Friday, September 02, 2005
Blue Hearts 3.9.02.05
Hey all,
Given the horrible situation happening in the South, I have been delinquent in getting back to you. Frankly, I can hardly pull myself away from the news. I know many of you feel the same way.
Below I have some possible action/donation opportunities. It's probable you've already been contacted or provided these opportunities, or some like them. I apologize for duplication but wanted to give you yet another chance.
I've added some new members to my distribution list recently. I'd like to say "welcome" to you and "thank you for your interest." I hope you will find the information below to be helpful, funny, interesting and just what you needed.
In addition to the new people, I've added some of my people that are out of town. I had taken them off when I started Blue Hearts because so much of what we do is local. But it wasn't fair to keep all this info away from them. So, in order to address the local vs. out of town people, I'm going to put all the local stuff at the end of the blog. That way, our more distant members may easily skip stuff that doesn't pertain to them. Hope this works.
As for KC Blue Hearts, our next meeting is scheduled for September 30, 2005 at 8:30 AM at the home of Anita Robb, 5500 Ward Parkway, KCMO. We are excited to host MO's Secty of State, Robin Carnahan. I hope you can join us!
Also, the night before, Sep. 29 at 5:30 PM, is the Torch Dinner 2005, a fundraiser for KC's Women's Political Caucus. Many Blue Hearts are planning to attend and will be sitting together. Please contact Tamara Morris, Executive Director of GKCWPC who is organizing our Blue Hearts tables. 816-531-9595.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions to make this work better for you. I'm happy to listen and take action.
(Obviously a little visual attractiveness would help. When I get some free time, I'll see what I can do to learn how to do that sort of thing.)
Happy reading!
Kristin Amend
friend, family &/or fellow Blue Heart
p.s. Let's start off with the funny stuff!
1.
Three Texas surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident, I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said. "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident, I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal in field events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train traveling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States."
2.
"How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb? "Ten.
"1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
"2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;
"3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
"4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for eternal darkness;
"5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb;
"6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner 'Bulb Accomplished';
"7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was literally 'in the dark' the whole time;
"8. One to viciously smear No. 7;
"9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
"10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country."
3. Got this from a friend, don't know the original source--
Job of U.S. resident to be Outsourced
Thursday August 4, 2005 4:16 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress announced today that the office of President of the United States of America will be outsourced to overseas interests as of August 31st. The move is being made to save not only a significant portion of the President's $400,000.00 yearly salary, but also a record $521 billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead.
"We believe this is a wise move financially. The cost savings should be significant," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-Wash.). Reynolds, with the aid of the Government Accountability Office, has studied outsourcing of American jobs extensively.
"We cannot expect to remain competitive on the world stage with the current level of cash outlay," Reynolds noted.
Mr. Bush was informed by email this morning of his termination. Preparations for the job move have been underway for some time. Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India will be assuming the office of President as of September 1st. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his Indian parents were vacationing at Niagara Falls, thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month but with no health coverage or other benefits.
It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job responsibilities without support staff. Due to the time difference between the US and India, he will be working primarily at night, when few offices of the US Government will be open.
"Working nights will allow me to keep my day job at the American Express call center," stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive interview. "I am excited about this position. I always hoped I would be President someday."
A Congressional Spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be fully aware of all the issues involved in the office of President, this should not be a problem. Mr. Singh will rely upon a script tree that will enable him to respond effectively to most topics of concern. Using this tree, he can address common concerns without having to understand the underlying issues at all.
"We know these scripting tools work," stated the Spokesperson. "Mr. Bush has used them successfully for years."
Mr. Bush will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his final day of employment. Following a two week waiting period, he will be eligible for $240 dollars a week unemployment for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be eligible for Medicaid as his unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit.
Mr. Bush has been provided the outplacement services of Manpower, Inc. to help him write a resume and prepare for his upcoming job transition. According to Manpower, Mr. Bush may have difficulties in securing a new position due to limited practical work experience. One possibility is re-enlistment in the Air National Guard. Should he choose this option, he would likely be stationed in Iraq, a country he has visited.
"I've been there, I know all about Iraq," stated Mr. Bush, who gained invaluable knowledge of the country in a visit to the Baghdad Airport's terminal and gift shop.
Sources in Baghdad and Falluja say Mr. Bush would receive a warm reception from local Iraqis. They have asked to be provided with details of his arrival sothat they might arrange an appropriate welcome.
4. So funny! K
http://www.michaelhodges.com/hillary.html
5. Now, down to the serious stuff....
New posting to: www.adifferentslant.com
The Downing Street Memos - The much ignored smoking gun that confirms: Bush lied us into war!
Part VI - The Conclusion - Why did we go to war in Iraq? I suspect we will never really know the reason(s). Was it oil? Was it revenge? Was it to one-up daddy? Was it the beginnings of imperialism or to protect Israel? Or ? Let us be clear, It wasn't WDM's, especially nuclear, It wasn't because Saddam and Osama were working in cahoots and it wasn't because Saddam had plans to attack us. Saddam may have been vicious, but he wasn't stupid. The whole idea that he would attack us is sheer folly. He knew we could, as we did, squash him like a bug.
What do the Downing Street Memos tell us? Strangely these memos give us no real clue why Bush & Blair were so hellbent on removing Saddam. They do tell us that from Britain's standpoint they were not starting out from a legal basis to take action. They also tell us that the premises used by the United States were weak and unfounded and this was well recognized in mid-2002. They also tell us planning must have begun between these 2 nations long before mid-2002, because at that time, they already had a tentative attack date and alternative battle plans. And finally, they tell us that regardless of how the story is spun today, our administration was not misled by bad intelligence: because the "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" [Richard Dearlove, head of MI6, foreign intelligence, 07/23/2002]
This was a long ride, I know, but hopefully, you now understand why it is so important for the media to fully explore the Downing Street Memos.
Take Care
Paul
6. Subject: Fwd: drug recall
All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.
The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:
Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Rel! ief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough .....
I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:
Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant
They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children,
To confirm these findings please take time to check the following:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/
7. My Private Idaho
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: August 24, 2005
W. vacationed so hard in Texas he got bushed. He needed a vacation from his vacation.
The most rested president in American history headed West yesterday to get away from his Western getaway - and the mushrooming Crawford Woodstock - and spend a couple of days at the Tamarack Resort in the rural Idaho mountains.
"I'm kind of hangin' loose, as they say," he told reporters.
As The Financial Times noted, Mr. Bush is acting positively French in his love of le loafing, with 339 days at his ranch since he took office - nearly a year out of his five. Most Americans, on the other hand, take fewer vacations than anyone else in the developed world (even the Japanese), averaging only 13 to 16 days off a year.
W. didn't go alone, of course. Just as he took his beloved feather pillow on the road during his 2000 campaign, now he takes his beloved bike. An Air Force One steward tenderly unloaded W.'s $3,000 Trek Fuel mountain bike when they landed in Boise.
Gas is guzzling toward $3 a gallon. U.S. troop casualties in Iraq are at their highest levels since the invasion. As Donald Rumsfeld conceded yesterday, "The lethality, however, is up." Afghanistan's getting more dangerous, too. The defense secretary says he's raising troop levels in both places for coming elections.
So our overextended troops must prepare for more forced rotations, while the president hangs loose.
I mean, I like to exercise, but W. is psychopathic about it. He interviewed one potential Supreme Court nominee, Harvie Wilkinson III, by asking him how much he exercised. Last winter, Mr. Bush was obsessed with his love handles, telling people he was determined to get rid of seven pounds.
Shouldn't the president worry more about body armor than body fat?
Instead of calling in Karl Rove to ask him if he'd leaked, W. probably called him in to order him to the gym.
