Friday, July 4, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue (if little reported), .Barack can't eat his waffles but he can waffle, Ralph Nader takes his presidential campaign to the people and more.   Starting with war resistance.  Brett Clarkson and Jason Buckland (Toronto Sun) report US war resister Corey Glass, scheduled to be deported from Canada July 10th, is believing nothing "until he receives a DD 214 -- a form from the US department of defence that confirms he has been discharged from active duty service -- he can still be charged when he returns to the U.S."  Lindsey Weibe (Winnipeg Free Press) reports that supports of US war resisters staged a sit-in at the "Pembina Highway office of Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge yesterday".      In the US, Courage to Resist is planning "July 9th actions at Canadian Consulates nationwide:" Join a vigil and delegation to a Canadian consulate near you on Wednesday, July 9th to support war resisters! On the eve of Corey Glass' possible deportation, we will demand, "Dear Canada: Abide by the June 3rd resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" More details and cities to be confirmed soon! Washington DC - Time TBA - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace. Info: TBA San Francisco - Noon to 1pm - 580 California St (map). Sponsored by Courage to Resist. Info: 510-488-3559; courage(at)riseup.net Seattle - Time TBA - 1501 4th Ave (map). Sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Info: 206-499-1220; projectsafehaven(at)hotmail.com Dallas - Time TBA - 750 North St Paul St (map). Sponsored by North Texas for Justice and Peace. Info: 214-718-6362; hftomlinson(at)riseup.net New York City - Noon to 1pm - 1251 Avenue of the Americas (map). Sponsored by War Resisters' League. Info: 212-228-0450; wrl(at)warresisters.org Philadelphia - Time TBA - 1650 Market St (map). Sponsored by Payday Network. Info: 215-848-1120; payday(at)paydaynet.org Minneapolis - Time TBA - 701 Fourth Ave S (map). Info: TBA Los Angeles - Noon to 1pm - 550 South Hope St (map). Sponsored by Progressive Democrats LA. Info: pdlavote(at)aol.com Help organize a vigil at one of these other Canadian Consulates: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh, Phoenix, or San Diego. Please contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559. Veterans for Peace issued a joint call with Courage to Resist and Project Safe Haven for July 9th vigils at Canadian Consulates: "Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!" Contact us if you can help organize a vigil, or can otherwise get involved. Locations of the 22 Canadian Consulates in the United States. Recently on June 3rd the Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion to officially welcome war resisters! It now appears, however, that the Conservative government may disregard the motion. Iraq combat veteran turned courageous war resister, 25-year-old Sgt. Corey Glass of the Indiana National Guard is still scheduled to be deported July 10th. We will ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters. Join Courage to Resist, Veterans for Peace, and Project Safe Haven at Canadian Consulates across the United States (Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles confirmed--more to be announced). We mailed and delivered over 10,000 of the original letters to Canadian officials. Please sign the new letter, "Dear Canada: Abide by resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" http://www.couragetoresist.org/canada    To pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca").  Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote.  Now they've started a new letter you can use online here.  The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here.   There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).   It's Fourth of July weekend.  Reuters made it through it without filing a single "Factbox" report of the violence.  Not everyone had the day off . . .   Bombings?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 Baghdad roadside bombings resulting in four people being wounded.  And dropping back to Thursday, MNF announced today, "Two local nationals were killed and one was wounded when an explosion occurred near the Yarmouk Hospital in west Baghdad at approximately 8:55 p.m., July 3."   Shootings?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 Iraqi civilian shot dead and two more wounded by US forces as they were driving on a highway and that they shot dead the a six-year-old girl, wounded four of her brother and her mother as they stormed into the home of Hasen Atiyah al-Iqabi in Baquba.   Corpses?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad.   Turning to the US presidential race.  Barack Obama?  Arab News notes, "For Obama, who recently changed his positions on campaign finance and a wiretapping law, the suggestion that he was also changing course on a central premise of his candidacy holds particular peril. While Obama has long said he would consult commanders in the field when withdrawing troops, that point might have been lost on many Democratic primary voters who supported his call to end the war."  What's going on?  A bit of reality on War Hawk Barack. Suzanne Goldenberg (Guardian of London) puts it this way, ".Barack Obama was yesterday fending off charges from right and left that he had abandoned the core premise of his candidacy - the withdrawal of all US combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office - in an attempt to attract voters from the political centre." Suzanne's a little out of it.  So were Katrina vanden Heuvel and Arianna Huffington on ABC's This Week last Sunday.  Withdrawal in 16 months?  That's 'so January 2008.'  Barack promised withdrawal of all (combat) troops within 10 months in a speech in Houston, Texas.  Always one to carry water for Barack, Tom Hayden immediately penned "End the War in 2009" (which popped up online at The Nation, Feb. 20th and elsewhere a bit later). Hayden: "In his victory speech in Texas Tuesday, Barack Obama promised to end the Iraq war in 2009, a new commitment that parallels recent opinion pieces in The Nation.  Prior to his Houston remarks, Obama's previous position favored an American combat troop withdrawal over a sixteen-to-eighteen-month timeframe.  He has been less specific on the number and mission of any advisors he would elave behind."  (The Texas primary was in March.  Barack was in Texas campaigning, for any more confused than usual by Tom-Tom's bad-bad writing.)  Texas community members saw the 10 month 'promise' pushed in advertising as well as on the campaign trail.  Those were his words (and Tom-Tom notes 'words matter') so let's all drop the nonsense that Barack's plan was 16 months (or at least leave the lying to Katrina who's become so very good at it).  Goldenberg's uninformed, ignorant or lying -- take your pick.  In her piece (dated tomorrow), she traces the uproar to Thursday when Barack said he might 'refine' his Iraq 'plan.'  If that's when the uproar started, is Arianna Huffington psychic?  Arianna was calling him out for 'refining' on Iraq Sunday on This Week. More water carrying from the allegedly 'independent' Guardian of London (which never wrote about the Downing Street Memos because 'independence' did not include informing people that Tony Blair lied England into an illegal war -- no time for 'truth-telling'  while Blair was in office at any rate.)  CNN reports that presumed GOP presidential candidate John McCain and the RNC are calling Barack a "flip-flopper" and they quote Barack's 'clarification' where Barack lies and says he has always said 16 months.  No, Barack, you went to ten months in February.  AP reports he celebrated the 4th of July in Butte, Montana (Kansas, he's done with you, he got what he needed) eating a hot dog. Tom Baldwin (Times of London) observes, "Grassroots activists whose energy and donations have helped to propel Barack Obama towards the White House are suddenly choking on the bitter pill of disillusion. In less than a month since clinching the Democratic nomination, he has performed a series of policy pirouettes to assuage concerns about his candidacy among a wider and more conservative electorate." Geoff Elliott (The Australian) points out, "Barack Obama has started a dramtic reversal of the policies that helped him defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination, softening hardlines stances on the Iraq war and troop withdrawals. Campaigning in North Dakota, Senator Obama said that while the US could not sustain a long-term presence in Iraq, his trip to the Gulf nation this month might prompt him to "refine my policies" on the war." John Bentley (CBS News) quotes Brian Rogers of the McCain campaign stating, "Today, Barack Obama reversed that position, proving once again his words do not matter. He has now adopted John McCain's position that we cannot risk the progress we have made in Iraq by beginning to withdraw our troops immediately without concern for conditions on the ground. Now that Barack Obama has changed course and proven his past positions to be just empty words, we would like to congratulate him on taking John McCain's principled stand on this critical national security issue. If he had visited Iraq sooner or actually had a one-on-one meeting with Gen. Petraeus, he would have changed his position long ago."  Jonathan Weisman (Washington Post) terms it Barack exploring "the possibility of slowing a promised, gradual withdrawal from Iraq". NPR has two audio reports here. How bad it is?  A friend just called to laugh at ____'s latest nonsense.  In place of a now killed feature for Third, we may address ____'s latest nonsense and his plethora of lies throughout the campaign.  Poor ____, it's even harder to airbrush out reality today than it was following his expulsion from the Red Family commune in his "smash the state" days (when he fancied himself Chris Jones in Wild In The Street).    Ralph Nader is opposed to the illegal war and has always been opposed to it.  He called it before it started and throughout.  He has not waffled like Saint Barack.  Yesterday he spoke at the University of Hawaii-Manou. Craig Gima (Honolulu Star-Bulletin) reports:    In a news conference before the speech, Nader said Hawaii voters are being marginalized by the major candidates. "When political candidates do not campaign in a state, voter turnout suffers," Nader said, adding that he has campaigned in all 50 states in the last two elections. Nader said he supports the Akaka Bill and native Hawaiian rights, and said Hawaii should be a model for the rest of the country in renewable energy. "This is the only place in the world where every form of renewable energy occurs," he said. Nader also said that if elected he would push for universal health care, an increase in the minimum wage to $10 an hour and the repeal of what he called the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act.   Derrick DePledge (Honolulu Advertiser) notes that no presidential candidate has campaigned in Hawaii since Richard Nixon in 1960, notes Nader is already on the ballot in Hawaii for the presidential election and quotes him explaining, ""I didn't start running for president until the doors started closing in Washington against consumer, environmental, labor and other citizen groups. So when you don't have a chance to have a chance to improve your country on Capitol Hill and before the regulatory agencies, you either close up shop and go to Monterey and watch the whales or you go into the electoral arena."  Third Party Watch covers it here. Ahead of the apperance KHNL, AP and KITV reported on it. Thursday the Reno Gazette Journal reported Nader's campaign had turned in their signatures to be on the ballot in Nevada.  The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the campaign collected 12,000 signatures -- far more than needed to qualify. KRNV reports that if the Democrats attempt any of the manuevers they did in 2004, the Nader campaign will fight it.   The Nader Team notes:     Declare your independence from the flip-floppers McCain and Obama. Drop $4 now on Nader/Gonzalez for the Fourth of July weekend. Thank you. As you enjoy your Fourth of July weekend with friends and family, keep an eye on Nader/Gonzalez: Ralph Nader will appear on CNN and C-Span this weekend. Steve Scully's interview of Ralph will run on C-Span twice on Sunday night at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. EST. You can also watch on line now here. CNN's Rick Sanchez interview with Ralph will run on Saturday night. Ralph is a huge sports fan. Check out Dave Zirin's recent interview with Nader on sports here. And Dan Patrick's Sports Illustrated interview here. When Ralph Nader was growing up in Winsted, Connecticut, his hero was Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig. Gehrig was known as the Iron Horse for his stamina and persistence. (Now you know where Ralph gets it.) Ralph is campaigning in Hawaii this weekend. See story here. Nader/Gonzalez will be on the ballot in Nevada. See story here. We here at the Nader/Gonzalez campaign are pumped about the possibilities this summer. Ralph is polling at 6 percent. We'd like to bump it to ten percent and get Ralph into the Presidential debates. We're shooting for 45 states by September. And the possibilities of a three way race. Two flip floppers. And the real deal. So, drop four dollars now on the real deal. And declare your independence from the flip-flopping, corporate controlled McCain and Obama. Together, we are making a difference. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend. Onward The Nader Team

