news aggregator

Around 38 years ago, then-President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election. The announcement was the culmination of the War in Vietnam that had cost the lives of tens of thousands of serviceman and women, wounded many thousands more, and killed hundreds of thousands of civilians—all for the sake of fighting an ideology that had nothing to do with the reality of governance or even the realities of our national security.

I remember how horrified I was to see our troops come home to an unwelcoming America that had been polarized by the war and struggled with the notion that we had "lost." Most of these troops had not gone to Viet Nam by choice. They were draftees. These men, women, and their families bore the brunt of an America that was mired in failure and confusion. Make no mistake, this failure and confusion was the responsibility of our highest elected officials and their policy wonks who incredibly misunderstood that we were fighting on the wrong side of a war of independence; a failure by leaders who never had to bear the true consequences of the war, or even be held accountable.

As a young teenager, I remember feeling that sense of failure. I remember the feeling of relief that the War in Viet Nam was over. And I remember the resolve and feeling that no human being of my generation could possibly be incompetent, immoral, and dishonest enough to repeat these same mistakes over again.

On the third anniversary of the start of the War in Iraq, Lyndon Johnson looks like General Eisenhower.

We all know why.

And we all know that the outcome of the War in Iraq must be different. We honor those who serve our country by praying for their safe and speedy return home. We also honor them by making sure that justice comes to those who have been so incompetent and dishonest in the prosecution of the War in Iraq, the war on terror, and so divided this country.

Let's finish the job. Let's bring the President to justice. Because the lessons of Vietnam have taught us that only justice will ensure that no President, member of Congress, or policy bureaucrat ever brings this kind of dishonor to our country and our Democratic institutions again.

In an excerpt from Susan Straight's new novel, a mixed-race slave girl tries to outwit her captors.

Bill Monroe is the organizer of the DFA Columbia in Missouri.

The Ashland Senior Center was packed as a politically diverse crowd gathered to voice their concerns about the Bush Administration's planned yard sale of our Mark Twain National Forest land to "Fund roads and schools". Democracy for Missouri played a hand in spreading the word about this gathering organized by Steve Hollis and an ad hoc non-partisan group of Forest neighbors.

Rep. Judy Baker, Democrat from the 25th District,
strongly opposes the sale

This event drew folks from all over mid-Missouri including elected officials and Candidates as well as Forest Service officials and was covered by TV Stations from Columbia, Jeffersn City and St Louis. This is a National issue. Hopefully similar meetings are happening all over the Country. Click here for an article on the sale and here for local news coverage of this event. Click the picture above for more pics...

The call to action from this meeting, is that we need to contact the Forest Service and our elected Representatives NOW during the 30 day "comment period" to stop this and other sales around the Country. Write:

USDA Forest Service
SRS Comments, Land4S
1400 Independence AVE. SW, Mailstop 1124
Washington DC 20250-0003

Or visit the brand-new US Forest for Sale site.

—Bill Monroe

House approves $92 billion for wars and Katrina cleanup

The House voted 348-71 today, approving $92 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as for Hurricane Katrina cleanup. The amount was slightly less than what the president sought. Bush praised the House vote and urged the Senate follow suit. Despite concerns over budget shortfalls, both House Republicans and Democrats were reluctant to vote against the measure because doing so could have invited election-year criticism that lawmakers were abandoning soldiers or hurricane victims.

Abramoff's sentencing delayed

A federal judge delayed sentencing Jack Abramoff today in response to his prosecutors' request to further the former lobbyist's cooperation with their investigation. Citing Abramoff's cooperation, investigators wanted to defer sentencing until at least June, as opposed to holding a status conference next week that could have lead to Abramoff's sentencing. In January, Abramoff plead guilty to charges of conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion.

Controversy over St. Patrick's day parade

Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day Parade committee chairman John Dunleavy fueled controversy when he refused to allow the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization from participating in the biggest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world. The Roman Catholic event organizers have long refused to let gays and lesbians march as a group in the parade because the church believes homosexuality is wrong. Dunleavy compared allowing a gay group to join the march to allowing neo-Nazis to participate in an Israeli parade.