The rest of us may be fixated on the depressing tableau in Iraq, where the U.S. seems to be delivering a fundamentalist Islamic state into the dirty hands of men like Ahmad Chalabi, who conned the neocons into pushing for war, and his ally Moktada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who started two armed uprisings against U.S. troops. It was his militiamen who ambushed Casey Sheehan's convoy in Sadr City.
America has caved on Iraqi women's rights. In fact, the women's rights activists supported by George and Laura Bush may have to leave Iraq.
But, as a former C.I.A. Middle East specialist, Reuel Marc Gerecht, said on "Meet the Press," U.S. democracy in 1900 didn't let women vote. If Iraqi democracy resembled that, "we'd all be thrilled," he said. "I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy."
Yesterday, the president hailed the constitution establishing an Islamic republic as "an amazing process," and said it "honors women's rights, the rights of minorities." Could he really think that? Or is he following the Vietnam model - declaring victory so we can leave?
The main point of writing a constitution was to move Sunnis into the mainstream and make them invested in the process, thereby removing the basis of the insurgency. But the Shiites and Kurds have frozen out the Sunnis, enhancing their resentment. So the insurgency is more likely to be inflamed than extinguished.
For political reasons, the president has a history of silence on America's war dead. But he finally mentioned them on Monday because it became politically useful to use them as a rationale for war - now that all the other rationales have gone up in smoke.
"We owe them something," he told veterans in Salt Lake City (even though his administration tried to shortchange the veterans agency by $1.5 billion). "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."
What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.
Just because the final reason the president came up with for invading Iraq - to create a democracy with freedom of religion and minority rights - has been dashed, why stop relaxing? W. is determined to stay the course on bike trails all over the West.
This president has never had to pull all-nighters or work very hard, because Daddy's friends always gave him a boost when he flamed out. When was the last time Mr. Bush saw the clock strike midnight? At these prices, though, I guess he can't afford to burn the midnight oil.
8. Interesting viewpoint, K
Regarding the uproar over the recent comments made by Pat Robertson....
I would like to suggest there could be a simple, two-word explanation for Robertson's comments: Karl Rove.
Think about it. What would Pat Robertson possibly know about Chavez or the Venezuelan economy? Did he even know what he was talking about? Already he is backing away from what he said two days ago. But the moment Robertson came out with those totally outrageous statements, Karl Rove could instantly check off a whole batch of urgent items on his to-do list:
1) Get the media's attention off Cindy Sheehan, Bush's poll numbers, bad news out of Iraq, bad economic news, etc.
2) Divert the attention, energy and efforts of progressives, Democrats, liberals. etc. away from the above issues and send them chasing after a noisy, obnoxious diversion they could not possibly ignore.
3) Plant in the minds of U.S. media consumers the potentially useful (to Rove) ideas that there is something sinister about Hugo Chavez, that Venezuela is "a dangerous enemy to our south" and that the U.S. State Department is doing nothing about it.
4) Keep the president away from the Chavez issue. (Tuesday's public statements denouncing Robertson's remarks came from the U.S. departments of defense and state, not from the president.)
Karl Rove's past actions have demonstrated that he does not care about the personal, national or global consequences of dirty tricks. What Rove cares about is providing cover for the president, shaping opinion and diverting attention. Every column inch, every minute on talk radio, every personal conversation and email that is being devoted to Pat Robertson is not being devoted to issues that Karl Rove would like us--and the media--to stay away from until he comes up with his next diversion.
___
BPFNA mailing list
BPFNA@lists.earlham.edu
http://lists.earlham.edu/mailman/listinfo/bpfna
9.
washingtonpost.com
Before It's Too Late in Iraq
By Wesley K. Clark
Friday, August 26, 2005; A21
In the old, familiar fashion, mounting U.S. casualties in Iraq have mobilized increasing public doubts about the war. More than half the American people now believe that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. They're right. But it would also be a mistake to pull out now, or to start pulling out or to set a date certain for pulling out. Instead we need a strategy to create a stable, democratizing and peaceful state in Iraq -- a strategy the administration has failed to develop and articulate.
From the outset of the U.S. post-invasion efforts, we needed a three-pronged strategy: diplomatic, political and military. Iraq sits geographically on the fault line between Shiite and Sunni Islam; for the mission to succeed we will have to be the catalyst for regional cooperation, not regional conflict.
Unfortunately, the administration didn't see the need for a diplomatic track, and its scattershot diplomacy in the region -- threats, grandiose pronouncements and truncated communications -- has been ill-advised and counterproductive. The U.S. diplomatic failure has magnified the difficulties facing the political and military elements of strategy by contributing to the increasing infiltration of jihadists and the surprising resiliency of the insurgency.
On the political track, aiming for a legitimate, democratic Iraqi government was essential, but the United States was far too slow in mobilizing Iraqi political action. A wasted first year encouraged a rise in sectarian militias and the emergence of strong fractionating forces. Months went by without a U.S. ambassador in Iraq, and today political development among the Iraqis is hampered by the lack not only of security but also of a stable infrastructure program that can reliably deliver gas, electricity and jobs.
Meanwhile, on the military track, security on the ground remains poor at best. U.S. armed forces still haven't received resources, restructuring and guidance adequate for the magnitude of the task. Only in June, over two years into the mission of training Iraqi forces, did the president announce such "new steps" as partnering with Iraqi units, establishing "transition teams" to work with Iraqi units and training Iraqi ministries to conduct antiterrorist operations. But there is nothing new about any of this; it is the same nation-building doctrine that we used in Vietnam. Where are the thousands of trained linguists? Where are the flexible, well-resourced, military-led infrastructure development programs to win "hearts and minds?" Where are the smart operations and adequate numbers of forces -- U.S., coalition or Iraqi -- to strengthen control over the borders?
With each passing month the difficulties are compounded and the chances for a successful outcome are reduced. Urgent modification of the strategy is required before it is too late to do anything other than simply withdraw our forces.
Adding a diplomatic track to the strategy is a must. The United States should form a standing conference of Iraq's neighbors, complete with committees dealing with all the regional economic and political issues, including trade, travel, cross-border infrastructure projects and, of course, cutting off the infiltration of jihadists. The United States should tone down its raw rhetoric and instead listen more carefully to the many voices within the region. In addition, a public U.S. declaration forswearing permanent bases in Iraq would be a helpful step in engaging both regional and Iraqi support as we implement our plans.
On the political side, the timeline for the agreements on the Constitution is less important than the substance of the document. It is up to American leadership to help engineer, implement and sustain a compromise that will avoid the "red lines" of the respective factions and leave in place a state that both we and Iraq's neighbors can support. So no Kurdish vote on independence, a restricted role for Islam and limited autonomy in the south. And no private militias.
In addition, the United States needs a legal mandate from the government to provide additional civil assistance and advice, along with additional U.S. civilian personnel, to help strengthen the institutions of government. Key ministries must be reinforced, provincial governments made functional, a system of justice established (and its personnel trained) and the rule of law promoted at the local level. There will be a continuing need for assistance in institutional development, leadership training and international monitoring for years to come, and all of this must be made palatable to Iraqis concerned with their nation's sovereignty. Monies promised for reconstruction simply must be committed and projects moved forward, especially in those areas along the border and where the insurgency has the greatest potential.
On the military side, the vast effort underway to train an army must be matched by efforts to train police and local justices. Canada, France and Germany should be engaged to assist. Neighboring states should also provide observers and technical assistance. In military terms, striking at insurgents and terrorists is necessary but insufficient. Military and security operations must return primarily to the tried-and-true methods of counterinsurgency: winning the hearts and minds of the populace through civic action, small-scale economic development and positive daily interactions. Ten thousand Arab Americans with full language proficiency should be recruited to assist as interpreters. A better effort must be made to control jihadist infiltration into the country by a combination of outposts, patrols and reaction forces reinforced by high technology. Over time U.S. forces should be pulled back into reserve roles and phased out.