When [Corey] Glass was discharged from active service in December 2006, he was put in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), [US army Major Nathan] Banks said, for soldiers who have served active duty but have time left on their military contract. Glass, who signed up in 2002, would have IRR status until 2010.Of the 1.7 million U.S. military personnel who have served in Iraq since the start of the war, a little more than 5,000 have been from the IRR., Banks said."His chances of getting called up are slim to none," Banks said. But that chance is still there, he acknowledged.
Glass said until he receives a DD 214 -- a form from the U.S. department of defence that confirms he has been discharged from active service duty -- he can still be charged when he returns to the U.S.
He said military lawyers have told him if he shows up to Muster, he will be charged for AWOL desertion."The only contact the Army has had with me is they called my mother to tell her what a disgrace I was," he said of his mom, Lisa, who lives in Indiana.

That's from Brett Clarkson and Jason Buckland's "Resister still wary of U.S. " (Toronto Sun) and Clarkson and Buckland are obviously 'in the tank with the Pentagon'. That last part was sarcasm (they're not 'in the tank' -- see previous entry for what I'm referring to). Staying with the topic of war resistance in Canada, Lindsey Wiebe's "Activists target Bruinooge's office" (Winnipeg Free Press) notes:

Half a dozen Winnipeggers staked out the Pembina Highway office of Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge yesterday to support American war deserters seeking refuge in Canada.
"These people are refusing to serve in Iraq on conscientious grounds," said Michael Welch, a peace activist who helped organize the rally in front of Bruinooge's strip-mall office."I do definitely feel that there is a call to stand in solidarity with them."

Which is actually a follow up to the paper's "U.S. deportee gains local support:"

Michael Welch is planning to be at Bruinooge's office at 4 p.m. and said that he will not leave voluntarily until Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley rescinds the order to deport Corey Glass.

Jillian notes this from the Ralph Nader campaign:

Need Roadtrippers Now

Ralph Nader said on ABC's This Week that the Nader/Gonzalez campaign will be on at least 45 states in November.

Well, time to get it done.

Need a summer job?

We've got one for you.

Become a Roadtripper for Ralph.

Collect signatures to put the Nader/Gonzalez team on the ballot.

Optimum profile for a Roadtripper for Ralph - energetic, youthful spirit, personable, fun loving, adventure seeking, democracy warrior.

Check out Ralph making the pitch for more roadtrippers in this video.

Interested? Contact mark@votenader.org.

By the way, in case you didn't notice, on Saturday, we launched our campaign to raise $40,000 in ten days - by July 6.

You did it in six days.

Kaboom!

Thanks to you, Nader/Gonzalez will be on the ballot in ten states, as promised, by July 6.

Our goal - 45 states by September 15.

We must now thank all of our roadtrippers. (Pictured above - our Illinois road trip crew turning in their signatures last week.)

You help fund them.

But they go out - day in and day out - and collect the necessary signatures to put Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot.

Our nationwide team has been busting it all around this country.

Today, our crew in Nevada will turn in 12,000 signatures - more than twice the 5,000 needed.

As they say - what was collected in Nevada, stays in Nevada.

And as a result, Nader/Gonzalez will be on the ballot in that key swing state.

Thank you and congratulations Nevada road trip crew.

Finally, why we are doing all of this?

We are doing this because we have no alternative.

McCain is the candidate of perpetual war.

Obama is the corporate Democrat and panderer in chief. (Still doubt it? Check out this article in the New York Times documenting his flip-flop on telecom immunity and the political fallout.)

Let's keep our eye on the ball.

And get it done.

By the way, Ralph is in Honolulu, Hawaii tonight for a campaign speech and rally. If you are in the area, please stop by.

Onward

The Nader Team

PS: We invite your comments to the blog.

Your contribution could be doubled. Public campaign financing may match your contribution total up to $250.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

iraq
corey glass
brett clarkson
jason buckland
lindsey wiebe

********* e-mails and apparently didn't check out the notice to the left. I'll publish any damn e-mail I want.

***** wants me to know that Corey Glass is "inactive, not discharged," that ABC News was "working with the Pentagon," and wants to lecture me about research.

My job isn't to do whatever you want, however you want.

I'm getting real sick of the ineffective Canadian 'helpers' to begin with. For instance, a wife of a war resister could have become a citizen years ago. If she had, she, her children and her husband would be safe -- all of them. But somehow no one bothered to explain that to her, no 'helper.' I don't know if it's ignorance or a desire to 'see it through' on the part of the left in Canada. But someone should have told her, "The minute you become a citizen, no one is going to deport your husband. The minute you're a citizen, they can't touch ___. If they try to deport him, it will be, 'Canadian government breaking up home.'" But that was never conveyed. Now why is that?

Considering all the CRAP the bulk of you put out when you speak to the media and ALL the DAMAGE it does, **** needs to take his criticism back across the border, *****, and shove it up his ass.

How many times are 'helpful' Canadians going to speak to the press and LIE that Canada, during Vietnam, "took in draft dodgers so we should take in today's war resisters"?

How about you focus on patrolling your own 'movement' in Canada because, from the United States, you're not doing a great deal that qualifies as 'helping'.

Flipping through the April through June 1969 volume of my journal, what do I see? I see a New York Times article I clipped and pasted in all those years ago. The date of it is May 23, 1969. The reporter is Jay Walz, the title is "Canada to Admit Any U.S. Deserter." (Subtitle "Border Officials No Longer to Decide on Entries.") Do you get it, *****?

Do you need the first ____ing paragaraph?

OTTAWA, May 22 -- The Government decided today to allow United States military deserters to enter Canada and, unless they are otherwise ineligible, to let them stay.

"Let them stay." Gee, *****, the title of a recent documentary.

And here's the thing, you rude ass, all the 'helpful' ones saying, "Draft dodgers were let in!"? They're not doing to a damn thing to help today.

There is no draft today.

Canada allowed US deserters to enter the country, to have landed immigrant status and they were not at risk of deportation.

Instead of addressing that historical reality, the 'helpers' in Canada can be found in one damn article after another saying, "Well we let draft dodgers stay."

A meme's taken hold that hurts today's war resisters. The battle today would be SO MUCH easier if people could stick to historical facts. There would be no need to play the crap-ass game of, "We let draft dodgers stay then so now we should let deserters."

Canada welcomed US war resisters -- whether they were evading the draft or whether they were deserting. The draft wasn't an issue for the Canadian government, Canada had no draft. The argument should have been -- all along -- "We let deserters stay during Vietnam, it's time to do the same today." Instead, because 'helpers' refuse to do that, all the right-wing outlets in Canada toss out the meme of "The difference is that back then there was a draft and we were just welcoming draft dodgers."

The draft didn't matter at all. Not in terms of what the Canadian government did. Draft evader, deserter, you could receive landed immigrant status. If you were a deserter, there was no Q&A to determine whether you were deserting after being drafted or if you enlisted, there was no statement you had to swear to that you were drafted.

So why don't you work on getting out the truth in Canada and leave me the ___ alone?

I've watched this process unfold since the start of the illegal war and watched in shock as history was rewritten. The bulk of the people I've helped go to Canada in this illegal war stay underground. And the reason is because I've stated repeatedly, "I don't know what they're doing and I don't think they know what they're doing." "They" meaning the 'helpers.'

But I've bit my tongue here on the 'helpers' and figured, "That's the Canadians job to worry about." I'm not going to bite my tongue when some rude 'helper' wants to sound off about things he knows nothing about. (Go back and read those entries, you dumb ass, I stated we would be addressing the spin at Third on Sunday.) Want to fire back across the border, let's have at it.

And let's tell the truth about one of the reasons Canadians aren't being honest. There was a huge split in the war resister movement back in the day. Not usually among the war resisters themselves, but among the 'helpers.' Prior to the policy of 1969, there were a lot of 'helpers' who didn't want to do a damn thing to help deserters. They wanted to focus on draft evaders because (a) they saw themselves as taking down a US military policy and (b) draft resisters were judged to be more 'sympathetic.'

As someone involved in the underground railroad back then, I damn well know who was a draft evader and who was a deserter. I can flip through any volume of the journal and find names, presented in the press today as 'draft dodgers,' who were in fact deserters.

I don't know why that is. Maybe some think it makes them more 'respectable.' (Some I'm still in touch with tell me they're told to, quote, "cool it.") But I know that those of us helping people get into Canada back then think today that some of the deserters need to come out of the damn closet already and quit posing as 'draft dodgers.'

I know that anyone with half a brain would have grasped that -- with no draft today -- you don't waste time talking about some stupid draft. I know that anyone with half a brain would have gathered Vietnam deserters in Toronto for a press conference where they stated, "We deserted and we were allowed to stay." That's the only thing that would have put a rest to this LIE that Canada only accepted draft dodgers.

