American AM - Talk radio for the rest of us

Could it be? Is Ann Coulter a transexual? Is that an Adam's apple?

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/files/vcs/guide.cfm
Welcome Home
Dear Veteran:
Welcome home. As veterans of every U.S. conflict since 1941, Veterans for Common Sense understands the sometimes difficult transition when coming home from a military conflict. You can take pride in your service to your country, and know that those who have served before you welcome you home with open arms.
We also know that sometimes, coming home isn’t as easy as it would seem. For many, especially those who were in combat, you’ll find that the images of violence and conflict will stay with you forever. For others, coming home may mean a job lost while deployed, or financial difficulties as a result of a drop in pay while deployed in a war zone.
America is grateful for your commitment and sacrifice, and many resources are available to assist you in your transition, from both the private and public sectors. This guide is designed to present an overview of those resources, and to help you find whatever assistance you or you family need.

Faith Voices for the Common Good Launch “People of Conscience Write-In,”
Expect 1,000,000 Participants

Join a nationwide “1,000,000 PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE "WRITE-IN" on March 30 to end the Iraq War. REGISTER to participate in this online event BEFORE 7 pm EST March 27 at www.peacenotpoverty.org, where you will find details. Participation is open to anyone with an internet accessible computer, anywhere in the world. The Write-In will use a unique technology that enables groups to work collaboratively and create a synthesized consensus online in a few hours.

This is not a petition or chat room, but is your opportunity to share with others and to create a Declaration called Peace Not Poverty. Email all your friends about it!

This "Write-In" is part of a plan to build what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the "Beloved Community" (details of all events at www.buildingbeloved.org).

On April 4, the Peace Not Poverty declaration will be read by the consensus leader at the "Beyond Iraq" interfaith service in Riverside Church in New York. This televised event will mark the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech against the Vietnam War in 1967 and launch the Break the Silence Bus Tour.

CO-SPONSORS INCLUDE:
Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq, Clergy and Laity Network, Faith Voices for the Common Good, Drive Democracy, Fellowship of Reconciliation, United for Peace and Justice, National Council of Churches, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Gold Star Families for Peace Pax Christi USA, The Tikkun Community, Unitarian Universalist, Association, The Shalom Center, Sikh World Council-America Region, Progressive Christians Uniting, Protestants for the Common Good, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Christians for Justice Action (United Church of Christ), Disciples Justice Action Network
Church of the Brethren, Peace Witness Office, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Clergy and Laity Network, The WHALE Center, The Bruderhof, Call to Action, The Witness Magazine, One Life Institute, Peace and Security Project of Iowa, Episcopal Divinity School, Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education

For more information, visit www.peacenotpoverty.org.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Here is a link you may enjoy. It will take you to streaming video and audio files for the Austin Lounge Lizards new song "The Drugs I Need". It's sponsored by the Consumer Union.

Click here to download

Monday, March 14, 2005

Here are some links to Juan Gonzalez's stories on Iraq War veterans and depleted uranium:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0403-05.htm

Published on Sunday, April 4, 2004 by the New York Daily News
Poisoned?Shocking Report Reveals Local Troops May Be Victims of America's High-Tech Weapons
by Juan Gonzalez

Four soldiers from a New York Army National Guard company serving in Iraq are contaminated with radiation likely caused by dust from depleted uranium shells fired by U.S. troops, a Daily News investigation has found.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0405-04.htm

Published on Monday, April 5, 2004 by the New York Daily News
Army to Test N.Y. Guard UnitHillary demands that all veterans of Iraq get checked
by Juan Gonzalez

Army officials at Fort Dix and Walter Reed Army Medical Center are rushing to test all returning members of the 442nd Military Police Company of the New York Army National Guard for depleted uranium contamination.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0929-11.htm

Published on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 by the New York Daily News
The War's Littlest VictimHe was Exposed to Depleted Uranium.His Daughter may be Paying the Price.
by Juan Gonzalez

In early September 2003, Army National Guard Spec. Gerard Darren Matthew was sent home from Iraq, stricken by a sudden illness.
One side of Matthew's face would swell up each morning. He had constant migraine headaches, blurred vision, blackouts and a burning sensation whenever he urinated.
The Army transferred him to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for further tests, but doctors there could not explain what was wrong.
Shortly after his return, his wife, Janice, became pregnant. On June 29, she gave birth to a baby girl, Victoria Claudette.
The baby was missing three fingers and most of her right hand.