The growing chorus of voices demanding a pullout should seriously alarm the Bush administration, because President Bush and his team are repeating the failure of Vietnam: failing to craft a realistic and effective policy and instead simply demanding that the American people show resolve. Resolve isn't enough to mend a flawed approach -- or to save the lives of our troops. If the administration won't adopt a winning strategy, then the American people will be justified in demanding that it bring our troops home.
The writer, a retired Army general, was supreme allied commander in Europe during the war in Kosovo. He was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, and will answer questions today at 2 p.m. onhttp://www.washingtonpost.com.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
Local Stuff (Kansas City area)
10. Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 9:26 AM
Subject: Democratic Party News
Two new programs are being implemented to assist in the Democratic Party's message and agenda locally in Jackson County. In an effort to professionalize and improve the party, the Jackson County Precinct Captain Program and the Jackson County Democratic Director positions have been created. These volunteer positions are being offered to ANY Democrat that wants to volunteer...not just members of the County Committee.
Precinct Captain Program: Precinct Captains are the face of the Democratic Party on the most local level. A Precinct Captain is in charge of directing voter contact in their precinct. Ideally, a PC and their team will get to know every voter in their precinct and identify them. The specific commitments a PC must make are to attend trainings about organizing a precinct, recruiting volunteers, identify voters in precinct, plan specific events in coordination with the County Committee to identify voters and have constant activity including canvasses and phone banks for people to take part in. I have attached a PC information sheet for your review. Please review it and volunteer.
Volunteer Director positions: The new Director positions will work directly with the Chair to help our party be more effective in many areas. Please review the attached document listing the positions that include Communications Director, Fund-raising Director, Letters and Call-In Director, Research Director, and others. These positions will require dedicated and committed people to serve on a volunteer basis with some time requirements. Please contact me if you are interested. I hope to have these positions filled within the next month.
As always please contact me with any of your suggestions, advice, and questions.
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Add these to events to your calendar:
September 10th & 17th: Grassroots Training for Progressives! 8am – 1pm at All Soul’s Unitarian Universalist Church 4501 Walnut - Kansas City for anyone who wants to make a difference in 2006 and beyond! Only spots for 25 per training so hurry to register. $10 gets you some outstanding information. RSVP & questions: training@meridianstrat.com.
Saturday, September 10th: Town Hall Meeting on Civil Liberties and Security with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from 3:00 - 5:00 PM at the Raytown City, Hall, 10000 E. 50th St., Raytown, MO. History teaches us that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when rights seem too extravagant to endure. When we allow fundamental freedoms to be sacrificed in the name of real or perceived exigancy, we invariably come to regret it. Come and ask questions and share your thoughts and concerns! For information call 816-931-5256 and see attachment.
Sunday, September 25: The first meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Volunteer Coordination will be held @ Governor Stumpy's Bar & Grill (On Gregory & Main, KC) from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Several Democratic groups are unified in sponsoring this volunteer get together. If you want to be involved, be there! See attachment.
Thursday, September 29: The Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus will be hosting the annual Torch Dinner 2005 at the Westin Crown Center. They are expecting 900 guests and will be a great evening, so make plans to attend. Call Tamara Morris at 816-531-9595 if you have questions. Also, go to the website at: www.gkcwpc.org
October (Date to be announced- Possibly October 9): The United Eastern Democrats Political Club along with the Jackson County Democratic Committee are hosting an "Eastern Jackson County Grass Roots Rally." If your group wants to help co-sponsor or volunteer to be part of this event call Judy Bates or Paul Cooper at 816-833-8683. Also, if you can help donating any money, hot dogs, beer or whatever, it would be greatly appreciated.
October 14 & 15: Jackson County is honored to host the Missouri Federation of Democratic Women's conference on Oct. 14 & 15 at the Hyatt Regency - Crown Center. The events consist of an auction and hospitality room on Friday night, a breakfast on Saturday morning, and banquet on Saturday night. For information contact: Sandy Querry at SANDRAQ3@aol.com or 816-761-8456.
October 21, 2005: Mark you calendars. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Committee for County Progress CCP will host a fund raising reception at Twenty 20 Restaurant, 2020 Baltimore. The special guest will be Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Tickets for this event will be $50.00. Sponsorship opportunities will be available for $500.00, which will, among other things, provide donors with two tickets to a private reception with Governor Vilsack at 5:00 p.m. Please contact Beth Gottstein bethgottstein@sbcglobal.net with any questions.
October 26, 2005: Come join local democrats in supporting State Representative candidate Jason Grill at the Twenty 20 Club in the KC Crossroads District from 5:30 to 7:30. More info later but contact grillkc@aol.com with questions!
November 2005: "One Year Until Democratic Victory Unity Rally." More information to come.
-----------------------------------------
There's the news. Here's the rant!
Let me get this straight and please tell me if I am wrong. There are thousands of children in the Missouri Foster Care Program that are in the system because of being orphans, tragic family problems, and health problems. Everyone would agree that a brighter future for these children would be by the adoption of a loving family. However, some of these children have special problems.
Someone, somewhere decided that it would be a good idea to make it easier on these potential familes and allow the government to assist them with some of the added costs of adopting a child with special needs. State subsidies currently are given to the families regardless of income because it is not an income issue. It is an issue to assist families willing to make these children's lives better. Currently, children adopted out of foster care in Missouri are entitled under state and federal law to adoption subsidies of about $250 a month until they are 18.
The plan was successful and many parents that may not have been able to adopt these children because of financial concerns were able to adopt these children into their loving homes.
OK, now fast forward to last state legislative session. Governor Matt Blunt campaigned on making cuts in state government spending. However, Democrats, Independents, and even Republicans never dreamed he would make cuts that directly devastate children's lives and do away with this program designed to help children. That's what has happened!
Governor Blunt cites the savings and says that only about 2,000 children will lose subsidies, resulting in a $12 million savings next fiscal year. Wow, is everything with these Republicans about the money? These are children! You would think the same people that are so radical about prohibiting abortions would do everything to help these children once they are born.
So is it good policy? Let's ask the experts. "It's a sad day for Missouri," said John Ammann, law professor and director of the Saint Louis University Law Clinic. He said the incentive for families to adopt foster children "is being decimated."
Child advocates say not only will the new state law end adoption payments to many families who already have adopted special-needs foster children, but it will limit the availability of subsidies to new families wanting to adopt foster children - regardless of a child's needs.
Child welfare advocates filed a federal class-action lawsuit Monday against Gov. Matt Blunt and Missouri's social services director to try to halt adoption subsidy cuts that take effect Aug. 28 for former foster children with special needs.
OK, but this new policy doesn't hurt real families, does it? Stephanie Rubach, who adopted three foster children with various medical needs, describes herself as a "pro-life conservative" who "campaigned vigorously" for Blunt and now feels let down by him. "I'm quite disappointed," she said. "This is not pro-life or pro-family."
John and Sharon Antonich said their adopted son, who had been in 23 foster homes, suffers from anxiety, depression and other emotional setbacks, and has needed special tutoring to bring him closer to grade level. Without the subsidy, they cannot afford the tutorial help. "If he lived in a group home, the state would be paying $3,000 a month for his care," John Antonich said.
Sharon Siebuhr adopted a nine-year-old alcohol-exposed girl who is losing her subsidy through "means testing." Plans to adopt a second child are now on hold.
The cuts place Missouri "in the forefront of a national trend in putting children in harm's way," said Ira Lustbader, associate director of New York-based Children's Rights Inc. "It will save the state dollars at the expense of foster children ... who will languish in foster care."
Tell this story to your Republican neighbor or that Republican guy at work and see what they say. Then tell him that the Democratic Party will always fight for giving our children a better life and will protect programs that improve their lives. It is not moral to try to balance budgets by hurting children and families. Especially when insurance and big business are getting the best tax breaks, incentives, and giveaways in our state's history.