Once that press conference took place, it would no longer be a question of asking Canada (wrongly) to expand the welcome they gave during Vietnam to 'include' deserters. (Canada also took in deserters in the eighties. Does today's movement know a damn thing about that or what country the deserters came from? From this side of the border, it doesn't appear that they do.) By telling the historical truth, the argument would be: We took in deserters then and we need to do so now.

If you can't grasp the difference, then you're an idiot. As it's argued today, you're asking people to add-on to what they did before -- to add the category of 'deserter' to what Canada has welcomed in the past. The reality is Canada welcomed deserters during Vietnam. Instead of making the strongest case possible, you start from a position of weakness and beg Canadians to 'expand' a category -- a category that already exists.

Pierre Trudeau's son is trotted out for a press conference and he doesn't even know what his father did? How the hell does that happen? Exactly how are the 'helpers' helping anyone? There's Junior going on about how his father allowed 'draft dodgers' to stay in Canada. When he did that weeks ago, I didn't call him out. My mouth dropped in shock -- at his words and at the failure of any 'helper' to correct him. But I took the attitude of, "Oh, well, that's their problem, that's their issue." But you want to e-mail and slam me when you don't even know what I've written?

Canadian 'helpers' have had five years to get their act together and they still can't do it. They can't even tell the basic truths such as "We welcomed deserters during Vietnam."

It reminds me a great deal of the 'help' the 'helpers' provided in the early seventies (on through 1978) which was no help to deserters. Deserters were basically forming their own collective/union (Amex-Canada was one of the locales) and they were repeatedly told (by 'helpers') that they were 'hurting the cause' and that they needed to take 'a lower profile.' How did that work out?

It worked out that deserters got no amnesty from the US. (Ford's program was a joke. Carter ignored them.) It worked out that some deserters now pass themselves off as draft evaders because we must not have any 'conflict' in the movement. It's time to stop 'smoothing' over the truth for the egos of the 'helpers.'

You want to help, *****? You start calling out everyone who lies and denies that Canada welcomed deserters during Vietnam.

You want to help, ******? Stage a symposium in which 'helpers' examine how they didn't help war resisters in the seventies. 1969 was the change that found deserters and draft dodgers officially and legally welcomed in Canada. What happened after that?

A lot of tsk-tsking at deserters who took their grievances with the US public. A lot of telling them they were hurting the 'movement' (what ___ing movement?). Telling them that demanding amnesty [from the US government] was hurting the 'movement.' Making them feel that they were damaging something (there was nothing to damage -- at that point the 'movement' was nothing but a way to bump up the local economy and boost tourism). And bit by bit, 'helpers' succeeded in clamping down. As a result, a Vietnam deserter going into the US today faces likely imprisonment. Way to go, Canadian 'helpers,' you were so 'smart,' you were so 'wise,' and so very damn 'helpful.'

Nixon had been pardoned. After that, there was no reason anyone couldn't have been. But it would have required real resistance, real work and real demonstrations. But deserters trying to do just that were repeatedly told to 'pipe down' and warned that they were 'hurting' the movement. This went on well past the end of the war in Vietnam.

Now I call out the 'movement' in the US regularly and bite my tongue on Canada but not when I get some 'video artiste' ranting at me (for something I didn't do) in an e-mail. When that happens, biting my tongue ends.

The ABC News report was a report. If you didn't like it, hold a press conference and we'll cover that. Are the 'helpers' in Canada today so stupid that they don't even know how to get press?

Calling out an American broadcast network gets media attention (in Canada and it travels back to the US). My goodness, what idiots. Is it true, it is false? Go back to what I wrote and trying reading it, you dumb ass.

But in terms of publicity, ABC News reported something. Call it out and get publicity. Don't waste my time with your insulting private e-mails. How pathetic. If you're symbolic of the 'best' of the 'helpers,' no wonder nothing's been accomplished.

The media's not interested in "I refuse to serve in the illegal war." They were never overly interested in that topic to begin with. In the US, by the time Camilo Mejia was first being reported on, they'd lost interest in the topic. They want conflict. A father and son who support one another but have differences over a stand? It's conflict. The media will report that. They'll do it as a human interest story but it will get the story out at a time when NO stories are getting out. A war resister is reported on falsely? That would be conflict.

The media does not exist to tell the same story over and over. That's why the 'campaign' reporters 'invent' details regularly. They drum up the conflict (creating it when it's not there). Instead of e-mailing me, dumb ass, try grasping what the media situation/environment is and figuring out that your let-me-make-charges-and-hide-in-private-in-an-e-mail is a waste of time.

You want attention to war resisters (which I've already given)? Make some damn news. All the MSM is interested in at this point is human interest stories. They want family conflicts. They want families ripped apart. That's the only way they're covering war resisters unless there is some actual news. Such as? Asserting that a major American broadcast network got the story wrong will get media attention. No wonder you 'helpers' fail repeatedly while trying to get attention to the cause of war resisters -- you don't even grasp the media situation or how to use it to get the stories out.

And when your own 'movement' can't get the facts straight on how Canada welcomed deserters during Vietnam -- can't get that well reported in real time, historical fact into the conversation today -- why don't you work on that and stop e-mailing me your whines and carping?

If you think you're 'helping' anyone, you're kidding yourself. Because after five years the 'movement' in Canada will not demand that their media get the facts right. But ***** wants to gripe at me for noting an ABC report -- while ignoring what I actually wrote including that we'd be addressing it at Third on Sunday. (Only now, I'm so pised, I don't think we will.)

I supported war resisters during Vietnam. It didn't matter whether they were avoiding the draft or leaving the service. (Then, as now, I never advised anyone to leave. That is a huge decision with lifelong implications and only the resister can make that decision. If they've made that decision, I'm happy to help -- then and now.) That's true of a very small few actually helping today (you could put Lee, Gerry and Shirley on that small list).

ABC reported on Corey Glass which is a hell of a lot more than most did -- in Canada or the US. (Especially in the US.) It resulted in more attention to war resisters than we've seen in recent months. Is ABC right or wrong? One thing ABC is not, on this story, is working with the Pentagon. I don't know the reporter but I got a call from a friend at ABC that they were about to post that online. While I was writing that, I was just waiting for the URL and for it to go up at ABC News. If the report's wrong (and read the entries that covered it because I'm noting spin in those, ****), it's not because someone was "working with the Pentagon." ABC went after that story, they weren't fed it. The report may or may not be correct (again -- we were going to address that at Third -- as I noted repeatedly in those entries, but now, I don't think so) but the reporter was not 'in the tank.' That's a bunch of paranoid crap. You can call the story out without pinning motives on the reporter credited.

But, ****, you don't want to call the story out. Not publicly. You just want to rant at me in an e-mail.

Why don't you police things on your side of the border?

***, I'm not in the mood for your garbage, don't dump it on me. I'm not in the mood for your paranoid ravings that ABC deliberately set out to lie for the Pentagon. That's a flat out lie and you're just making insane claims that you can't back up.

You've got more than enough to police in Canada, why don't you focus on that?

And why don't you try learning what the hell you're talking about before you e-mail me? I didn't report a damn thing. This is a resource/review. If you Google "The Common Ills" and "resource/review," you'll see at least 58 search results turn up. If I wanted to be a reporter, I would've done that years ago, you dumb ass.

Forget that you don't know a damn thing about me, you don't know a damn thing about this site. So why don't you do your research before boring people with your conspiracy theories, your crackpot 'facts' and your whines and insults?

This is a private conversation in a public square (as Gina long ago noted). We didn't ask for your input, we don't need it. You're just another person failing a supposed 'movement' and wanting to pretend you've done a damn thing. In the words of Stevie Wonder, "You Ain't Done Nothing." I'm being kind and putting "***" where you name should be. Whine to me again, I'll call your ass out publicly. That's what the note to the left means, TRY READING.

In the time you wasted trying to abuse me privately ("Do not publish this e-mail"), you could have actually done something. Equally true is unlike yourself, I haven't tried to make a buck off this illegal war or make a 'name' for myself. While I will never hurt for money, you can't deny that you've advanced yourself as much as you've 'advanced' the cause of war resisters. Lot of people making bucks off the illegal war and they're not all in the defense industries.

If you don't like ABC's report, you take it up with them. I'm sure they'll laugh their asses off at your claim that the they're in the tank with the Pentagon on that story. I guess from Canada, you can peer into the offices of ABC News and also hear all conversations taking place?

Again, for community members, the Third story is now killed. I'm killing it. I'm not going to take *****'s abuse -- for something I didn't even do -- and turn around and waste my time on this story. In my own work (off-line), I've always been happy to go into an unknown situation. But I've always refused to work again with people who've burned me. Going into an unknown situation is one thing, going into a known bad situation is another. One thing is common sense, the other is stupidity. I am many things but I am not willfully stupid. The one thing I've always been able to do is learn from my mistakes.

It's not that a 'video artiste,' piss-ant wanted to criticize what I did, it's that he wanted to slam me for something I never did. There's a big difference and I'm not in the mood for that crap. I will gladly own any mistake I make. I will apologize. I have no problem saying "I was wrong" and anyone who knows me can tell you that. But criticize me for what I did and I will ponder it, I will apologize, I will examine it at length. Invent things that I didn't do, and that's another story.

Reporters who are mentioned here write in all the time and I read it. I don't get my 'little feelings' hurt if they're cursing. I've dished it out, they can have their say and I will consider it and mull it over. But that's about something I did. I will not be someone's sin eater for something I never did. I will not read an e-mail of charges against me for something I never did and play 'fair.' If **** bothers me again with more of his abuse, I won't only name him here (he's not a reporter, but he is a public person), I will call out his 'work.' I'm not in the mood for it. I'm not in the mood for crackpot theories about what ABC News did and I'm not in the mood for lies about what I supposedly did. (And he's so historically ignorant that he doesn't even know what's going on. How typical. It should be flashback time, circa 1977, for anyone paying attention.)

