating their shopworn thoughts. It says a lot that America considers its barbarians the "finest" men and women in the land. There is nothing fine about being a mercenary, especially one with a head like an empty vessel...

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 12:54pm

39. "It says a lot that America considers its barbarians the "finest" men and women in the land. There is nothing fine about being a mercenary, especially one with a head like an empty vessel..."

    Posted by CHIMICHENGA 02/06/2007 @ 12:54am

    I think Frankgrits would be offended by your remark, I know I am. His son is a Marine who served honorably and my husband is a former Marine who served in Vietnam. They (We) have everything to be proud of, especially for their service and sacrifice.

    Posted by ACook at 02/06/2007 @ 1:13pm

40. Just because the American people did a John Kerry Flip Flop

    blame the american people, go ahead. the fact is that the american people have had it with the commander in thief and you too. we've long moved on.

    your comparison of the german and the Iraqi invasion is risible. there was not one day in germany that was like the devastation the Iraqi occupation produced.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 1:29pm

41. Posted by ACOOK 02/06/2007 @ 1:13pm | ignore this person

    Be offended. I'm talking about all the CPTs out there. If you know someone who is obsessed with war and talks about nothing but war, then chances are they too are stunted like CPT. Nothing against the honor of serving your country, but again, we're not talking GI Joe, rather, GI Jerkoff. It's too bad more young people can't find something better and more constructive to do with their time and talent than joining the Army to go on witch hunts, leaving death and destruction in their wake, not to mention the abuse, torture, rape, plunder, racism, collateral damage, polluted prestige, ect. Should they ever win more than a few hearts and minds, I might think differently. (And I mean hearts and minds outside the USA.)

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 1:51pm

42. Chimicock, the Army/military you so despise has given your twerpish ass the ability to cry/whine/complain/bitch etc. without fear of incarceration/having your head sawn off/torture etc. and yet you still don't appreciate it because you're an idiot. The one thing this military hasn't and won't be able to guarantee is the possibility of pathetic twerps like yourself from getting your ass kicked if you spew this idiotic propaganda around the wrong people! You suck, dork!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/06/2007 @ 2:25pm

43. and my husband is a former Marine who served in Vietnam.

    was he now? that would mean he is probably pushing 60. your previous posts were quite ageist, as far as my stated age is concerned. care to comment?

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 2:52pm

44. Posted by BARRY25 02/06/2007 @ 2:25pm | ignore this person

    Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, since its inception the US has been barraged by evildoers bent on taking away their right to live like swine at the expense of the bulk of humanity. While I don't doubt you believe this, and knowing full well you probably also believe in ghosts and goblins, you're mistaken to think I owe my life to the military. Sure, they helped defeat Germany and Japan, two tottering enemies already on the path to defeat and surrender, but I thank Russia, too, and France, the latter also playing a part in helping my ragtag ancestors defeat the British during the Revolutionary War. You can believe in your little police state boasting an evermore militarized society and culture, but I thank the struggles of the rank and file - workers, unionists, women, suffragists, ect. - for the existence of unions, 8-hr workdays, the death of child labor (though they recuscitated it in the developing world), better wages, rights of women, Amerindians, African Americans, better conditions in the workplace, a welfare system (yes, though it's a decaying safety net), consumer rights, ect.

    Fuck you and your little Uncle Sam tribute. When it comes down to the Big Pie, it is actually the military and their prodigal budget that diminishes and deletes many of the rights I've mentioned above, though of course you'll claim that chasing ghosts, purveying chaos and giving fuel to firebrands is the only thing that can save and assure these. But hey, I guess this is the tacit sacrifice the American people must make in such moronic and mistaken times - the elimination and bankruptcy of many of the programs which together form the foundation of the Eden many people in the US claim to live in. What a shame a country with such a stupendous marketing industry can't find a better way to advertise a Better Tomorrow than by investing it all in warfare rather than welfare. Some example to the world, that's for sure...

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 2:56pm

45. Please refrain from correcting my comment about Japan being a lame duck before the US retaliated for Pearl Harbor - I recant it. But I stand by my overall belief that giving money to a misguided, marauding military not only brings the chickens home to roost, but leaves the domestic might of the nation with less and less resources at its disposal. But hey, knocking over underdeveloped nations and forcing US goods upon them will create new markets, right? (And send tens of thousands of good jobs to follow...) Americans literally live over a barrel.

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 3:15pm

46. Yah, and we all know the effectiveness of welfare and various other liberal fix-it programs. Please! Welfare is probably the single biggest reason the people in New orleans decided to wait for the gov't to come and remove them from harms way instead of handling the situation themselves by " getting the fuck out of there " ( don't give me the shit about not having transportation either ). Son, again, warfare is sometimes necessary in this life. History has proven that to most all of us except lunatics like yourself and neville Chamberline who believe that Hitler wasn't a threat and would not continue his invasions of other countries. It's people just like you who enabled Hitler, caused the deaths of millions, and now enable terrorists and embolden dictators. You're pure filth and scum, now go set yourself on fire to protest Bush like that other idiot, oxygen-thief liberal did last year. TWERP!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/06/2007 @ 3:24pm

47. Posted by BARRY25 02/06/2007 @ 3:24pm | ignore this person

    Please tell me you're 15 and just repeating a few bits of bullshit gleaned at dinner with mom and pop last night. Enabler of Hiter? Please. Seems to me the US knew damn well what he was up to, even turned away a few boatloads of skeletal Jews seeking refuge, just as they knew what Japan was up to in China in the early 30s. Now don't do any thinking, just go grab another label to chuck my way, Little Shot.

