New Music Wednesday

Last year I posted a great song by a charming and talented young Irishman named Eoghan Colgan. His song "Can I Leave Alive?" is a poignant query from the point of view of those innocents caught up in war. One of his latest ventures is a song he wrote and recorded for Barack Obama, "A Change is in Place." Give the song your attention and Eoghan your feedback.

Way to go democrats

I have hesitated to comment on the democrats passing the funding for the ongoing Iraq occupation, without benchmarks, until this morning. On the heels of dem senate leader Harry Reid's tepid, whiny announcement that 'they did their best' and had to send the chimp-king everything he wanted, what I heard in Reid's statement was an implicit threat: the dems are our only hope and until they are in power fully, with the White House firmly in tow, they can't do anything to stop this president. The topper for me has been the news that Gold Star Mother, Cindy Sheehan has quit the Peace Movement. From Cindy Sheehan's diary at DKOS:

I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called "Face" of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such "liberal blogs" as the Democratic Underground. Being called an "attention whore" and being told "good riddance" are some of the more milder rebukes

. Read the rest of Cindy's entry. From CNN:

• Sheehan: My son "did indeed die for nothing"
• She is upset that Democrats and anti-war politicians can't end Iraq war
• She is exhausted by the personal, financial and emotional toll
• "I am going to take whatever I have left and go home," she wrote

Apparently, the will of 70% of the American people is meaningless to the people we have elected to execute our will. What next? Martial law? Revolution? Way to go dems, and you wonder why people call you cowardly...and oh yeah, 8 more soldiers dead as of Memorial Day.

Democrats Drop the Ball--Again

As you know, the Feingold-Reid bill to kill the occupation, didn't make it out of committee. A disappointment to be sure, but more disheartening are the democratic senators that voted against the measure. Most of the dems who've been saying they are "anti-war" walk their talk. Please call the offending senators and tell them what you think.I feel heartsick. Greg Sargent at TPM writes it up and presents us with the hall of shame; the dems that dropped the ball:

Against:
Baucus (MT)
Bayh (IN)
Bingaman (NM)
Carper (DE)
Casey (PA)
Conrad (ND)
Dorgan (ND)
Landrieu (LA)
Levin (MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (AR)
McCaskill (MO)
Bill Nelson (FL)
Ben Nelson (NE)
Pryor (AR)
Reed (RI)
Rockefeller (WV)
Salazar (CO)
Tester (MT)
Webb (VA)

For:
Akaka (HI)
Biden (DE)
Boxer (CA)
Byrd (WV)
Cantwell (WA)
Cardin (MD)
Clinton (NY)
Dodd (CT)
Durbin (IL)
Feingold (WI)
Feinstein (CA)
Harkin (IA)
Inouye (HI)
Kennedy (MA)
Kerry (MA)
Klobuchar (MN)
Kohl (WI)
Lautenberg (NJ)
Leahy (VT)
Menendez (NJ)
Mikulski (MD)
Murray (WA)
Obama (IL)
Reid (NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (NY)
Stabenow (MI)
Whitehouse (RI)
Wyden (OR)

Not Voting:
Brown (OH)
Johnson (SD)

BTW, why was Sherrod Brown out of commission?

A note to buoy my spirits from reader Nefarious Leslie:Hi Hopey. mcjoan says:

The Feingold-Reid Amendment failed this morning, 29-67. Twenty-nine of our Democratic Senators does comprise a majority of the majority party, and is a significant bump from the 11 senators who are actual cosponsors of the bill. It also sent the strong message that many Dems, including the presidential contenders, endorse the idea of cutting funding in principle.

But the result means that we still have a lot of work to do.

I like to think of it the way she does, only because it’s less depressing and focuses on moving forward.-Nefarious Leslie

Thanks NL, that helps with the sting.

Goin' Down to Bagdad

Antiwar Protest song by the Spicewood Seven of Austin, Texas; Music Video by famed italian post-realist director Antonio Zapanini.

Oh Goody! We live in a police state

War and Piece's Laura Rozen reports that FBI logs have been discovered that implicate the FBI in collusion with the Washington DC police, detained and held war protesters for strictly political reasons.

A secret FBI intelligence unit helped detain a group of war protesters in a downtown Washington parking garage in April 2002 and interrogated some of them on videotape about their political and religious beliefs, newly uncovered documents and interviews show.

Who Do You Think You're Fooling?

This is the opening question from an Iraqi citizen of John Bolton, former US UN Ambassador. The 'other' media covers the news so much better than our own corporate-owned, bottom- feeders. This Iraqi citizen and Tony Benn, President of the Stop the War Coalition take on John "The Walrus" Bolton and really make him look the foolish, warmongering, bully shill that he is. Read Existentialist Cowboy's post and watch this video of the BBC debate. They make our mainstream media look like the cowardly amateurs they are.

From Tony Benn:

I was born about a quarter of a mile from where we're sitting now, and I was here in London during the Blitz. And every night, I went down to the shelter, 500 people killed, my brother killed, my friends were killed. When the Charter of the UN was read to me , I was a pilot coming over on a troop ship. "We the Peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetimes has caused untold suffering to Mankind."

That was a pledge my generation gave to the younger generation, and you tore it up--it's a war crime that's been committed in Iraq and there's no moral difference between a stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. They both kill innocent people for political reasons.

Ther are two other short videos in this series so be sure to go see the Cowboy and watch them.

Veterans:Call in to Congress

Throughout the week of March 5 - 12, national peace and justice organizations will be mobilizing phone calls to congress to stop the passage of the supplemental $93 billion!

On March 8th, join Veterans For Peace, IVAW, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and Democracy Rising as we flood Congress with calls telling them to stop funding this war!

Every day, the Democratic Leadership gets closer to ending this war! And you have made that happen! With our feet, we marched in Washington DC and will march on the Pentagon next weekend. With our actions, we have occupied Congressional offices from to California. Now it's time to use our voices as we flood Congress with calls that scream, "NO NEW FUNDS FOR WAR - BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!"

Congress is close to voting on the supplemental funding for the continuation of the war and occupation of Iraq and it is important for Congress to hear from veterans and their families.

WE know that ending funding for this war does not mean that we are stopping funding for our troops. We know the best way to support the troops is to bring them home NOW and take care of them when they get here.

Call Congress:202-224-3121 For additional information regarding what you can do about the situation at Walter Reed, read Paul Rieckhoff's HuffPo article. Good talking points for your letter or phone call to congress.

Music for the Masses

This an anti-war song called "Can I Leave Alive?" by Eoghan Colgan. Check out his site and give this a listen. Beautiful song.

Beach to Impeach!

photocredit:John Montgomery

Raw Story...geez..they find all the good stuff. My home district, CA-08 is Speaker Pelosi's turf and today over 1000 protesters lined up on Ocean Beach to spell out the word, "IMPEACH!" complete with exclamation point. KGO7 News has the video. Beach Impeach has photos.

H/T to Mary for the heads up.