I have no respect for someone who not only lies and insults me but then wants to end his e-mail with "just asking you to look into this more." As a very good friend said years ago, when Rex Reed wrote her a letter of apology after doing a piece trashing her, "I had more respect for him when he hated me." What a little kiss ass.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

iraq
corey glass
jay walz
the new york times

Thursday, July 3, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue, war resistance in Puerto Rico (long going on) becomes more public, the White House continues to twist arms in Iraq, sexism watch and more.   Starting with war resistance.  Corey Glass is a US war resister in Canada.  Yesterday, Russell Goldman (ABC News) reported: "Unbeknownst to him and his legion of supporters, Glass, 25, was actually discharged from the U.S. Army shortly after he went AWOL in 2006. . . .  According to U.S. Army documents and officials Glass was discharged from the California National Guard on Dec. 1, 2006, four months after he arrived in Canada and six months after he failed to show up to a required muster."   Matthew Campbell (Globe & Mail) reports, "Like thousands of other discharged American soldiers, once back in the United States Mr. Glass coulld still be called up as part of the Indvidual Ready Reserve, a program in which former soldiers can be forced to re-enter service." War Resisters Support Campaign's Lee Zaslofsky terms the announcement by the military "spin." David Wylie (Canwest News Service) notes that the announcement did not derail a planned event tonight in Toronto where supporters are to gather at the May Robinson Building.  UPI notes the recent poll which found 64% of Canadians are in favor of allowing US war resisters safe harbor status.  Workers World files "Iraq veteran faces deportation, wins support" observes, "The struggle to make Canada a sancurary for war resisters takes on greater importance as more soldiers refuse to return to Iraq.  The increasing support for resisters demonstrates widespread opposition to the war and determination to stop it the simplest way: by helping the troops refuse to fight."  They also note that IVAW chair Camilo Mejia wrote a letter of support for war resisters in Canada which noted that "it is because of what we saw and experienced [in Iraq] that we support our brothers and sisters seeking a new home in Canada.  They are avoiding participation in a criminal, illegal and immoral occupation so that other families can live in peace in their own land.  They are doing the right thing! . . .  We call upon the Canadian government to implement the motion stopping all deportations of U.S. war resisters and allowing them to stay in Canada, not only because it is your duty to the people you represent to heed to their will, but also because it is a clear statement of support and solidarity for the people of Iraq."   As Camilo's letter makes clear, Corey Glass is not the only US war resister in Canada and he is also not necessarily in the clear.  But all war resisters in Canada (and in the US) deserve support. In the US, Courage to Resist is planning "July 9th actions at Canadian Consulates nationwide:" Join a vigil and delegation to a Canadian consulate near you on Wednesday, July 9th to support war resisters! On the eve of Corey Glass' possible deportation, we will demand, "Dear Canada: Abide by the June 3rd resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" More details and cities to be confirmed soon! Washington DC - Time TBA - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace. Info: TBA San Francisco - Noon to 1pm - 580 California St (map). Sponsored by Courage to Resist. Info: 510-488-3559; courage(at)riseup.net Seattle - Time TBA - 1501 4th Ave (map). Sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Info: 206-499-1220; projectsafehaven(at)hotmail.com Dallas - Time TBA - 750 North St Paul St (map). Sponsored by North Texas for Justice and Peace. Info: 214-718-6362; hftomlinson(at)riseup.net New York City - Noon to 1pm - 1251 Avenue of the Americas (map). Sponsored by War Resisters' League. Info: 212-228-0450; wrl(at)warresisters.org Philadelphia - Time TBA - 1650 Market St (map). Sponsored by Payday Network. Info: 215-848-1120; payday(at)paydaynet.org Minneapolis - Time TBA - 701 Fourth Ave S (map). Info: TBA Los Angeles - Noon to 1pm - 550 South Hope St (map). Sponsored by Progressive Democrats LA. Info: pdlavote(at)aol.com Help organize a vigil at one of these other Canadian Consulates: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh, Phoenix, or San Diego. Please contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559. Veterans for Peace issued a joint call with Courage to Resist and Project Safe Haven for July 9th vigils at Canadian Consulates: "Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!" Contact us if you can help organize a vigil, or can otherwise get involved. Locations of the 22 Canadian Consulates in the United States. Recently on June 3rd the Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion to officially welcome war resisters! It now appears, however, that the Conservative government may disregard the motion. Iraq combat veteran turned courageous war resister, 25-year-old Sgt. Corey Glass of the Indiana National Guard is still scheduled to be deported July 10th. We will ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters. Join Courage to Resist, Veterans for Peace, and Project Safe Haven at Canadian Consulates across the United States (Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles confirmed--more to be announced). We mailed and delivered over 10,000 of the original letters to Canadian officials. Please sign the new letter, "Dear Canada: Abide by resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" http://www.couragetoresist.org/canada    To pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca").  Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote.  Now they've started a new letter you can use online here.  The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here.   And in the US, AP's "Mothers of 2 US soldiers say their sons left bases to hide in Puerto Rico," addresses Maria Santiago and Luz Eneida Morales --  two women in San Juan, Puerto Rico who have stated their two sons are there, not going back to the US military and that the police need "to stop searching" for the men. Hiram Lozada is representing the two families. Santiago states she went to Fort Campbell ("last March) and she and her son returned to Puerto Rico while Morales went to her son's base in Colorado and returned to Puerto Rico with him.   There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).       Friday is July 4th, in the US, the day of independence.  Kelly Dougherty (IVAW) reflects, "Just a few days ago Independence Day came and went, and did anyone notice?  June 28th was the day the US returned sovereignty to Iraq in 2004, and it should be a day of celebration, a day when Iraqis mark their equal status among nations, just as America did more than two centuries ago.  But even when, finally, the Iraqi people are truly able to steer their own course and run their country as they see fit, I doubt that June 28th will be celebrated as a true Independence Day in Iraq.  Would we be celebrating if our Declaration of Independence had been edited by King George III?  What if Britain maintained troops and military bases inside our major cities?  Would we mark the day this 'independence' began with fireworks and parades?"   As Dougherty explains, there is no independence in Iraq for Iraqis.  Alissa J. Rubin (New York Times) reporting on the efforts by the White House to push through a treaty and notes that the complications include "political currents in both countries.  Iraqi officials facing elections in the fall do not want to be seen as capitulating to the United States." The White House is pushing the notion that they want a "Status Of Forces Agreement" and not a treaty.  By not calling it a "treaty," they hope to bypass the US Senate and the Constitutional provision that the Senate must ratify all treaties.  In Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki already stated he would follow Iraq's Constitution and send the treaty to Parliament.  (However, this is the same al-Maliki who pushed through last year's United Nations renewal of the authorization for the occupation -- after promising the Parliament that doing so in 2006 was a mistake he wouldn't make again.)  With the White House timeline now 'iffy' (they want the treaty by the end of this month), Rubin reports that Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zerbari has began pushing the notion of a "memo."  Doug Smith and Raheem Salman (Los Angeles Times) report that (regardless of what is called) the Iraqi Parliament isn't too high on the agreement and quote MP Rashid Azzawi stating, "He was like an American negotiator and not an Iraqi one.  He didn't specify many details" and MP Nassar Rubaie declaring, "It is an unequal convention between an occupier and an occupied country." Again, as Kelli Dougherty noted, the Iraqis have no independence today.  Sudarsan Raghavan (Washington Post) quotes Mirembe Nantongo ("U.S. Embassy spokeswoman") stating that the White House and it's occupied, client-state of Iraq are speaking to one another with "a constructive spirit."  Raghavan also notes Zebari's excitement over the possiblity that Iraq might maybe, fingers-crossed, deep breath, control their own airspace . . . if the White House lets them.  Hiba Dawood (UPI) surveys the landscape and notes an Al-Basaer editorial entitled "Al-Maliki's dilemma between Tehran and Washington" which Dawood sums up as: "Maliki, the paper said, is in a state where he must choose between his old ally and main support, Iran, or his new ally that placed him at the premiership, the United States. The influential Sunni newspaper said that satisfying the United States means accepting the establishment of 50 permanent military bases, handing over Iraq's oil wealth to American companies, granting amnesty to thousands of U.S. troops and security contractors as well as granting the United States authority over Iraq's land and airspace. The paper said that among the various Iraqi political blocs opposing the status-of-forces agreement, only the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front supports it because it would deter Iranian influence in Iraq."  While everyone pretends the White House is playing it above-board on this issue, James Glanz and Richard A. Oppel Jr.'s "Panel Questions State Dept. Role in Iraq Oil Deal" (New York Times)  details Henry Waxman's House committee's findings that the US State Dept, despite denials to the contrary, actively assisted Hunt Oil in their contract with the Kurdish region of Iraq -- a contract called out by the central government in Baghdad and one that benefits Ray L. Hunt ("a close political ally of President Bush").  Meanwhile Reuters notes that the TSCs (technical support contracts) that were no bid, that the US State Department had a role in (despite denying) and which still have not been signed are in jeopardy with "payment terms" being one of the issues for the Iraqi Parliament.   Turning to some of today's reported violence . . .   Bombings?   The Turkish Press notes a Baghdad car bombing outside Al-Yarmukh Hospital which claimed 4 lives and left ten people wounded.  Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad home bombing targeting Iraqi Parliamentarian Shatha al-Musawi (of the "majority Sunni bloc") which "destroyed the house" (the house was empty), "damaged two adgjacent houses and injured four civilians" and a Nineveh Province roadside bombing left two police officers injured. Reuters notes a Tikrit roadside bombing that left five convoy guards injured, and a cafe bombing outside of Hilla claimed 4 lives.   Shootings?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that "late Wednesday" unknown assailants shot dead a police officer in Nineveh Province and left another person wounded.  Reuters notes 2 people shot dead in a Mosul armed clash, another person shot dead in Mosul "inside a computer games arcade" and 1 police officer shot dead in Mosul as well.   Kidnappings?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that Diyala Province was the location for two kidnappings on Thursday, 1 cab driver and 1 truck driver.   Corpses?   Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 4 corpses discovered in Baghdad.  Reuters notes the US military says the bones of 2 corpses were discovered in Samarra but that local officials state it was "14 decaying corpses" and they note (with no conflicting accounts) 2 corpses were discovered in Suwayra.   On the sexism front, notice the new target?  We don't highlight Maureen Dowd at this site.  I'm not a Dowd fan.  But, if you missed it, it's time for Bash the Bitch and it's Dowd's turn.  Maybe you didn't notice that?  Maybe you think David Brooks or Frank Rich just isn't deserving of calling out for their own problems -- which really do exceed Dowd's.  (And for the record, leaving facts aside, Dowd can out-write either of them -- both of whom also leave facts aside.)  It's brewing.  You saw Judith Miller take the fall not just for her own bad work but for Michael Gordon and a hundred others.  Now it's time to throw another woman on the fire and it appears it will be Maureen Dowd.  Can ____ honestly say he's referred to a male journalist being "spanked" before?   Can ____ pretend that they've focused on any male the way they're focusing on Dowd now?  Watch them try to if anyone calls them out.  More than likely, no one will.  Dowd's not above criticism.  But we're not talking about criticsm.  We're talking about (nod to Blondie) "Rip Her To Shreds" and note the "her."  Dowd's got a twice-weekly column.  Are we honestly supposed to believe that anything she could do the MSNBC no-stars don't out do her on?  There's a free floating rage over a number of issues and it appears it's about to glom on Dowd.  As usual, the woman's male peers will remain exempt.  And let's see when anyone will stand up and say: "That's about enough."  I doubt they will.  And this nonsense of you have to like Dowd to defend her is nonsense.  All you have to support is fairness and equality.  But that's never existed online and let's stop pretending it will by magic.  In the meantime try to pretend that Dowd's actions are worse than Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews, et al.  And try to pretend that sexual degredation that's aimed at her would be used to 'critique' a man.  (That's not a tone argument.  We came up with Todd S. Purdum 'cupping' the story here in response to all the 'knee pads' nonsense about Elisabeth Bumiller. It's noting that, regardless of the 'tone' you choose to use, you apply it fairly regardless of gender or you're a sexist pig.)   If it's summer, it's Bash The Bitch.   Turning to the US race for president, Dominic Lawson (Independent of London) reflects on Primary Barack and the flip-flops that have ensued of late, "Those who actually supported Obama during this process now divide neatly, if unevenly, into two groups.  The first, smaller, group is full of buyer's remorse.  The blogosphere is hissling like a catherine wheel with their anger with Obama, obviously, but above all with themselves.  The second, much bigger group, continues to buy Obama's story.  They argue that everything and anything is justified if it helps to get a Democrat back in the White House; some of them add that 'of course' Obama doesn't believe any of the things he is now saying to woo the 'redneck states' and that once in the White House he will revert to his 'true beliefs'.  To this group we must address a simple question.  How do you know what Obama really believes in, other than his own destiny -- and, of course, his conscience?"  As Brian Montoli (CBS News) observes today, "What a difference a presidential campaign makes." Yeterday, Montopoli was noting Time's report of the religious right coming together in Denver to support Senator John McCain (the presumptive GOP nominee).   Meanwhile Hillary Supporters Vote Nader lists four reasons why: "(1) Single Payer Health Care will be back on the table, (2) The Wasteful, Bloated and Secretive Military Budget will be brought back to the forefront of the American People's minds.  (3) Renewable Energy and American Jobs back on the front burner.  (4) Persecution Protection From Corporate and Political Criminals will be spotlighted.  This includes: Net Neutrality, Telecom Spying and the outrageous lies that put the American and Iraqis People in harms way, destroyed the US economy and our children's future.  McCain and Obama have taken all these issues off the table."  This as Honolulu's KITV notes Ralph Nader will be at the University of Hawaii tonight while Barack "has no immediate plans to campaign here" and the McCain campaign says "Hawaii is not on his schedule."   Team Nader announces:   Ralph Nader said on ABC's This Week that the Nader/Gonzalez campaign will be on at least 45 states in November. Well, time to get it done. Need a summer job? We've got one for you. Become a Roadtripper for Ralph. Collect signatures to put the Nader/Gonzalez team on the ballot. Optimum profile for a Roadtripper for Ralph - energetic, youthful spirit, personable, fun loving, adventure seeking, democracy warrior. Check out Ralph making the pitch for more roadtrippers in this video. Interested? Contact mark@votenader.org. By the way, in case you didn't notice, on Saturday, we launched our campaign to raise $40,000 in ten days - by July 6. You did it in six days. Kaboom! Thanks to you, Nader/Gonzalez will be on the ballot in ten states, as promised, by July 6. Our goal - 45 states by September 15. We must now thank all of our roadtrippers. (Pictured above - our Illinois road trip crew turning in their signatures last week.) You help fund them. But they go out - day in and day out - and collect the necessary signatures to put Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot. Our nationwide team has been busting it all around this country. Today, our crew in Nevada will turn in 12,000 signatures - more than twice the 5,000 needed. As they say - what was collected in Nevada, stays in Nevada. And as a result, Nader/Gonzalez will be on the ballot in that key swing state. Thank you and congratulations Nevada road trip crew. Finally, why we are doing all of this? We are doing this because we have no alternative. McCain is the candidate of perpetual war. Obama is the corporate Democrat and panderer in chief. (Still doubt it? Check out this article in the New York Times documenting his flip-flop on telecom immunity and the political fallout.) Let's keep our eye on the ball. And get it done. By the way, Ralph is in Honolulu, Hawaii tonight for a campaign speech and rally. If you are in the area, please stop by. Onward     TV notes.  Bill Moyers Journal will reair the program revolving around Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran and a member of IVAW, including interviews with Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue who made the documentary Body of War which tells Young's story which is strong way to note the Fourth of July. NOW on PBS notes: A reminder: There is no NOW on PBS on July 4, 2008.  However, on the website we do have an insightful interview with a North Korea expert commenting on the thawing of relations between our country and North Korea, including a look ahead and analysis of McCain's and Obama's reactions.   iraq corey glass workers world iraq veterans against the war matthew campbell david wylie brett clarkson abc russell goldman ellen spiro phil donahue michael winship bill moyers journal tomas young pbs now on pbs james glanz richard a. oppel jr. the new york times alissa j. rubin the los angeles times doug smith raheem salman the washington post sudarsan raghavan brian montopoli