It looks like the anti-Syria rallies in Lebanon are getting very large also. Compare this picture with the ones of the pro-Syria rally in the blog a few days ago. Also note that this photo appears to be through a fish-eye lens which distorts the image some. Pretty impressive either way!

Mon Mar 14, 2:16 PM ET

Betsy Roberts of the Sarasota Sierra Club called in today on the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment. She was kind enough to send along this link so you can find out more about it.

http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/

Friday, March 11, 2005

Thanks to Anthony Lorenzo for sending me this information on how to voice your opinion on oil drilling in ANWAR to our Congressional delegation.

Dear Florida PIRG supporter,This week, Florida PIRG and other statewide environmental groups will be launching a television ad calling on Florida Senator Mel Martinez to vote against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil industry. The oil industry and their allies in Congress know that opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling would set a precedent for drilling in other environmentally sensitive and controversial areas like Florida's gulf coast.You can help save the Arctic, and by extension the Florida coast, right now by calling Congress before the big vote next week. Tell them you don't want to see the Arctic Refuge destroyed for a trivial amount of oil. This vote will be extremely close, so your call is critical.Call 1-888-894-5325 to be automatically connected toll free to the member of Florida's Congressional delegation who most needs to hear from you on this issue.

Here's a sample message you can use:"Hi, my name is _____, and I'm calling from _______. I urge you to oppose oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I don't want to see one of America's last wild places ruined for a miniscule amount of oil and I don't want to see a precedent setting decision that threatens the Florida coast."After you call, please let us know so that we can keep track of how many calls they have received. This is a crucial part of our work! Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this email to them.To report your call, click on the link below or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=401&id4=ES

BackgroundThe Bush administration and its allies in Congress are once again gunning for the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of America's last wild places. Now, drilling proponents want to attach Arctic drilling to the budget as a way of circumventing a full debate by drilling opponents.Including Arctic Refuge drilling language in the budget bill is nothing more than a backdoor political maneuver. Congress should not be making environmental and energy policy decisions of this magnitude through the budget process - it deserves a fair and full debate.No matter how many times the administration tries to advance this plan, the facts haven't changed: drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge would ruin one of America's last wild places for what the U.S. Geological Survey and oil company executives concede is only a few months' worth of oil, oil that would not be available for a decade.The coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge supports some of America's most spectacular wildlife. Caribou, muskoxen, wolves, polar, brown and black bears, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds rely on the wilderness habitat that the Refuge provides. The Gwich'in people, Alaska natives who live near the Refuge, depend on the caribou. For 20,000 years, their culture and way of life have been intimately bound up with the Porcupine River caribou herd.Juxtaposed against these wilderness values is the chance of finding little or no oil. At current rates of consumption, there is at best 6 months worth of oil in the Refuge. An analysis by the state PIRGs titled "False Profits: The Business Case Against Drilling in the Arctic Refuge," makes the case that there is NO economically recoverable oil in the coastal plain of the Refuge. You can see the report here http://savethearctic.com/PDFs/arcticwhitepaper_2_4_02.pdf. But proponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge have a much broader agenda. Just last year, Rep. Tom DeLay (TX) told a group of high-ranking Republicans that the controversy over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a "symbolic" debate about whether or not oil and gas drilling should be allowed in pristine wild areas across the country. That was a not so indirect reference to the Florida coast, an area that Rep. Delay has tried to open to the oil and gas industries for many years.

Sincerely, Mark Ferrulo, Florida PIRG Director
MarkF@floridapirg.org http://www.FloridaPIRG.org

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

I found this Israeli analysis very insightful into the strength of Hizb Allah

http://debka.com/article.php?aid=99

Four Interlinked Terrorist Events in One Afternoon

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

First the publisher of USA Today called for our troops' withdrawal. Now more voices in the mainstream press are joining in. I found this in the Chicago Tribune.

Click here to read the article

Dawn Turner Trice:
Iraq death toll hits new mark; did you notice?
Published March 7, 2005

We passed another marker in this war on terror last week. The U.S. military death toll in Iraq hit 1,500.Did you know? Yes, there were stories about it in the national news, small and elusive at times, nothing compared to the stories about Martha and her sleek SUV ride out of the clink. In the local accounts, any mention of the 1,500 was often even less prominent.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Welcome to the new American AM blog!