And finally, remember Stephanie Rubach who "campaigned vigorously" for Blunt and now feels let down by him and is disappointed in him as a governor. That speaks volumes. The tide is turning. Oh yeah, I've also attached some nice reading about the Governor to give to your republican friend or neighbor. Keep up the good work!
Phil LeVota
Chairman
Jackson County Democratic Committee
11. Here's a chance to help out if you can! Thanks. K
Hello. On Monday (Labor Day) our family is delivering supplies to “Heart to Heart International” for disaster relief. The items requested are: personal hygiene products, first aid and infant care items, and other items for disaster clean-up.
If you have time over the weekend and would like to help, please drop the items off at our house (any time) and we’ll deliver on Monday. If you can’t get here, give me a call and we will be happy to pick-up.
The address is:
9815 Sagamore Road (West of State Line, between 103rd and 98th Street)
Thanks Much!
Geduldig Familiy
12. If you get a chance to swing by with a donation, this would be great! K
Hi Kristin! I know you have a huge email address list so I was hoping you could pass this message along to everyone. If anyone is able to help they could drop the clothes off at my house this weekend 5252 Sunset Drive KCMO. Someone is coming by Monday morning to pick up the donations. Thanks for anything you can do. It's greatly appreciated. Best regards, Theresa Freilich
Here are the specifics:
I spoke with the local man, Bryant Williams, & one of the mothers (his sister) who evacuated from NO to KC. She arrived in her slippers! There are 10 kids total, 9 adults… 19 total. They are living in tents in the backyard & air mattresses in Bryant's home.
All clothing/shoe sizes are below… but the sister said pretty much anything is fine. Please keep in mind that cold weather will be here before we know it, so any seasonal clothing is welcomed. I did include adults, just in case there's stuff out there, but I did tell the family we are focusing on children. They were tearfully thankful!
Girls
# of Children & Age Clothing Size Shoe Size
2 4-year old twins 5 9 & 10 kids
1 5-year old 6 11 1/2 & 12 kids
2 12-year olds 5 & 6 junior 7 & 8 1/2 adult
1 18-year old 7/8 adult 9 adult
Boys
# of Children & Age Clothing Size Shoe Size
1 10-year old 14 5 1/2 adult
1 13-year old 14 8 adult
1 15-year old 34x32 8 1/2 adult
1 17-year old 36x32 9 1/2 adult
Adults (if interested)
Ladies sizes 7/8, 9/10, 11/12 & 13/14
--mother in wheelchair is 20 1/2 & is a double leg amputee, no shoes
shoe sizes 8, 8 1/2 & 10
Men's sizes 36x34 (2 brothers) & 40/32 (father)
shoe sizes 9 1/2 & 11
I will collect through Monday for Tuesday delivery. Let me know if I missed anything or if you think of something else. Other needs included toiletries of all kinds.
___________________________
Paula J Keltner
Director of Campus Life
keltnerp@william.jewell.edu
www.jewell.edu

13.
Please join the Committee for County Progress in welcoming Governor Tom Vilsack Democratic Governor of Iowa in recognizing Marsha Campbell Former State Representative 2005 Harry Wiggins Public Service Award Recipient to be presented by Claire McCaskill Missouri State Auditor
Friday, October 21, 2005
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Twenty/20 Restaurant
2020 Baltimore - in the Freight House District
Sponsored by
Andrea and Steve Bough
Rep. John Burnett
Jack Campbell
Beth Gottstein
Greater KC-Women's Political Caucus
Judy and Jim Heeter
Nancy and David Kenner
Rep. Paul LeVota
Pat McInerney
James B. Nutter, Sr.
Dick Rhyne
Terry Satterlee
Dale Youngs
Contribution: $50, Checks Payable to CCP
14. Yolanda Wheat personally supports and speaks highly of Senator Stabenow. Works for me, K
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver
The Honorable Karen McCarthy
Congressman Dennis Moore
Congressman Ike Skelton
The Honorable Alan Wheat
Invite you to join U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) For a Political Update and Breakfast
Monday, September 12th, 2005 8:00AM
Third Ranking Member of U.S. Senate Democratic Leadership Team
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Committee on the Budget
The Fairmont Hotel
The Rooftop Ballroom
401 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64112
$250 to attend; $2,000 to HOST
Please RSVP to Yolanda Wheat at 816.931.8111 or ywheat@kc.rr.com
Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Debbie Stabenow made history in 2000 when she became the first woman from the State of Michigan elected to the United States Senate. She has become one of Michigan’s most influential and accomplished leaders. After only four years in the U.S. Senate, she has been elected to the third ranking Democratic leadership position, giving Michigan a stronger voice in Washington. She is a respected leader in Congress, leading debates on our nation’s budget and manufacturing issues, and becoming the Senate’s “go to” person on the issue of health care and prescription drugs. She was named head of the Senate Health Care Task Force for her Caucus in the last Congress. In her new leadership post, she is a leading voice in the fight to keep Social Security secure and ensure its solvency through the 21st century. Michigan’s Macomb Daily said Stabenow “has earned the respect of her colleagues in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans.”
Senator Stabenow has already achieved important successes in the United States Senate, authoring the first ever federal ban on drilling for oil and gas in our Great Lakes; leading efforts to pass a $2 billion tax cut giving manufacturers incentives for job creation in the U.S., rather than overseas; mobilizing thousands of citizens in the fight to stop the dumping of Canadian trash in Michigan; and authoring anti money-laundering amendments after September 11th to make it difficult for terrorists and drug dealers to hide the money that finances their criminal networks.
Senator Stabenow’s leadership and experience were rewarded with key Senate committee assignments including the Budget Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Senator Stabenow is unwavering in her commitment to Israel and has a 100% voting record on legislation in support of Israel. She is a tireless advocate protecting a woman’s right to choose and a strong defender of our natural resources and environment.
Elected in 2000 with only 49% of the vote, Stabenow is at the top of the national Republicans’ list of Senate targets in 2006. John Kerry narrowly won Michigan in 2004. In 2006 the state will once again be a battleground as Senator Stabenow faces her first re-election campaign.
Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Paid for by Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
Stabenow for U.S. Senate
122 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202)485-3138
Fax: (202)485-3137
Yes! I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $4,200. (Maximum allowable per individual under law.)
____I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $2,000 at this time.
____I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $250 at this time.
____I would like to show my support for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $________.
Please make checks payable to Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
If you prefer to pay by personal credit card, please fill out the following information.
Contribution Amount:_____________________
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Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle.
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Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Paid for by Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
15. Here's yet another opportunity to close out our blog session! K
FOR INFORMATION: CONTACT BOO TYSON AT 913-649-3326
MAYOR KAY BARNES HONOREE AT MAINstream BRUNCH
The MAINstream Education Foundation is planning the 4th annual Stand-Up, Speak Out brunch, which will be held at the Carriage Club on Sunday, October 30, at noon. Valet parking will be available.
The honoree for the Robert Meneilly Stand Up, Speak Out Award will be the Honorable Kay Barnes. “Mayor Barnes has long stood up and spoken out for MAINstream’s major commitment of supporting the separation of church and state,” said Dr. Meneilly. Former Senator Audrey Langworthy will make the presentation.
Mary Abbott, Ann Slegman Isenberg, and Sue Houdek are the chairs of the event. Committee members are Susie Forker, Donna Burkhead, Sarah Ingram-Eiser, and Ellen Laner.
Tickets cost $65. For information about arranging a table or making a reservation, call the MAINstream office at 913-649-3326.
Given the horrible situation happening in the South, I have been delinquent in getting back to you. Frankly, I can hardly pull myself away from the news. I know many of you feel the same way.
Below I have some possible action/donation opportunities. It's probable you've already been contacted or provided these opportunities, or some like them. I apologize for duplication but wanted to give you yet another chance.
