The spark's lit a fire and Camilo Mejia on Kevin Benderman

Good evening, we're going to start out with three things from Democracy Now!

Cindy Sheehan Leaves Crawford
We turn now to Crawford, Texas. Antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan left the site where she has camped out since President Bush began his 5-week vacation 2 weeks ago. Sheehan said her mother had suffered a stroke and that she was heading to Los Angeles to be with her. Almost immediately after Sheehan made the announcement, other parents of soldiers killed in Iraq said they would continue the protest at the makeshift campsite, called "Camp Casey." We will go directly to Amy Goodman, who is in Crawford, in just a moment.

Sheehan's had to leave but others are there and she's started something and if you doubt that check out the next two stories.

Republicans Join Calls for Iraq Withdrawal
Even as the protest continues in Texas, there are new developments in the antiwar effort on Capitol Hill. North Carolina Republican Congressman Walter Jones says he has about 50 co-sponsors on a joint resolution that calls on President Bush to announce a plan for withdrawal from Iraq by the end of this year. This is the latest twist in the dramatic shift in position by Jones who was the politician behind the move to change the name of French fries to "Freedom Fries" in the Congressional cafeteria. The resolution was introduced in June by Jones, Republican Ron Paul of Texas, as well as Democrat Dennis Kucinich. It calls on the president to begin the withdrawal by Oct. 1, 2006, but it does not set an end date. Jones said the new supporters include five Republicans.


That's momentum and you're seeing it in Congress and around the nation. Cindy Sheehan helped spark that and so did all the people who took the time to show support. Still doubting?

Sen. Hagel: US 'More and More Bogged Down' in Iraq
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said Thursday that the United States is getting "more and more bogged down" in Iraq and stood by his comments that the White House is disconnected from reality and losing the war. Hagel mocked Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion in June that the resistance in Iraq was in its "last throes," saying, "Maybe the vice president can explain the increase in casualties we're taking. If that's winning, then he's got a different definition of winning than I do."


Hagel mocks Cheney. That comes from the fact that the people are asking questions and trying to start a dialogue. Some people wondered about L.B. earlier this week. "Who is L.B.?" a few wrote. C.I. wouldn't touch the issue if L.B. was called out by name. Elaine told me that but I already knew it. C.I. would feel that it was personalizing something when an issue was the focus. So I didn't name L.B. and I won't. But L.B. wanted to say Cindy Sheehan wasn't for bringing the troops home now. And then wanted to mock anti-war people by saying: "anti-war."
L.B. has a problem with the peace movement and needs to get over it. L.B. also needs to learn some facts before blogging. Now I started out as a Common Ills community member (still am) before I started blogging so I got a pretty good education on Cindy Sheehan. That's why I pointed out this week that if you read The Common Ills, you already knew who Cindy Sheehan was, long before she went to Crawford.

You knew who she was and what she stood for. C.I. was nice about it over at The Common Ills saying that people like L.B. might not know the facts due to mainstream coverage. I don't buy that. "Anti-war" was use that L.B. made a choice to use. L.B. knew better is my hunch but L.B. wanted to play hawk and so Cindy Sheehan's statements got distorted. If you read The Common Ills this afternoon you noted that C.I. once again included Cindy Sheehan's latest statements which, again, include the call to bring the troops home now.

If L.B. honestly didn't know that when L.B. blogged on how Cindy Sheehan wants the war fine tuned than L.B. needs to do some serious work before blogging. But the thing is, that stuff is still up there. L.B. hasn't corrected anything. People going to L.B.'s site will still see L.B. claiming that Cindy Sheehan is not calling for the troops to come home. So if my hunch was wrong, I don't care. L.B. should know by now the truth if you want to give L.B. the benefit of the doubt and L.B. has not corrected the error which means it is now a lie.

"Distorting is not supporting" C.I. wrote and that's true. And what Elaine wrote is true to:

But when someone writes "anti-war" you already know where they're coming from.