Negotiations are complicated by political currents in both countries. Iraqi officials facing elections in the fall do not want to be seen as capitulating to the United States. At the same time, they are eager for some form of agreement to prevent any rapid departure of American forces.
In the United States, President Bush has pushed hard for a deal to be completed by July 31. But Democrats in Congress are reluctant to sign off on an agreement before the presidential elections, and Republicans are split.

The above is from Alissa J. Rubin's "Iraq Hints at Delay in U.S. Security Deal" in this morning's New York Times. Rubin covers the basics throughout and (for the Times -- meaning officials are worshipped and their word gospel) does a strong job. Of the stories this morning, Rubin's the only one who tackles the elections -- not just in the US but the allegedly finally-going-to-take-place-in-October Iraq elections. The treaty (which is usually called a Status of Forces Agreement -- which it is not) is not popular with the Iraqi people and signing one prior to the elections could harm those pushing it. Signing it and approving it because, in Iraq, Parliament is supposed to approve it. If they don't, it would not go through. That's actually how the US Constitution mandates it be done in the United States as well but the White House thinks that by calling it a Status of Forces Agreement, they can bypass a Constitutional provision. Congress is not in agreement with that non-legal 'reading' of the law and that dispute with the White House includes Democrats and Republicans. There is bi-partisan objection to the White House attempt to circumvent the Senate and violate the US Constitution.

No link for McClatchy. Some articles we don't link to. We don't link to some reporters. That's just the way it goes. You can use the link on the left and you'll be taken to the main page for their Iraq section. You shouldn't make it through very many sentences before grasping why we're not linking. If you haven't gotten it by the time MT is informing that the treaty is just like other SOFAs, you just won't get it today.

Rubin notes that a "memo" is now being pushed. Hoshyar Zebari is among the pushers. "Memo" is thought to be short-term but probably desirable just because it sounds so 'minor.' Doug Smith and Raheem Salman's "Iraq official cites progress on U.S. security pact" (Los Angeles Times) explores that and also offers reaction within the Iraqi Parliament:

Acknowledging that remaining differences could delay an agreement, he [Zebari] said the government had short-term options, such as a memorandum of understanding to keep U.S. troops in the country under existing rules.
[. . .]
Zebari briefed members of parliament on the negotiations Tuesday. He said Wednesday that he thought he had been able to dispel some of the misunderstanding. But some ministers weren't satisfied.
"He was like an American negotiator and not an Iraqi one," said Rashid Azzawi of the Iraqi Islamic Party, part of the main Sunni bloc. "He didn't specify many details."
A supporter of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr said there was still a consensus in parliament to reject the agreement.
"It is an unequal convention between an occupier and an occupied country," said Nassar Rubaie, chief of the Sadr bloc.

Yes, who is Zebari working for? And who is giving the Iraqis legal advice? Other than the US. The US government is offering legal advice . . . on a treaty that the US wants Iraq to enter into . . . with the US. It's a conflict of interest to put it the most mildly.

Not getting that point. From Sudarsan Raghavan's "Progress Cited on U.S.-Iraq Pacts" (Washington Post):

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said that she could not comment on the ongoing negotiations but added that they were taking place in "a constructive spirit."
Negotiations began in March on the two U.S.-drafted pacts: a status-of-forces agreement that governs the legal protections and responsibilities of U.S. troops, and a strategic framework for the overall U.S.-Iraqi political and military relationship.
Despite the progress, many hurdles remain that could delay the signing of the pacts, Zebari said. For instance, the two sides differ on the authority and level of independence of U.S. troops in future military operations.
But Zebari said U.S. negotiators were open to the idea of Iraqis controlling their own airspace, as long as they have proper air power and technology.