I've added some new members to my distribution list recently. I'd like to say "welcome" to you and "thank you for your interest." I hope you will find the information below to be helpful, funny, interesting and just what you needed.
In addition to the new people, I've added some of my people that are out of town. I had taken them off when I started Blue Hearts because so much of what we do is local. But it wasn't fair to keep all this info away from them. So, in order to address the local vs. out of town people, I'm going to put all the local stuff at the end of the blog. That way, our more distant members may easily skip stuff that doesn't pertain to them. Hope this works.
As for KC Blue Hearts, our next meeting is scheduled for September 30, 2005 at 8:30 AM at the home of Anita Robb, 5500 Ward Parkway, KCMO. We are excited to host MO's Secty of State, Robin Carnahan. I hope you can join us!
Also, the night before, Sep. 29 at 5:30 PM, is the Torch Dinner 2005, a fundraiser for KC's Women's Political Caucus. Many Blue Hearts are planning to attend and will be sitting together. Please contact Tamara Morris, Executive Director of GKCWPC who is organizing our Blue Hearts tables. 816-531-9595.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions to make this work better for you. I'm happy to listen and take action.
(Obviously a little visual attractiveness would help. When I get some free time, I'll see what I can do to learn how to do that sort of thing.)
Happy reading!
Kristin Amend
friend, family &/or fellow Blue Heart
p.s. Let's start off with the funny stuff!
1.
Three Texas surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Texas. A concert pianist lost 7 fingers in an accident, I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England."
One of the others said. "That's nothing. A young man lost both arms and legs in an accident, I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal in field events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a cowboy who was high on cocaine and alcohol rode a horse head-on into a train traveling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now he's president of the United States."
2.
"How many members of the Bush administration does it take to change a light bulb? "Ten.
"1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;
"2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;
"3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;
"4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for eternal darkness;
"5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the new light bulb;
"6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner 'Bulb Accomplished';
"7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was literally 'in the dark' the whole time;
"8. One to viciously smear No. 7;
"9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;
"10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country."
3. Got this from a friend, don't know the original source--
Job of U.S. resident to be Outsourced
Thursday August 4, 2005 4:16 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress announced today that the office of President of the United States of America will be outsourced to overseas interests as of August 31st. The move is being made to save not only a significant portion of the President's $400,000.00 yearly salary, but also a record $521 billion in deficit expenditures and related overhead.
"We believe this is a wise move financially. The cost savings should be significant," stated Congressman Thomas Reynolds (R-Wash.). Reynolds, with the aid of the Government Accountability Office, has studied outsourcing of American jobs extensively.
"We cannot expect to remain competitive on the world stage with the current level of cash outlay," Reynolds noted.
Mr. Bush was informed by email this morning of his termination. Preparations for the job move have been underway for some time. Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India will be assuming the office of President as of September 1st. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his Indian parents were vacationing at Niagara Falls, thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 (USD) a month but with no health coverage or other benefits.
It is believed that Mr. Singh will be able to handle his job responsibilities without support staff. Due to the time difference between the US and India, he will be working primarily at night, when few offices of the US Government will be open.
"Working nights will allow me to keep my day job at the American Express call center," stated Mr. Singh in an exclusive interview. "I am excited about this position. I always hoped I would be President someday."
A Congressional Spokesperson noted that while Mr. Singh may not be fully aware of all the issues involved in the office of President, this should not be a problem. Mr. Singh will rely upon a script tree that will enable him to respond effectively to most topics of concern. Using this tree, he can address common concerns without having to understand the underlying issues at all.
"We know these scripting tools work," stated the Spokesperson. "Mr. Bush has used them successfully for years."
Mr. Bush will receive health coverage, expenses, and salary until his final day of employment. Following a two week waiting period, he will be eligible for $240 dollars a week unemployment for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be eligible for Medicaid as his unemployment benefits will exceed the allowed limit.
Mr. Bush has been provided the outplacement services of Manpower, Inc. to help him write a resume and prepare for his upcoming job transition. According to Manpower, Mr. Bush may have difficulties in securing a new position due to limited practical work experience. One possibility is re-enlistment in the Air National Guard. Should he choose this option, he would likely be stationed in Iraq, a country he has visited.
"I've been there, I know all about Iraq," stated Mr. Bush, who gained invaluable knowledge of the country in a visit to the Baghdad Airport's terminal and gift shop.
Sources in Baghdad and Falluja say Mr. Bush would receive a warm reception from local Iraqis. They have asked to be provided with details of his arrival sothat they might arrange an appropriate welcome.
4. So funny! K
http://www.michaelhodges.com/hillary.html
5. Now, down to the serious stuff....
New posting to: www.adifferentslant.com
The Downing Street Memos - The much ignored smoking gun that confirms: Bush lied us into war!
Part VI - The Conclusion - Why did we go to war in Iraq? I suspect we will never really know the reason(s). Was it oil? Was it revenge? Was it to one-up daddy? Was it the beginnings of imperialism or to protect Israel? Or ? Let us be clear, It wasn't WDM's, especially nuclear, It wasn't because Saddam and Osama were working in cahoots and it wasn't because Saddam had plans to attack us. Saddam may have been vicious, but he wasn't stupid. The whole idea that he would attack us is sheer folly. He knew we could, as we did, squash him like a bug.
What do the Downing Street Memos tell us? Strangely these memos give us no real clue why Bush & Blair were so hellbent on removing Saddam. They do tell us that from Britain's standpoint they were not starting out from a legal basis to take action. They also tell us that the premises used by the United States were weak and unfounded and this was well recognized in mid-2002. They also tell us planning must have begun between these 2 nations long before mid-2002, because at that time, they already had a tentative attack date and alternative battle plans. And finally, they tell us that regardless of how the story is spun today, our administration was not misled by bad intelligence: because the "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" [Richard Dearlove, head of MI6, foreign intelligence, 07/23/2002]
This was a long ride, I know, but hopefully, you now understand why it is so important for the media to fully explore the Downing Street Memos.
Take Care
Paul
6. Subject: Fwd: drug recall
All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.
The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:
Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or orange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Rel! ief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough .....
I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:
Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant
They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children,
To confirm these findings please take time to check the following:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/
7. My Private Idaho
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: August 24, 2005
W. vacationed so hard in Texas he got bushed. He needed a vacation from his vacation.
The most rested president in American history headed West yesterday to get away from his Western getaway - and the mushrooming Crawford Woodstock - and spend a couple of days at the Tamarack Resort in the rural Idaho mountains.
"I'm kind of hangin' loose, as they say," he told reporters.
As The Financial Times noted, Mr. Bush is acting positively French in his love of le loafing, with 339 days at his ranch since he took office - nearly a year out of his five. Most Americans, on the other hand, take fewer vacations than anyone else in the developed world (even the Japanese), averaging only 13 to 16 days off a year.
W. didn't go alone, of course. Just as he took his beloved feather pillow on the road during his 2000 campaign, now he takes his beloved bike. An Air Force One steward tenderly unloaded W.'s $3,000 Trek Fuel mountain bike when they landed in Boise.
Gas is guzzling toward $3 a gallon. U.S. troop casualties in Iraq are at their highest levels since the invasion. As Donald Rumsfeld conceded yesterday, "The lethality, however, is up." Afghanistan's getting more dangerous, too. The defense secretary says he's raising troop levels in both places for coming elections.
So our overextended troops must prepare for more forced rotations, while the president hangs loose.
I mean, I like to exercise, but W. is psychopathic about it. He interviewed one potential Supreme Court nominee, Harvie Wilkinson III, by asking him how much he exercised. Last winter, Mr. Bush was obsessed with his love handles, telling people he was determined to get rid of seven pounds.
Shouldn't the president worry more about body armor than body fat?
Instead of calling in Karl Rove to ask him if he'd leaked, W. probably called him in to order him to the gym.