And when someone calls you on it and you write, like L.B. did, that it's not Sheehan's place or L.B.'s place to figure out strategy that's another problem because yes it is. It is all of our place. We need to stop being so passive while our lives are altered over night in back door deals. That pissed Ma off more than anything else L.B. wrote. Ma was like C.I. and thinking maybe L.B. just got bad information from the mainstream press and it was an honest mistake but the "anti-war" in quotes ticked Ma off and when she got to the part about how it's not the "place" of citizens to address the strategy of issues, Ma was pissed off big time. Ma goes, "Mike, for me, never to link to" L.B. Ma, didn't have to ask because L.B. writes nonsense like that all the time. L.B. speaks to some people but not to me. And I don't link to people who don't speak to me or to people who push war. L.B. did try to Thomas Friedman the situation. And I read Kat's "Burn Your Hatred Out On Someone Else" thing on this and thought, "Yeah, that's what it is."

I don't have a lot of respect for people who claim to be progressive but just think we should shut our mouths about bringing the troops home. Seems to me like those people aren't blogging, they're advertising for Democratic leadership in Congress.

I got some e-mails asking if I was going to endorse anyone for the 2006 elections and I don't know. C.I.'s said no presidential endorsements over at The Common Ills and may have said no endorsements for 2006. I'm not sure on the last part. But I think that's a pretty brave thing to do but me, I'm still thinking about it.

Now I want to swipe from C.I. and Elaine to note Ruminations on America which is a pretty cool site that Rita J. King runs. Camilo Mejia rocks. He's a hero in my eyes and he wrote the thing below.


"The Case of Sergeant Benderman" (Camilo E. Mejia)
The defense successfully showed how during that meeting Sgt. Benderman's chain of command, not knowing how to deal with his Conscientious Objector packet, released him to work on documents and to have dinner with his wife, just an hour prior to his unit's deployment, and how they made no effort to get him to the airfield, or to get him onboard a later flight.
The defense showed how Sgt. Benderman, far from being absent without authority or having missed movement, continued to perform a sergeant's duties while and after his unit deployed to Iraq. The defense also showed the ambiguity in Sgt. Benderman's chain of command. For instance, one of the government's arguments in seeking both a conviction and a harsh punishment was that Sgt. Benderman's logistic duties were crucial for the unit in Iraq, yet the defense proved that his chain of command had planned to fire him from his job and to assign him to latrine duty. Another argument was the hazardous component of the unit's mission in Iraq, yet the 1st Sgt. insisted that Sgt. Benderman would be perfectly safe and in a position were he would see no combat at all.
The defense successfully showed the humiliation Sgt. Benderman went through because of his Conscientious Objector beliefs, from the harassment of his wife by the Sgt. Major (who admitted to commenting on her physical figure) to his 1st Sgt. calling him a coward. Why then, one wonders, was Sgt. Benderman convicted of Missing Movement by Design, and sentenced to 15 months of confinement, reduction to the lowest rank, and a dishonorable discharge?
The defense strategy was sound and solid. The government's prejudice and Sgt. Benderman's chain of command's unmeasured persecution and incompetence were all made evident. Why the conviction and the harsh sentence then? Perhaps because a legal strategy is no match for a political strategy. The Army had in its hands a blond, blue-eyed, six foot two, all American soldier, born and raised in the south, someone white America can look up to and identify with, someone who went to Iraq and came back with his humanity enhanced, most definitely a threat to a government on a mission to militarize its society and spread its empire.
The government threw the book at Sgt. Benderman to ensure others like him don't follow behind. Therefore, his case should not have been boiled down to a forty-five minute meeting, because in doing so, the defense disconnected itself from the humanity of the action and from its message of resistance, and that is something America cannot afford at this time.

Cindy Sheehan, Sarita's nervous about college and counterrecruting in Eugene, OR

Good evening. Let's go to two things from Democracy Now!