"Their own airspace". Who is representing the Iraqis and advising the Iraqis in this because it looks like they think they're buying the Brooklyn Bridge when they're actually getting nothing?

In a little noted AP article entitled "Mothers of 2 US soldiers say their sons left bases to hide in Puerto Rico," readers learn that Maria Santiago and Luz Eneida Morales two unnamed women in San Juan, Puerto Rico has stated their two sons are there, not going back to the US military and that the police need "to stop searching" for the men. Hiram Lozada is representing the two families. Santiago states she went to Fort Campbell ("last March) and she and her son returned to Puerto Rico while Morales went to her son's base in Colorado and returned to Puerto Rico with him.


Andre notes this from Kam Williams' "Interview: Tim Meadows" (Black Star News):


TM: I'll support him if he wins. I won't support him if he loses. [Laughs] No, I don't support anybody. It's not my thing. And if I did, I wouldn't say who it was publicly. I'll give you a hint who I'm voting for in November. It rhymes with Seder.
BSN: Oh, Ralph Nader. You don't worry about possibly wasting your vote?
TM: No, I sort of disagree with people who blame him for taking votes away from Gore in 2000. Gore still won the popular vote. Nader wasn't the reason why he lost the election. The Supreme Court cost him the election. Plus, you don't know that all those people who voted for Nader would've gone for Gore. I've met Ralph Nader and I like him. And I've met John McCain, and he's a great guy, too. I haven't met Barack, but I have met Oprah Winfrey. I would love to see some change, and whatever the country decides, I'm behind it.

Richard Winger (Ballot Access News) reports, "On July 2, the Missouri Secretary of State's office announced that the Constitution Party petition has the required 10,000 signatures needed for ballot access. The Constitution Party is the only party likely to submit a successful petition in Missouri this year. It is likely that independent Ralph Nader will also meet the requirement. The Libertarian Party had already been on the Missouri ballot automatically."

Tori notes the Nader video with CBS News.



The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

iraq
corey glass
the new york times
alissa j. rubin
the los angeles times
doug smith
raheem salman
the washington post
sudarsan raghavan
kam williams
tim meadows

In a dramatic development for US war resister Corey Glass, currently residing in Canada, there are no charges against him. May 21st was when Corey Glass was told he would be deported. Corey Glass is an Iraq War veteran and a US war resister. He went to Canada seeking asylum -- the kind of welcoming Canada provided to war resisters ("draft dodgers" and "deserters") during Vietnam. After being told he was being deported, he's been 'extended' through July 10th. June 3rd Canada's House of Commons voted (non-binding motion) in favor of Canada being a safe harbor for war resisters. Today is when Russell Goldman (ABC News) reports the development. In "Canada Ready to Deport U.S. Deserters," Goldman reveals:

Unbeknownst to him and his legion of supporters, Glass, 25, was actually discharged from the U.S. Army shortly after he went AWOL in 2006.
Glass and about 40 other American deserters who like him sought refugee status have prompted a national debate in Canada that last month reached the floor of Parliament on where to draw the line between cowardice and conscience.
"I had absolutely no idea that I had been discharged," said Glass when ABC News informed him of his status. "This is insane. This is so weird. There are no warrants? No one is looking for me?"
According to U.S. Army documents and officials Glass was discharged from the California National Guard on Dec. 1, 2006, four months after he arrived in Canada and six months after he failed to show up to a required muster.

Army Major Nathan Banks is quoted stating the US military does not consider Glass AWOL or a deserter, there are no charges against him, he is out of the military.

The development (similar developments happened during Vietnam) comes as polls show huge support in Canada for US war resisters. From Jason Buckland's "Don't turf Iraq war deserters, poll says" (Toronto Sun):

Three in five Canadians favour giving U.S. soldiers resisting the Iraq War a chance to stay in Canada as permanent residents, a new poll said yesterday.
Results from the nation-wide Angus Reid survey showed 64% of Canadians support war objectors seeking refuge north of the border.
"I think Canadians were opposed to the Iraq War from the start," said Lee Zaslofsky, national co-ordinator for the War Resister Support Campaign (WRSC).
"The fact that it has dragged on so long -- is in shambles, really -- I think Canadians understand why someone would want to stop fighting for that kind of cause in that kind of place."

The news today includes a shocker for many reporters. Ebony Horton, whom we called out in May, and others quick to swallow, should damn well pay attention. Sarah Childress (Newsweek) reports, "The number of active-duty soldiers who deserted the Army last year is higher than previously reported -- at 3,301, the military said last week. (The Army said the original figure was tallied incorrectly.) Deserters are branded after abandoning their posts without permission for 30 days. The tally is hardly at Vietnam War levels, but it's still significant for an all-volunteer military."

As Rebecca noted Friday, we are discussing how to cover the illegal war at Third and this news about Glass actually jumps a planned angle for Sunday. What's happened isn't surprising historically. Corey Glass should inquire about his IRR status before attempting to visit or return to the US. For Glass and for others, action is still needed. So planned actions should continue such as Canada's War Resister Support Campaign calling for a "NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION, Wednesday July 2nd" -- that's today:

STOP THE DEPORTATION OF U.S. WAR RESISTER COREY GLASS

On July 2nd…
CALL MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY!

Details

U.S. Iraq War resister Corey Glass is still facing deportation on July 10th, despite the Parliament of Canada having voted in favour of a motion to let Corey and other U.S. war resisters stay.

The federal government and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration must respect the will of Parliament and implement the motion which calls on the government to "immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals."

On July 2nd, the War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on all supporters to call Minister Diane Finley and ask her to:
• STOP deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all U.S. Iraq war resisters; and
• IMPLEMENT the motion adopted by Canada’s Parliament to allow U.S. Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Here are the numbers to call:
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
613.996.4974

MP Diane Finley's constituency office (Simcoe):
519.426.3400

Or email her at:
minister@cic.gc.ca
or
finled1@parl.gc.ca

* * *

It is more urgent than ever that we send a message to the Canadian government that Canada needs to welcome US men and women who refuse to participate in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. There are three actions you can take today to help support the war resisters.

• Sign the petition in support of the war resisters;
• Contact the federal government and make your views known; and
• Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.

Petition
Add your name to the petition calling for the federal government to implement a provision to allow war resisters to stay in Canada. Initial signatories include June Callwood, David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Shirley Douglas, Naomi Klein, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and many others.
Please download a copy of the petition, sign it, circulate it and return it to the campaign.

Write a letter to the editor
Letters to the editor are an important piece of the public debate on this issue. The majority of Canadians opposed the war in Iraq and support the provision of sanctuary for US soldiers. Send a copy of your letter to the campaign to resisters@sympatico.ca.



And, in the US, Courage to Resist is planning "July 9th actions at Canadian Consulates nationwide:"

Join a vigil and delegation to a Canadian consulate near you on Wednesday, July 9th to support war resisters! On the eve of Corey Glass' possible deportation, we will demand, "Dear Canada: Abide by the June 3rd resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" More details and cities to be confirmed soon!

Washington DC - Time TBA - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace. Info: TBA
San Francisco - Noon to 1pm - 580 California St (map). Sponsored by Courage to Resist. Info: 510-488-3559; courage(at)riseup.net
Seattle - Time TBA - 1501 4th Ave (map). Sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Info: 206-499-1220; projectsafehaven(at)hotmail.com
Dallas - Time TBA - 750 North St Paul St (map). Sponsored by North Texas for Justice and Peace. Info: 214-718-6362; hftomlinson(at)riseup.net
New York City - Noon to 1pm - 1251 Avenue of the Americas (map). Sponsored by War Resisters' League. Info: 212-228-0450; wrl(at)warresisters.org
Philadelphia - Time TBA - 1650 Market St (map). Sponsored by Payday Network. Info: 215-848-1120; payday(at)paydaynet.org
Minneapolis - Time TBA - 701 Fourth Ave S (map). Info: TBA
Los Angeles - Noon to 1pm - 550 South Hope St (map). Sponsored by Progressive Democrats LA. Info: pdlavote(at)aol.com
Help organize a vigil at one of these other Canadian Consulates: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh, Phoenix, or San Diego. Please contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559.
Veterans for Peace issued a joint call with Courage to Resist and Project Safe Haven for July 9th vigils at Canadian Consulates: "Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!" Contact us if you can help organize a vigil, or can otherwise get involved. Locations of the 22 Canadian Consulates in the United States.
Recently on June 3rd the Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion to officially welcome war resisters! It now appears, however, that the Conservative government may disregard the motion.
Iraq combat veteran turned courageous war resister, 25-year-old Sgt. Corey Glass of the Indiana National Guard is still scheduled to be deported July 10th.
We will ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters.
Join Courage to Resist, Veterans for Peace, and Project Safe Haven at Canadian Consulates across the United States (Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles confirmed--more to be announced).
We mailed and delivered over 10,000 of the original letters to Canadian officials. Please sign the new letter, "Dear Canada: Abide by resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!"
http://www.couragetoresist.org/canada

Again, those actions should continue. Team Nader notes:

We're Having a Party!

We're having a party!

A Nader/Gonzalez House Party!

And we're inviting you to be one of 100 Nader/Gonzalez supporters to host a House Party on Saturday night July 26, 2008. Sign up now.

With the help of modern technology, you can have Ralph Nader right there with you in your living room.

If you choose to be one of the 100 to host a house party, we will send you a remarkable documentary DVD about Ralph Nader - An Unreasonable Man and the Awake from Your Slumber DVD starring Ralph Nader and Patti Smith - both autographed by Ralph Nader.

Plus, we'll throw in a special collector's edition Nader/Gonzalez button.

The purpose of the National Nader/Gonzalez House Party Day?

Raise $100,000 to help put Nader/Gonzalez on at least 45 state ballots.

To reach our goal, we are asking that each house party host bring together 20 or more friends, family, and other party goers to donate $50 each.

But you can organize your house party any way you want. If you want to bring together 40 people at $25 a pop, that's great. Or four people at $250 a pop, that's good too.