The rest of us may be fixated on the depressing tableau in Iraq, where the U.S. seems to be delivering a fundamentalist Islamic state into the dirty hands of men like Ahmad Chalabi, who conned the neocons into pushing for war, and his ally Moktada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who started two armed uprisings against U.S. troops. It was his militiamen who ambushed Casey Sheehan's convoy in Sadr City.
America has caved on Iraqi women's rights. In fact, the women's rights activists supported by George and Laura Bush may have to leave Iraq.
But, as a former C.I.A. Middle East specialist, Reuel Marc Gerecht, said on "Meet the Press," U.S. democracy in 1900 didn't let women vote. If Iraqi democracy resembled that, "we'd all be thrilled," he said. "I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy."
Yesterday, the president hailed the constitution establishing an Islamic republic as "an amazing process," and said it "honors women's rights, the rights of minorities." Could he really think that? Or is he following the Vietnam model - declaring victory so we can leave?
The main point of writing a constitution was to move Sunnis into the mainstream and make them invested in the process, thereby removing the basis of the insurgency. But the Shiites and Kurds have frozen out the Sunnis, enhancing their resentment. So the insurgency is more likely to be inflamed than extinguished.
For political reasons, the president has a history of silence on America's war dead. But he finally mentioned them on Monday because it became politically useful to use them as a rationale for war - now that all the other rationales have gone up in smoke.
"We owe them something," he told veterans in Salt Lake City (even though his administration tried to shortchange the veterans agency by $1.5 billion). "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."
What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.
Just because the final reason the president came up with for invading Iraq - to create a democracy with freedom of religion and minority rights - has been dashed, why stop relaxing? W. is determined to stay the course on bike trails all over the West.
This president has never had to pull all-nighters or work very hard, because Daddy's friends always gave him a boost when he flamed out. When was the last time Mr. Bush saw the clock strike midnight? At these prices, though, I guess he can't afford to burn the midnight oil.
8. Interesting viewpoint, K
Regarding the uproar over the recent comments made by Pat Robertson....
I would like to suggest there could be a simple, two-word explanation for Robertson's comments: Karl Rove.
Think about it. What would Pat Robertson possibly know about Chavez or the Venezuelan economy? Did he even know what he was talking about? Already he is backing away from what he said two days ago. But the moment Robertson came out with those totally outrageous statements, Karl Rove could instantly check off a whole batch of urgent items on his to-do list:
1) Get the media's attention off Cindy Sheehan, Bush's poll numbers, bad news out of Iraq, bad economic news, etc.
2) Divert the attention, energy and efforts of progressives, Democrats, liberals. etc. away from the above issues and send them chasing after a noisy, obnoxious diversion they could not possibly ignore.
3) Plant in the minds of U.S. media consumers the potentially useful (to Rove) ideas that there is something sinister about Hugo Chavez, that Venezuela is "a dangerous enemy to our south" and that the U.S. State Department is doing nothing about it.
4) Keep the president away from the Chavez issue. (Tuesday's public statements denouncing Robertson's remarks came from the U.S. departments of defense and state, not from the president.)
Karl Rove's past actions have demonstrated that he does not care about the personal, national or global consequences of dirty tricks. What Rove cares about is providing cover for the president, shaping opinion and diverting attention. Every column inch, every minute on talk radio, every personal conversation and email that is being devoted to Pat Robertson is not being devoted to issues that Karl Rove would like us--and the media--to stay away from until he comes up with his next diversion.
___
BPFNA mailing list
BPFNA@lists.earlham.edu
http://lists.earlham.edu/mailman/listinfo/bpfna
9.
washingtonpost.com
Before It's Too Late in Iraq
By Wesley K. Clark
Friday, August 26, 2005; A21
In the old, familiar fashion, mounting U.S. casualties in Iraq have mobilized increasing public doubts about the war. More than half the American people now believe that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. They're right. But it would also be a mistake to pull out now, or to start pulling out or to set a date certain for pulling out. Instead we need a strategy to create a stable, democratizing and peaceful state in Iraq -- a strategy the administration has failed to develop and articulate.
From the outset of the U.S. post-invasion efforts, we needed a three-pronged strategy: diplomatic, political and military. Iraq sits geographically on the fault line between Shiite and Sunni Islam; for the mission to succeed we will have to be the catalyst for regional cooperation, not regional conflict.
Unfortunately, the administration didn't see the need for a diplomatic track, and its scattershot diplomacy in the region -- threats, grandiose pronouncements and truncated communications -- has been ill-advised and counterproductive. The U.S. diplomatic failure has magnified the difficulties facing the political and military elements of strategy by contributing to the increasing infiltration of jihadists and the surprising resiliency of the insurgency.
On the political track, aiming for a legitimate, democratic Iraqi government was essential, but the United States was far too slow in mobilizing Iraqi political action. A wasted first year encouraged a rise in sectarian militias and the emergence of strong fractionating forces. Months went by without a U.S. ambassador in Iraq, and today political development among the Iraqis is hampered by the lack not only of security but also of a stable infrastructure program that can reliably deliver gas, electricity and jobs.
Meanwhile, on the military track, security on the ground remains poor at best. U.S. armed forces still haven't received resources, restructuring and guidance adequate for the magnitude of the task. Only in June, over two years into the mission of training Iraqi forces, did the president announce such "new steps" as partnering with Iraqi units, establishing "transition teams" to work with Iraqi units and training Iraqi ministries to conduct antiterrorist operations. But there is nothing new about any of this; it is the same nation-building doctrine that we used in Vietnam. Where are the thousands of trained linguists? Where are the flexible, well-resourced, military-led infrastructure development programs to win "hearts and minds?" Where are the smart operations and adequate numbers of forces -- U.S., coalition or Iraqi -- to strengthen control over the borders?
With each passing month the difficulties are compounded and the chances for a successful outcome are reduced. Urgent modification of the strategy is required before it is too late to do anything other than simply withdraw our forces.
Adding a diplomatic track to the strategy is a must. The United States should form a standing conference of Iraq's neighbors, complete with committees dealing with all the regional economic and political issues, including trade, travel, cross-border infrastructure projects and, of course, cutting off the infiltration of jihadists. The United States should tone down its raw rhetoric and instead listen more carefully to the many voices within the region. In addition, a public U.S. declaration forswearing permanent bases in Iraq would be a helpful step in engaging both regional and Iraqi support as we implement our plans.
On the political side, the timeline for the agreements on the Constitution is less important than the substance of the document. It is up to American leadership to help engineer, implement and sustain a compromise that will avoid the "red lines" of the respective factions and leave in place a state that both we and Iraq's neighbors can support. So no Kurdish vote on independence, a restricted role for Islam and limited autonomy in the south. And no private militias.
In addition, the United States needs a legal mandate from the government to provide additional civil assistance and advice, along with additional U.S. civilian personnel, to help strengthen the institutions of government. Key ministries must be reinforced, provincial governments made functional, a system of justice established (and its personnel trained) and the rule of law promoted at the local level. There will be a continuing need for assistance in institutional development, leadership training and international monitoring for years to come, and all of this must be made palatable to Iraqis concerned with their nation's sovereignty. Monies promised for reconstruction simply must be committed and projects moved forward, especially in those areas along the border and where the insurgency has the greatest potential.
On the military side, the vast effort underway to train an army must be matched by efforts to train police and local justices. Canada, France and Germany should be engaged to assist. Neighboring states should also provide observers and technical assistance. In military terms, striking at insurgents and terrorists is necessary but insufficient. Military and security operations must return primarily to the tried-and-true methods of counterinsurgency: winning the hearts and minds of the populace through civic action, small-scale economic development and positive daily interactions. Ten thousand Arab Americans with full language proficiency should be recruited to assist as interpreters. A better effort must be made to control jihadist infiltration into the country by a combination of outposts, patrols and reaction forces reinforced by high technology. Over time U.S. forces should be pulled back into reserve roles and phased out.