More Than 1,500 Antiwar Vigils Held Across the US
Last night, people across the United States participated in more than 1,500 candlelight vigils calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq. The vigils were called by Cindy Sheehan who is continuing her antiwar protest outside of President Bush's property near Crawford, Texas. Here is the mother of a soldier who was wounded in Iraq, speaking at a vigil in Washington DC.
Gilda, mother of soldier wounded in Iraq:"What is unforgivable is that you betrayed our idealistic American sons and daughters who trustingly placed their lives in your hands. we, their mothers, will not let you move on with your life."
One mother of a soldier who served in Iraq, speaking in Washington DC. Meanwhile, in Crawford Cindy Sheehan has been joined by a growing number of people at her protest and has now begun setting up camp on the property of one of President Bush's neighbors who offered his land to Sheehan. Among the people joining her are several parents of soldiers killed in Iraq, as well as Minnesota State Senator Becky Lourey, whose son died in Iraq, as well as FBI whistleblower Colleen Rowley--who is running for Congress in Minnesota. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern is also in Crawford and many more people are expected to pour in for a rally planned for Thursday evening.
Cindy Sheehan:"Our spirits are always good here at Camp Casey 'cause we feel the support of everybody around the world."

So do you think it's having an effect? I do. I think people are paying attention and that's what I hear on campus. People call her brave and say that they're tired of no one talking about the war.

Here's the second thing from Democracy Now!


Court Hears Details of Killing of Afghan Prisoner by US Soldier
Now to the ongoing prisoner abuse scandal. An Afghan detainee who died in US military custody in 2002 was injured so severely that his leg muscles were split apart. This according to an Air Force medical examiner's testimony this week in the trial of a soldier accused in the beating. The examiner who performed the autopsy on the prisoner said his muscles were "crumbling and falling apart." She testified that the injuries could have been caused by repeated knee strikes or by a fist. Army Private Willie Brand is accused of abusing the two prisoners in Afghanistan in 2002. Both later died.

C.I. had a great thing last night and I was thinking about it when I heard the second headline on Democracy Now! The thing was called "Scattered Thoughts" and C.I. was talking about national hysteria and how the press helped whip it up.

Let me go to the e-mail. Sarita e-mailed wondering if it's normal to worry before your first semester in college. She's worried about making good enough grades and about making friends.
I think that those are pretty normal worries. It's a new situation and I think it's pretty common to worry. Sarita's going to one college and all her friends are going somewhere else. So that probably is a normal fear after you've spent four years of high school with the same people (unless you've moved or something). It probably will be nerve wracking the way anything is but it will probably be exciting too. I talked about Sarita's e-mail with my friend Tony and he said when he was starting high school he was nervous and to psyche himself up he pretended that he was an undercover spy and that got him through the first classes until lunch by which time he was okay with high school. So maybe a game like that would help?

Another thing that was suggested was treating yourself in a little way. Like if you like Ruffles or Gardettos, grab a little bag that first day. Tell yourself, "I'll eat some of this after my first class." Or maybe you like the park or movies. Tell yourself, "After I get through my first day, I'm going to go there." Just so you have something to look forward to when you start the day. But I think you'll end up enjoying it.

It's okay to be nervous when you're doing something new. So remind yourself of that and just go through the day knowing that there are other people nervous in class with you.

If anyone has any other tips, e-mail and we'll put them up here.

Now we'll close with something C.I. passed on to me because it's about recruiting. It's from Euguene Weekly and it's called "Break From Recruiting:"