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 3:29pm

48. The US is forcing underdeveloped nations to buy our goods? Huh? I thought we were raping other nations through sweat shops in order to buy THEIR goods at cheaper prices? Why do the people of these underdeveloped nations work for such low wages? Could it be that without the US they would have no job at all? Why, SON, are people from around the world dying to get into this awful country only to be discriminated against by evil whitey, to live in the impoverished conditions the MSM tells us exist here, and to become citizens of a nation where there in no opportunity for people of color ( according to the MSM )? It's all soooo confusing! Please enlighten me, Chimi-on-my-cock-a!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/06/2007 @ 3:30pm

49. So now, if i have it right, the US knew what Hitler was up to, sat back and watched, turned away fleeing Jews, and did nothing. Then, the evil Winston Churchill conspired with the US to take out Hitler even though both the US and Britain were arming him, all the while setting him up to be the fall guy? This way, the US and Britain could kill those blasted Jews, profit ( military-industrial complex ), and come out of it squeaky clean! The hardest part of this conspiracy was saving those damn cowards, France, from the patsy ( Hitler ). US officials had to hold their noses as they did it ( saving France's ass ), but sacrfice for the profit and imperialism is one of those necessary hardships one must go through in order to take over the world. You dumbshit!

    Posted by barry25 at 02/06/2007 @ 3:40pm

50. You're quite sedulous when it comes to putting words in others' mouths. Let's see - Hitler becomes Fuhrer in August 1935, and the Allied war against Germany and it's agents doesn't begin until 1944. What happened during the interval is one of the horrors of the 20th century, and yes, the US helped end it and the world is better for it, but don't come at me imputing conspiracy theories and other balderdash. Why, that would make you no better than any political smear machine, or cheerleading news channel…

    And as far as the conditions in the US and what attracts people there, well, you've obviously never spent too much time, if any, abroad. Dozens of nations see the US as it appears in movies and television, that is to say, a cinematic fantasy where everything is hunky-dory and the good guys always win. Their view of the US is like yours of anywhere else - based on stereotypes and a subjective camera lens, though the view from overseas is also imbued with the images conceived in the mind inspired by hopes and dreams. Asking why so many countries house sweatshops and boast so many who will work for nothing in abhorrent conditions is a question you'd have the answer to if you ever actually got around. I might ask you why the US can't (will not) secure its border with México. No easy answer, is there?

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 3:56pm

51. And by Allied war I mean with US participation.

    Posted by chimichenga at 02/06/2007 @ 3:57pm

52. As American citizens, we have lost control of our money to war mongers and uncontrolled spending. I say, let's all of us change our withholding dollars from our paychecks and reduce the amount of money going to the war chest.

    Posted by Sinatra at 02/06/2007 @ 4:20pm

53. how about a national day of strike? that would send a message.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 4:46pm

54. CHIMI

    It is laugh out loud funny to know that a post not directed to you, started you off on ANOTHER, invective rant.

    I know, you despise all things military, especially US military.

    Why a job description disturbs you so much is really beyond me.

    But i suppose anything having to do with the symbols of American Power, you just cannot allow with commenting on them negatively.

    You know i dont care how many times you watch "Jarhead" the movie, it sucked and that is as much a representation of military life as a "Speedy Gonzales" cartoon is to hispanic life.

    Posted by CPT at 02/06/2007 @ 5:14pm

55. "...and my husband is a former Marine who served in Vietnam.

    was he now? that would mean he is probably pushing 60. your previous posts were quite ageist, as far as my stated age is concerned. care to comment?"

    Posted by JOHANNESROLF 02/06/2007 @ 2:52pm

    Sure...my husband is 55 and I'm 44. He was 19yo when he was sent to Vietnam in 1970. When we got married, I was 20yo and he was 31. (Yes, I married early to get out of my parents house...) We have 3 boys ages 21, 19, 15. We just celebrated our 24th anniversary back in December.

    Posted by ACook at 02/06/2007 @ 7:40pm

56. I married early to get out of my parents house..

    mmh, from patriarchy to matriarchy, that explains much.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 8:42pm

57. JR, I knew you'd like my "married early" statement...

    Posted by ACook at 02/06/2007 @ 9:02pm

58. Cook, this explains much. lack of intellectual curiosity, closed mindedness, not very well informed and unable to think for yourself. it explains the mindless slogans, the judging of other people, the moralizing.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 10:27pm

59. Cook, it sounds positively nineteenth century.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 02/06/2007 @ 10:28pm

60. You're not very well educated are you?

    Posted by FRANKGRITS 02/06/2007 @ 11:59am

    Frank, CPA (Constant Pain in the Ass)is the redneck of all rednecks. He's a League of the South good ol boy. He's just got hate pouring out all the holes in his head. The guy doesn't have a clue as to what patriotism is. He claims to be a GI, but I think the closed he's gotten to the military is when them good ol boys of LOS get all liquored up and put on their Confederate uniforms and march around singing Dixie.

    He's a loser. Ignore him. I have.

    "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it." Mark Twain

    CPA hates the country and loves the government.

    Posted by COProgressive at 02/06/2007 @ 11:47pm