The growing chorus of voices demanding a pullout should seriously alarm the Bush administration, because President Bush and his team are repeating the failure of Vietnam: failing to craft a realistic and effective policy and instead simply demanding that the American people show resolve. Resolve isn't enough to mend a flawed approach -- or to save the lives of our troops. If the administration won't adopt a winning strategy, then the American people will be justified in demanding that it bring our troops home.
The writer, a retired Army general, was supreme allied commander in Europe during the war in Kosovo. He was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, and will answer questions today at 2 p.m. onhttp://www.washingtonpost.com.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
Local Stuff (Kansas City area)
10. Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 9:26 AM
Subject: Democratic Party News
Two new programs are being implemented to assist in the Democratic Party's message and agenda locally in Jackson County. In an effort to professionalize and improve the party, the Jackson County Precinct Captain Program and the Jackson County Democratic Director positions have been created. These volunteer positions are being offered to ANY Democrat that wants to volunteer...not just members of the County Committee.
Precinct Captain Program: Precinct Captains are the face of the Democratic Party on the most local level. A Precinct Captain is in charge of directing voter contact in their precinct. Ideally, a PC and their team will get to know every voter in their precinct and identify them. The specific commitments a PC must make are to attend trainings about organizing a precinct, recruiting volunteers, identify voters in precinct, plan specific events in coordination with the County Committee to identify voters and have constant activity including canvasses and phone banks for people to take part in. I have attached a PC information sheet for your review. Please review it and volunteer.
Volunteer Director positions: The new Director positions will work directly with the Chair to help our party be more effective in many areas. Please review the attached document listing the positions that include Communications Director, Fund-raising Director, Letters and Call-In Director, Research Director, and others. These positions will require dedicated and committed people to serve on a volunteer basis with some time requirements. Please contact me if you are interested. I hope to have these positions filled within the next month.
As always please contact me with any of your suggestions, advice, and questions.
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Add these to events to your calendar:
September 10th & 17th: Grassroots Training for Progressives! 8am – 1pm at All Soul’s Unitarian Universalist Church 4501 Walnut - Kansas City for anyone who wants to make a difference in 2006 and beyond! Only spots for 25 per training so hurry to register. $10 gets you some outstanding information. RSVP & questions: training@meridianstrat.com.
Saturday, September 10th: Town Hall Meeting on Civil Liberties and Security with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from 3:00 - 5:00 PM at the Raytown City, Hall, 10000 E. 50th St., Raytown, MO. History teaches us that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when rights seem too extravagant to endure. When we allow fundamental freedoms to be sacrificed in the name of real or perceived exigancy, we invariably come to regret it. Come and ask questions and share your thoughts and concerns! For information call 816-931-5256 and see attachment.
Sunday, September 25: The first meeting of the Jackson County Democratic Volunteer Coordination will be held @ Governor Stumpy's Bar & Grill (On Gregory & Main, KC) from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Several Democratic groups are unified in sponsoring this volunteer get together. If you want to be involved, be there! See attachment.
Thursday, September 29: The Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus will be hosting the annual Torch Dinner 2005 at the Westin Crown Center. They are expecting 900 guests and will be a great evening, so make plans to attend. Call Tamara Morris at 816-531-9595 if you have questions. Also, go to the website at: www.gkcwpc.org
October (Date to be announced- Possibly October 9): The United Eastern Democrats Political Club along with the Jackson County Democratic Committee are hosting an "Eastern Jackson County Grass Roots Rally." If your group wants to help co-sponsor or volunteer to be part of this event call Judy Bates or Paul Cooper at 816-833-8683. Also, if you can help donating any money, hot dogs, beer or whatever, it would be greatly appreciated.
October 14 & 15: Jackson County is honored to host the Missouri Federation of Democratic Women's conference on Oct. 14 & 15 at the Hyatt Regency - Crown Center. The events consist of an auction and hospitality room on Friday night, a breakfast on Saturday morning, and banquet on Saturday night. For information contact: Sandy Querry at SANDRAQ3@aol.com or 816-761-8456.
October 21, 2005: Mark you calendars. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Committee for County Progress CCP will host a fund raising reception at Twenty 20 Restaurant, 2020 Baltimore. The special guest will be Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Tickets for this event will be $50.00. Sponsorship opportunities will be available for $500.00, which will, among other things, provide donors with two tickets to a private reception with Governor Vilsack at 5:00 p.m. Please contact Beth Gottstein bethgottstein@sbcglobal.net with any questions.
October 26, 2005: Come join local democrats in supporting State Representative candidate Jason Grill at the Twenty 20 Club in the KC Crossroads District from 5:30 to 7:30. More info later but contact grillkc@aol.com with questions!
November 2005: "One Year Until Democratic Victory Unity Rally." More information to come.
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There's the news. Here's the rant!
Let me get this straight and please tell me if I am wrong. There are thousands of children in the Missouri Foster Care Program that are in the system because of being orphans, tragic family problems, and health problems. Everyone would agree that a brighter future for these children would be by the adoption of a loving family. However, some of these children have special problems.
Someone, somewhere decided that it would be a good idea to make it easier on these potential familes and allow the government to assist them with some of the added costs of adopting a child with special needs. State subsidies currently are given to the families regardless of income because it is not an income issue. It is an issue to assist families willing to make these children's lives better. Currently, children adopted out of foster care in Missouri are entitled under state and federal law to adoption subsidies of about $250 a month until they are 18.
The plan was successful and many parents that may not have been able to adopt these children because of financial concerns were able to adopt these children into their loving homes.
OK, now fast forward to last state legislative session. Governor Matt Blunt campaigned on making cuts in state government spending. However, Democrats, Independents, and even Republicans never dreamed he would make cuts that directly devastate children's lives and do away with this program designed to help children. That's what has happened!
Governor Blunt cites the savings and says that only about 2,000 children will lose subsidies, resulting in a $12 million savings next fiscal year. Wow, is everything with these Republicans about the money? These are children! You would think the same people that are so radical about prohibiting abortions would do everything to help these children once they are born.
So is it good policy? Let's ask the experts. "It's a sad day for Missouri," said John Ammann, law professor and director of the Saint Louis University Law Clinic. He said the incentive for families to adopt foster children "is being decimated."
Child advocates say not only will the new state law end adoption payments to many families who already have adopted special-needs foster children, but it will limit the availability of subsidies to new families wanting to adopt foster children - regardless of a child's needs.
Child welfare advocates filed a federal class-action lawsuit Monday against Gov. Matt Blunt and Missouri's social services director to try to halt adoption subsidy cuts that take effect Aug. 28 for former foster children with special needs.
OK, but this new policy doesn't hurt real families, does it? Stephanie Rubach, who adopted three foster children with various medical needs, describes herself as a "pro-life conservative" who "campaigned vigorously" for Blunt and now feels let down by him. "I'm quite disappointed," she said. "This is not pro-life or pro-family."
John and Sharon Antonich said their adopted son, who had been in 23 foster homes, suffers from anxiety, depression and other emotional setbacks, and has needed special tutoring to bring him closer to grade level. Without the subsidy, they cannot afford the tutorial help. "If he lived in a group home, the state would be paying $3,000 a month for his care," John Antonich said.
Sharon Siebuhr adopted a nine-year-old alcohol-exposed girl who is losing her subsidy through "means testing." Plans to adopt a second child are now on hold.
The cuts place Missouri "in the forefront of a national trend in putting children in harm's way," said Ira Lustbader, associate director of New York-based Children's Rights Inc. "It will save the state dollars at the expense of foster children ... who will languish in foster care."
Tell this story to your Republican neighbor or that Republican guy at work and see what they say. Then tell him that the Democratic Party will always fight for giving our children a better life and will protect programs that improve their lives. It is not moral to try to balance budgets by hurting children and families. Especially when insurance and big business are getting the best tax breaks, incentives, and giveaways in our state's history.