Now, of course, you won't be doing this alone.

Ralph is really excited about our house party project. (Check out our House Party video here.)

He'll be available that night - either by phone or through the wonders of the Internet - to talk with you and answer your questions.

So, if you want to host a house party - click here. Our house party staff will answer any and all questions you may have.

If you can't host a house party, please donate now to help fund our ballot access drive - remember, you can give Nader/Gonzalez up to the legal limit of $4,600. And if you choose, your name will appear on our home page!

So, if you can, join with us on July 26.

While McCain and Obama continue to flip-flop toward November, Ralph Nader remains steadfast - standing firm on a platform to shift the power away from the corporations and back to the people.

On Sunday, Ralph told ABC's George Stephanapolous that we intend to get on at least 45 states.

And we can't let Ralph down.

Stand by the candidacy that will stand by you.

By the way, yesterday, 319 of you kicked in $12,761.69. Thank you all very much.

As a result, we are now well on our way to our fundraising goal of $40,000.

This will help us secure ten state ballot lines by July 6. Together, we are making a difference.

Onward

The Nader Team

PS: We invite your comments to the blog.

Your contribution could be doubled. Public campaign financing may match your contribution total up to $250.

Sherry and Lyle highlighted the above.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

iraq
corey glass
abc
russell goldman
jason buckland
sarah childress
sex and politics and screeds and attitude