—Meredith Adams

This satirical film about a conscience-challenged tobacco lobbyist has a few glimmers of inspiration but never quite catches fire.

Please take a few minutes and complete Democracy for America's new 2006 membership survey. Unlike many other organizations, DFA is built from the bottom-up, not the top-down. Your feedback and support is the foundation of everything that Democracy for America does.

The 2006 DFA membership survey will help us determine more about the interests and priorities of DFA members across the country. It will also help us develop future initiatives and campaigns to fit the interests of DFA members.

www.democracyforamerica.com/survey

Thank you!

Philip Weiss explores why a New York theater company backed off from producing a celebrated play about the life and death of a young American activist in Gaza.

“I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq..."

NCAA Tournament Day 1: Two upsets make it seem like pandemonium's broken out, and we got three.

Forget those reports saying there were no WMDs, the House GOP chairman of the intelligence committee keeps hope alive.

IRAQ: Three Years Late And A Dollar Short

With this week marking the third year anniversary of the war in Iraq, it is more important than ever to send responsible leaders to Washington. Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch are two of these leaders—that's why Democracy for America is supporting them for the United States Senate and House of Representatives from Vermont.

Time and again, Bernie has stood up to the radical right-wing and fought for our agenda. As the only Independent member of Congress, Bernie has focused on the needs of the people—working families, the middle class, the elderly, children and the poor. This year, he's running to take his unique brand of independence to the United States Senate.

But it's not going to be easy. Bernie is up against the richest man in Vermont, someone with virtually unlimited wealth, who has already given his campaign over $2 million and is on pace to spend more money per voter than any other Senate candidate in history.

Bernie also faces the smear tactics of the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," the infamous right-wing group. Their leader, John O'Neill, wrote in an e-mail that he is on "A mission to stop the most dangerous liberal in America from winning election to the U.S. Senate," Bernie Sanders.

Bernie has earned the admiration of DFA members across Vermont, but he needs your help to fight back against the Republican money machine. Please contribute to his campaign today:

www.democracyforamerica.com/vtcandidates

No one understands better than Bernie what is at stake in Vermont, which is why both he and DFA are supporting Peter Welch for the United States Congress in one of the top 10 House races in the country.

Peter has led the fight for better health care, renewable energy, and fiscal responsibility as a state senate leader. He's passionate about demanding accountability for the President's misguided policies and putting a stop to this rubber-stamp Congress. And we can count on Peter to follow in Bernie's footsteps as a champion of working Americans on Capitol Hill.

Peter's Republican opponent has also hired the media firm famous for creating the "Swift Boat" ads that attacked John Kerry and has even taken GOP money from Tom DeLay's protégé, Roy Blunt. Vermont can only anticipate what is on the way.

The choice in Vermont's congressional race is simple. Please join us in supporting Peter Welch for Congress today:

www.democracyforamerica.com/vtcandidates

Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch have great records of support for working families. They will continue to work hard for all Americans, but they need your help now in order to win in November.

contribute.democracyforamerica.com/candidates

Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,

Jim Dean
Chair

Did Cruise get "South Park" episode yanked? Are Brad and Angelina getting hitched at Clooney's place? Plus: Neverland never more.

In the "Polar Bear Capital of the World," vanishing ice is threatening to wipe out the polar bears -- and the town's livelihood. But Churchill's inhabitants say they'll survive.

U.C. Berkeley journalists traveled the world to report on the front lines of climate change.

Bush bankrupts the nation paying for a needless war -- while cutting budgets that could protect us against catastrophes like bird flu.

The pilot goes home again and uncovers the deeper meaning of airports.

Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving battle a totalitarian state and its Bill O'Reilly-like mouthpieces in this simplistic adaptation of the pessimistic comic series.

Now that they're aging, should I just let it go?

In Part 2 of his report on the press in Baghdad, Orville Schell attends a pathetic "party" at Fox News and endures surreal Bush spin in the Green Zone.