And finally, remember Stephanie Rubach who "campaigned vigorously" for Blunt and now feels let down by him and is disappointed in him as a governor. That speaks volumes. The tide is turning. Oh yeah, I've also attached some nice reading about the Governor to give to your republican friend or neighbor. Keep up the good work!
Phil LeVota
Chairman
Jackson County Democratic Committee
11. Here's a chance to help out if you can! Thanks. K
Hello. On Monday (Labor Day) our family is delivering supplies to “Heart to Heart International” for disaster relief. The items requested are: personal hygiene products, first aid and infant care items, and other items for disaster clean-up.
If you have time over the weekend and would like to help, please drop the items off at our house (any time) and we’ll deliver on Monday. If you can’t get here, give me a call and we will be happy to pick-up.
The address is:
9815 Sagamore Road (West of State Line, between 103rd and 98th Street)
Thanks Much!
Geduldig Familiy
12. If you get a chance to swing by with a donation, this would be great! K
Hi Kristin! I know you have a huge email address list so I was hoping you could pass this message along to everyone. If anyone is able to help they could drop the clothes off at my house this weekend 5252 Sunset Drive KCMO. Someone is coming by Monday morning to pick up the donations. Thanks for anything you can do. It's greatly appreciated. Best regards, Theresa Freilich
Here are the specifics:
I spoke with the local man, Bryant Williams, & one of the mothers (his sister) who evacuated from NO to KC. She arrived in her slippers! There are 10 kids total, 9 adults… 19 total. They are living in tents in the backyard & air mattresses in Bryant's home.
All clothing/shoe sizes are below… but the sister said pretty much anything is fine. Please keep in mind that cold weather will be here before we know it, so any seasonal clothing is welcomed. I did include adults, just in case there's stuff out there, but I did tell the family we are focusing on children. They were tearfully thankful!
Girls
# of Children & Age Clothing Size Shoe Size
2 4-year old twins 5 9 & 10 kids
1 5-year old 6 11 1/2 & 12 kids
2 12-year olds 5 & 6 junior 7 & 8 1/2 adult
1 18-year old 7/8 adult 9 adult
Boys
# of Children & Age Clothing Size Shoe Size
1 10-year old 14 5 1/2 adult
1 13-year old 14 8 adult
1 15-year old 34x32 8 1/2 adult
1 17-year old 36x32 9 1/2 adult
Adults (if interested)
Ladies sizes 7/8, 9/10, 11/12 & 13/14
--mother in wheelchair is 20 1/2 & is a double leg amputee, no shoes
shoe sizes 8, 8 1/2 & 10
Men's sizes 36x34 (2 brothers) & 40/32 (father)
shoe sizes 9 1/2 & 11
I will collect through Monday for Tuesday delivery. Let me know if I missed anything or if you think of something else. Other needs included toiletries of all kinds.
___________________________
Paula J Keltner
Director of Campus Life
keltnerp@william.jewell.edu
www.jewell.edu

13.
Please join the Committee for County Progress in welcoming Governor Tom Vilsack Democratic Governor of Iowa in recognizing Marsha Campbell Former State Representative 2005 Harry Wiggins Public Service Award Recipient to be presented by Claire McCaskill Missouri State Auditor
Friday, October 21, 2005
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Twenty/20 Restaurant
2020 Baltimore - in the Freight House District
Sponsored by
Andrea and Steve Bough
Rep. John Burnett
Jack Campbell
Beth Gottstein
Greater KC-Women's Political Caucus
Judy and Jim Heeter
Nancy and David Kenner
Rep. Paul LeVota
Pat McInerney
James B. Nutter, Sr.
Dick Rhyne
Terry Satterlee
Dale Youngs
Contribution: $50, Checks Payable to CCP
14. Yolanda Wheat personally supports and speaks highly of Senator Stabenow. Works for me, K
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver
The Honorable Karen McCarthy
Congressman Dennis Moore
Congressman Ike Skelton
The Honorable Alan Wheat
Invite you to join U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) For a Political Update and Breakfast
Monday, September 12th, 2005 8:00AM
Third Ranking Member of U.S. Senate Democratic Leadership Team
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Committee on the Budget
The Fairmont Hotel
The Rooftop Ballroom
401 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64112
$250 to attend; $2,000 to HOST
Please RSVP to Yolanda Wheat at 816.931.8111 or ywheat@kc.rr.com
Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Debbie Stabenow made history in 2000 when she became the first woman from the State of Michigan elected to the United States Senate. She has become one of Michigan’s most influential and accomplished leaders. After only four years in the U.S. Senate, she has been elected to the third ranking Democratic leadership position, giving Michigan a stronger voice in Washington. She is a respected leader in Congress, leading debates on our nation’s budget and manufacturing issues, and becoming the Senate’s “go to” person on the issue of health care and prescription drugs. She was named head of the Senate Health Care Task Force for her Caucus in the last Congress. In her new leadership post, she is a leading voice in the fight to keep Social Security secure and ensure its solvency through the 21st century. Michigan’s Macomb Daily said Stabenow “has earned the respect of her colleagues in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans.”
Senator Stabenow has already achieved important successes in the United States Senate, authoring the first ever federal ban on drilling for oil and gas in our Great Lakes; leading efforts to pass a $2 billion tax cut giving manufacturers incentives for job creation in the U.S., rather than overseas; mobilizing thousands of citizens in the fight to stop the dumping of Canadian trash in Michigan; and authoring anti money-laundering amendments after September 11th to make it difficult for terrorists and drug dealers to hide the money that finances their criminal networks.
Senator Stabenow’s leadership and experience were rewarded with key Senate committee assignments including the Budget Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Senator Stabenow is unwavering in her commitment to Israel and has a 100% voting record on legislation in support of Israel. She is a tireless advocate protecting a woman’s right to choose and a strong defender of our natural resources and environment.
Elected in 2000 with only 49% of the vote, Stabenow is at the top of the national Republicans’ list of Senate targets in 2006. John Kerry narrowly won Michigan in 2004. In 2006 the state will once again be a battleground as Senator Stabenow faces her first re-election campaign.
Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Paid for by Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
Stabenow for U.S. Senate
122 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202)485-3138
Fax: (202)485-3137
Yes! I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $4,200. (Maximum allowable per individual under law.)
____I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $2,000 at this time.
____I would like to support U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow with a contribution of $250 at this time.
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Please make checks payable to Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
If you prefer to pay by personal credit card, please fill out the following information.
Contribution Amount:_____________________
_ Visa _ MasterCard _ American Express
Card Number:________________________________Exp.__________
Name on Card:_______________________________________________
Signature:___________________________________________________
Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle.
Name:____________________________________________________
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Contributions or gifts to Stabenow for US Senate are not tax deductible.
Paid for by Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
15. Here's yet another opportunity to close out our blog session! K
FOR INFORMATION: CONTACT BOO TYSON AT 913-649-3326
MAYOR KAY BARNES HONOREE AT MAINstream BRUNCH
The MAINstream Education Foundation is planning the 4th annual Stand-Up, Speak Out brunch, which will be held at the Carriage Club on Sunday, October 30, at noon. Valet parking will be available.
The honoree for the Robert Meneilly Stand Up, Speak Out Award will be the Honorable Kay Barnes. “Mayor Barnes has long stood up and spoken out for MAINstream’s major commitment of supporting the separation of church and state,” said Dr. Meneilly. Former Senator Audrey Langworthy will make the presentation.
Mary Abbott, Ann Slegman Isenberg, and Sue Houdek are the chairs of the event. Committee members are Susie Forker, Donna Burkhead, Sarah Ingram-Eiser, and Ellen Laner.
Tickets cost $65. For information about arranging a table or making a reservation, call the MAINstream office at 913-649-3326.