Tuesday, July 1, 2008.  Chaos and violence continue, war resisters have greater support in Canada than some may have thought as a new poll indicates, tag sale on Iraqi oil continues, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign raises over $10,000 yesterday, and more.   Starting with war resistance.  As Canada gears up for actions to demonstrate support for US war resisters, a new poll is released.  The Angus Reid Poll finds: "A majority of Canadians would agree with the decision to let American military deserters stay in Canada as permanent residents, a new Angus Reid Strategies survey reveals. . . In the online survey of a representative national sample, three-in-five Canadians (64%) say they would agree to give these U.S. soldiers the opportunity to remain in Canada as permanent residents.  Quebec (70%) houses the highest proportion of respondents who agree with the motion, while Alberta (52%) has the fewest supporters.  A gender breakdown reveals that while both males and females would agree to let U.S. military deserters remain in Canada, females are much more sympathetic (69% versus 57%)."  The findings come as Canada is on the verge of deporting the first US Iraq War resister.  May 21st was when Corey Glass was told he would be deported. Corey Glass is an Iraq War veteran and a US war resister. He went to Canada seeking asylum -- the kind of welcoming Canada provided to war resisters ("draft dodgers" and "deserters") during Vietnam. After being told he was being deported, he's been 'extended' through July 10th. June 3rd Canada's House of Commons voted (non-binding motion) in favor of Canada being a safe harbor for war resisters. Douglas Glynn (The Barrie Examiner) quotes Corey stating, "The motion is not legally binding, though the majority of Parliament voted for it. I realized innocent people were being killed. I tried to quit the military while in Iraq," he said, "but my commander told me I was just stressed out and needed some R and R (rest and relaxation), because I was doing a job I was not trained to do. I went home on leave and said I was not coming back." So that's where it stands currently.   Canada's War Resister Support Campaign is calling for a "NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION, Wednesday July 2nd:"   STOP THE DEPORTATION OF U.S. WAR RESISTER COREY GLASS On July 2nd…  CALL MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY!  DetailsU.S. Iraq War resister Corey Glass is still facing deportation on July 10th, despite the Parliament of Canada having voted in favour of a motion to let Corey and other U.S. war resisters stay.   The federal government and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration must respect the will of Parliament and implement the motion which calls on the government to "immediately implement a program to allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members […] to apply for permanent resident status and remain in Canada; and … the government should immediately cease any removal or deportation actions … against such individuals." On July 2nd, the War Resisters Support Campaign is calling on all supporters to call Minister Diane Finley and ask her to:  • STOP deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all U.S. Iraq war resisters; and • IMPLEMENT the motion adopted by Canada's Parliament to allow U.S. Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status. Here are the numbers to call: Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley 613.996.4974 MP Diane Finley's constituency office (Simcoe): 519.426.3400 Or email her at:  minister@cic.gc.ca  or finled1@parl.gc.ca    In the US, Courage to Resist is planning "July 9th actions at Canadian Consulates nationwide:" Join a vigil and delegation to a Canadian consulate near you on Wednesday, July 9th to support war resisters! On the eve of Corey Glass' possible deportation, we will demand, "Dear Canada: Abide by the June 3rd resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" More details and cities to be confirmed soon! Washington DC - Time TBA - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace. Info: TBA San Francisco - Noon to 1pm - 580 California St (map). Sponsored by Courage to Resist. Info: 510-488-3559; courage(at)riseup.net Seattle - Time TBA - 1501 4th Ave (map). Sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Info: 206-499-1220; projectsafehaven(at)hotmail.com Dallas - Time TBA - 750 North St Paul St (map). Sponsored by North Texas for Justice and Peace. Info: 214-718-6362; hftomlinson(at)riseup.net New York City - Noon to 1pm - 1251 Avenue of the Americas (map). Sponsored by War Resisters' League. Info: 212-228-0450; wrl(at)warresisters.org Philadelphia - Time TBA - 1650 Market St (map). Sponsored by Payday Network. Info: 215-848-1120; payday(at)paydaynet.org Minneapolis - Time TBA - 701 Fourth Ave S (map). Info: TBA Los Angeles - Noon to 1pm - 550 South Hope St (map). Sponsored by Progressive Democrats LA. Info: pdlavote(at)aol.com Help organize a vigil at one of these other Canadian Consulates: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh, Phoenix, or San Diego. Please contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559. Veterans for Peace issued a joint call with Courage to Resist and Project Safe Haven for July 9th vigils at Canadian Consulates: "Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!" Contact us if you can help organize a vigil, or can otherwise get involved. Locations of the 22 Canadian Consulates in the United States. Recently on June 3rd the Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion to officially welcome war resisters! It now appears, however, that the Conservative government may disregard the motion. Iraq combat veteran turned courageous war resister, 25-year-old Sgt. Corey Glass of the Indiana National Guard is still scheduled to be deported July 10th. We will ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters. Join Courage to Resist, Veterans for Peace, and Project Safe Haven at Canadian Consulates across the United States (Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles confirmed--more to be announced). We mailed and delivered over 10,000 of the original letters to Canadian officials. Please sign the new letter, "Dear Canada: Abide by resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" http://www.couragetoresist.org/canada  Canada's War Resisters Support Campaign will hold a "Rally to Stop the Deportation of Parkdale Resident Corey Glass" July 3rd, begins at 7:00 p.m. (with doors opening at six p.m.) at the May Robinson Building, 20 West Lodge, Toronto: "In 2002, Corey joined the Indiana National Guard. He was told he would not have to fight on foreign shores. But in 2005 he was sent to Iraq. What he saw there caused him to become a conscientious objector and he came to Canada. On May 21, 2008, he got his final order to leave Canada by July 10, 2008. Then on June 3 Parliament passed a motion for all the war resisters to stay in Canada. However the Harper government says it will ignore this motion."  They are also asking for a July 2nd call-in.  Diane Finley is the Immigration and Citizenship Minister and her phone numbers are (613) 996-4974 and (519) 426-3400 -- they also provide her e-mail addresses minister@cic.gc.ca ("minister" at "cic.gc.ca") and finled1@parl.gc.ca ("finled1" at "parl.gc.ca").    To pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca").  Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote.  Now they've started a new letter you can use online here.  The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here.   There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).   Turning to Iraq, where UPI notes the (five) attempted assassinations of (five) judges yesterday. You might think it was a big story.  Not to the New York Times where Sabrina Tavernise and Andrew E. Kramer offer up seven sentences on the assassination attempts -- seven sentences that begin in paragraph 20 of a 25 paragraph story.  The two conclude, "The attacks seemed to be calculated to intimidate rather than to kill.  It was not clear who was responsible."  More attention, to be fair, than PBS' The NewsHour gave it last night with Ray Suarez offering, "In Iraq today, bombings in Baghdad targeted five judges; all escaped unharmed."  And for public television's NewsHour, that was that. The Gulf Daily News leads with the assassination attempts, "Only one of the jurists was injured in the attacks, which happened four days after senior judge Kamil Al Showaili of the country's Higher Judicial Council was assassinated while driving home in mostly Shi'ite east Baghdad.  Police said it was unclear whether Al Showaili's slaying was related to the latest attacks."  Of al-Showali, RTT notes he was "[t]he President of the same court" and "one of Iraq's most important judges, charged with handling criminal cases for eastern Baghdad."  Jordan's Al Bawaba explains of the attacks "police believe may be part of a Shiite campaign to force them to free jailed militants or reduce their sentences."   On the diplomatic front, Jordan Times reports that Nayef Zeidan was sworn in yesterday as Jordan's ambassador to Iraq. Previously, Zeidan was Jordan's ambassador in the United Arab Emirates.  Jordan's embassy in the Netherlands notes, "The Jordian embassy in Baghdad has been run by a charge d'affaires for three years and the Kingdom has not sent an ambassador, citing 'security concerns'."  This follows King Abdullah II's public statements in May -- as the US White House pressured Arab countries -- that Jordan would wound send an official emissary to Iraq.  The Jordan Times points out, "Several Arab countries have linked sending back their ambassadors to the restoration of security in Iraq.  So far, Bahrain and the UAE have decided to send back ambassadors to Baghdad after the security situation improved following two 'successful' military campaigns against Al Sadr militia and Al Qaeda."  King Abdulla II, speaking with Lally Weymouth (Washington Post) last week, offered, "I am actually optimistic for the first time on Iraq.  I think that Iraqi society is moving in the right direction.  It's the first time that I have felt that Iraqis have, as much as they can, bound themselves together into a unity."  From Jordan to another country that shares a border with Iraq, Turkey.  The Turkish Daily News reports, "Turkey has proposed establishing a joint industrial zone with Iraq in the border town of Ovakoy, a province in the country's southeastern Anatolian region, State Minister Kursat Tuzmen told reporters yesterday."  Today's Zaman quotes Tuzmen declaring, "We may establish a joint industrial zone at Ovakoy, on the Turkish-Iraqi border.  Both Turkey and Iraq could freely conduct industrial and commercial activities there.  We may concentrate on energy production and sales at the planned industrial zone at first, and later extend its scope to other fields." The comments are similar to ones Tuzmen made Sunday while attending a business forum in Baghdad's Green Zone. Last week, Tuzmen was also stating Turkey would be increasing trade with Catalonia.  Meanwhile Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that alcohol is being sold in Iraq ("retail only") and speak with Yazidi Dawood and Christian Saif (who didn't want their full names noted for publication) about their experiences selling alcohol (previously Saif had a store fire bombed and nine of the thirteen stores his family owned were taken over by "Islamist insurgents".).   As noted yesterday, the TSC (technical service contracts) -- which were no-bid contracts -- are on hold.  Sudarsan Raghavan and Steven Mufson (Washington Post) report Iraq's plan, announced by the country's Minister of Oil Hussain al-Shahristani, to up "production by about 60 percent, or approximately 1.5 million barrels a day" via opening eight fields (six oil, two natural gas) up to foreign partners and the bidders are "35 companies -- including firms from the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and India".  The New Zeland Herald estimates this move "could lead to the biggest foreign stake in Iraq since the industry was nationalised more than 30 years ago" while also noting "concerns that a dominat role for Western firms could feed perceptions that US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein to grab the country's natural resources."  Doug Smith and Said Rifai (Los Angeles Times) explain, "The bidding will proceed even though parliament has not yet ratified a national oil law to regulate foreign contracts" and note that the announcement took place during a "testy news conference" when the Ministor of Oil "renewed his criticism of the Kurdish regional government for signing deals with foreign companies that offer them a share of oil they extract."  Gina Chon and Russell Gold (Wall St. Journal) add that Shahrastani called the "20 separate oild eals, with companies including Hunt Oil," to be "a clear violation of the rules."  Sam Dagher (Christian Science Monitor) observes, "Major oil firms have been positioning themselves for years to gain access to Iraq's vast oil reserves, which are estimated at 115 billion barrels -- the world's second largest after Saudi Arabia."  Janet McBride (Reuters) wonders, "Are U.S. and British firms obvious choices as partners because of their expertise?  After all before the U.S.-led invasion Iraq often preferrred Russian firms.  Or are U.S. and British firms repeating the benefit of their government's policies?"   Turning to some of today's violence . . .   Bombings?   Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad car bombing that left five people wounded, a Diyala Province roadside bombing that wounded "one policeman, three children and four men" and aother Diyala Province roadside bombing that claimed the lives of 3 brothers and left their father wounded a Nineveh Province truck bombing that claimed the life of 1 person (plus the bomber) and left twenty-five people wounded and, dropping back to Monday, a Diyala Province car bombing that claimed 4 lives and left nine people wounded."  Reuters notes a Mosul roadside bombing that claimed the life of 1 police officer and a Sulaiman Pek bombing apparently attempting to assassinate "the mayor of the town of Sulaiman Pek" that resulted in the death of 1 bodyguard.   Shootings?   Reuters notes Iraqi soldiers shot dead 2 people in Baghdad.   Corpses?   Mohammed Al Dulaimy (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 3 corpses discovered in Baghdad today.    Hugh Eakin (New York Times) reports one of the more alarming incidents of violence Iraqi documents from Saddam Hussein's rule that are considered historic, important for humanitarian and historical purposes and document human rights abuses are not in Iraq.  They are now in the United States and under the control of the right-wing Hoover Institution. An Iraqi exile (Kanan Makiya) 'claimed' themwhen he returned to Iraq after the start of the illegal war. He set up the Iraq Memory Foundation. The files, which were never Kanan Makiya's to claim, were being held in the Green Zone until Makiya decided to take them out in 2006. Whether he had permission is unclear but what is clear is that the Iraqi government wants those documents back and most outside 'experts' believe the papers should be housed in the Iraq National Library and Archive.   Meanwhile James Glanz (New York Times) reports that at least 13 Americans have died in Iraq from electrocution caused by the shoddy work done by KBR which knew of the problems but did not fix them.  Meanwhile, Adam Kokesh (Revolutionay Patriot) posts an e-mail from a service member stationed at Camp Falluja in Iraq revealing that "our sister units berthing area caught fire and burned to the ground. It spread so fast and with 120 temps here today, there was no way they could contain the fire in time.  These Marines lost everything that they had, all of their military issued gear as well as personal gear."; while another explains that the loss is made harder due to the fact that the PX is a problem and includes this quote, "Yeah it is very hard to get stuff here, the shipments have really slowed down.  We pretty much resort to people back in the states sending us shaving cream and s**t like that, or wait until someone goes to BIAP and they bring it back in bulk.  You can't even buy skivee shirts and what not.  It blows."   Turning to the US race for president.  Alexander Mooney (CNN) reports on the latest CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll which finds Ralph Nader with 6% of the vote, Bob Barr with 3% (Adam Kokesh is supporting Bob Barr), John McCain with 43% and Barack Obama with 46% -- the poll does not include Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party's presumed nominee.  PBS' NewsHour has today added profiles of presidential candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr.   "We do need a more fundamental strategy here on giant corporate power," Ralph Nader declared in October of last year at the DC Green Festival.  That is the central political issue of our time. It's corporate power and the takeover of our government and the spread of commercial values into every nook and cranny of our culture including the commercialization of childhood, the commercialization of universities, the commercialization of almost everything these large companies touch. . . . The other day there was a report saying that TORT lawyers were having trouble suing nursing home chains for severe mistreatment of elderly people and neglect.  And the reason why is because these nursing home chains are owned by tiers of corporations -- some of them offshore.  And the most immediate tier have very few assets so they can't be responsible for paying the verdicts.  And so the TORT lawyers say, 'Well we just can't handle it.'  And so more and more people can be mistreated or neglected in these nursing homes with impunity."   Ralph Nader's running mate is Matt Gonzalez and the Nader-Gonzalez ticket is on the ballot in Illinois and  The Hartford Courant notes: "Campaign volunteer Peter Ellmer was able to solicit several pledges on Sunday from people who are willing to collect signatures to get Nader on the Connecticut ballot."  Nader is working to be on the ballot and Team Nader notes that Monday saw $12,761.69 donated to the Nader-Gonzalez campaign.  We'll close with Nader in a moment, but first, the Dems. Paul Bedard (US News & World Reports) notes that Barack's campaign is still suffering problems from Wesley Clark's remarks [see yesterday's snapshot or Deilah Boyd's (A Scriveners Lament) post here] and now also from Barack's efforts to distance himself from Clark and includes these observations by Suzi Parker, "Obama can kiss Arkansas goodbye.  A lot of Dems are mad that Obama threw Clark under the bus and denounced his comments about McCain.  If anything, they think the Obama should have just let the comments lie.  A lot of Dems I am talking to are Clintonites but also supported Clark in 2004 [when he ran for president].  Also hearing from Clark supporters who were in the draft movement that the Obama folks must have forgotten Clark has a massive database of supporters that has only gotten bigger since 2004 because Clark has been out campaigning for Dems since then."   Susan (Random Thoughts from Reno) blogs, "Now convince me, Obama supporters, your candidate is something other than a ringer for the GOP.  This guy is NOT, repeat NOT, a Democrat.  Now he wants to expand 'faight-based' programs . . . Yeah, give these outfits federal money and allow them to discriminate.  That's REAL progress."  Also noting the new support for 'faith-based' programs is Vasleftt (Corrente) who terms it part of "Obama's bottomless pit of capitulation" and withdraws the previous endorsement of Barack.  This is on the heels of his cave-in on illegal spying, his broken promise over public financing and, as Klaus Marre (The Hill) points out, Barack's 'big speech' yesterday was a slap-down to MoveOn. If there is a spine in there, presumably, it is collapsible.  Finally, Team Nader notes:   We're having a party!  A Nader/Gonzalez House Party! And we're inviting you to be one of 100 Nader/Gonzalez supporters to host a House Party on Saturday night July 26, 2008. Sign up now. With the help of modern technology, you can have Ralph Nader right there with you in your living room.  If you choose to be one of the 100 to host a house party, we will send you a remarkable documentary DVD about Ralph Nader - An Unreasonable Man and the Awake from Your Slumber DVD starring Ralph Nader and Patti Smith - both autographed by Ralph Nader. Plus, we'll throw in a special collector's edition Nader/Gonzalez button. The purpose of the National Nader/Gonzalez House Party Day? Raise $100,000 to help put Nader/Gonzalez on at least 45 state ballots. To reach our goal, we are asking that each house party host bring together 20 or more friends, family, and other party goers to donate $50 each.  But you can organize your house party any way you want. If you want to bring together 40 people at $25 a pop, that's great. Or four people at $250 a pop, that's good too. Now, of course, you won't be doing this alone. Ralph is really excited about our house party project. (Check out our House Party video here.)  He'll be available that night - either by phone or through the wonders of the Internet - to talk with you and answer your questions. So, if you want to host a house party - click here. Our house party staff will answer any and all questions you may have. If you can't host a house party, please donate now to help fund our ballot access drive - remember, you can give Nader/Gonzalez up to the legal limit of $4,600. And if you choose, your name will appear on our home page!  So, if you can, join with us on July 26. While McCain and Obama continue to flip-flop toward November, Ralph Nader remains steadfast - standing firm on a platform to shift the power away from the corporations and back to the people.  On Sunday, Ralph told ABC's George Stephanapolous that we intend to get on at least 45 states.  And we can't let Ralph down.  Stand by the candidacy that will stand by you.        iraq corey glass the new york times sabrina tavernise james risen andrew e. kramer hugh eakin sudarsan raghavan steven mufson the washington post mcclatchy newspapers doug smith the los angeles times