How will the teens and young adults in our community deal effectively with ubiquitous military recruiters in schools and on the phone? Eugene peace activists are doing some recruiting of their own for a regional counter-recruitment camp to be held Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 near Goldendale, Wash.
PeaceWorks and CALC's Committee for Countering Military Recruitment are promoting the Northwest "Not Your Soldier" student activist training camp for youth age 13 to 22. The cost of the camp is $25-$250 sliding scale, with scholarships available.
Registration includes meals, housing, transportation, activities and workshops. "The focus of this event is to empower young people to return to high school and college campuses ready to oppose military recruitment and work to demilitarize their schools," says Phil Weaver of PeaceWorks.
Sessions will include training in nonviolent direct action, basic rights, issues of race in military recruitment, guerilla theater, public speaking, working with adult allies, alternatives to the military, student privacy, conscientious objection and the draft .
The camps are a joint project of the Ruckus Society, Code Pink, War Resisters League, Teen Peace and the Committee for Countering Military Recruitment. For more information or to register, visit www.notyoursoldier.orgor e-mail countermilitary@yahoo.com or call 343-8548 ext. 1.

Camilo Mejia and an interview with Dona of The Third Estate Sunday Review

Good evening. Let's start out with two things from Democracy Now!

Anti-War Camp in Crawford Texas Vandalized
In Crawford Texas, Cindy Sheehan has announced her 11-day-old anti-war vigil will move locations - in order to get closer to president Bush's vacation ranch. A local Crawford resident has offered her to set up Camp Casey on his property. Sheehan has vowed to remain in Crawford until the president meets with her. Last year Sheehan's oldest son Casey died in Iraq. He was 24 years old. The right-wing attack on Sheehan is intensifying. Last week Fox News host Bill O'Reilly described Sheehan's actions as treasonous. On Monday night a Texas man drove his pickup truck through the vigil site running over hundreds of white wooden crosses and American flags that had been put up to honor soldiers killed in Iraq. The man -- Larry Northern - was arrested and charged with criminal mischief. Sheehan vowed there would be no retaliation. "We're all here for peace, and we're not going to lower ourselves down to the level of the violence," Sheehan said. "And we're going to let them get us off our mission either. This isn't only about my son. This is about all of the 1,800, over 1,800 people who have been killed in this mistake of a war. This is about the 130,000 who are still over there for no reason. This is about the millions of Iraqis in harm's way for no reason. We want this to end." Meanwhile support for the anti-war protest in Crawford is growing. Tonight MoveOn is helping to organize more than 1,000 candlelight vigils around the United States to support Sheehan.

Report: UK Police Lied About Shooting of Innocent Man
In Britain the tv network ITV has obtained leaked information that indicate the British government may have lied about key details involving the police shooting of an innocent Brazilian electrician aboard a subway car. According to the leaked witness statements, the Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes, was being restrained by a member of Scotland Yard's surveillance team at the time that he was shot. In addition, the leaked information indicate Menezes was wearing a thin denim jacket -- not a bulky jacket as police said. It also now appears that Menezes never ran from the police. He only began to run when he saw his train pull into the station. Menezes was shot by police shortly after the July 21st attempted bombings in London.

Those are two disgusting bits of news. In the first one, Camp Casey is vandalized and in the second one, we knew the guy was innocent, the news here is that the police tried to cover up their actions.

Now I want to note something that C.I. sent me, it's from La Prensa San Diego and it's
Camilo E. Mejia's "A veteran of the Iraq War addresses potential recruits"

I'd like to tell young people what awaits them if they join the military and go to Iraq.
You will find yourself patrolling the alleyways and streets of Baghdad or Fallujah. Improvised explosive devices will be going off. You will see some of your fellow soldiers get blown up. And you yourself may get seriously injured or die. Your whole mission will be to get back home alive in one piece.
It is only when you -- if you are among the lucky ones -- make it home, when you yourself are away from the inferno you just left, that you start asking the questions: the "why" and "was it worth it" questions.
I know.
I've been in the military for more than 10 years, serving as an infantryman and later as a reservist with the Florida National Guard on active duty in Iraq.
It is only when we try to find answers to the questions that haunt us that we begin to question our participation in the war -- as a military, as soldiers, as individuals.
Sometimes it takes years. In other cases, like my own and those of some other veterans I've talked with, the realization hits us right away.
That realization is that we were used and abused, that we signed to protect America and
fight for freedom, but the government tricked us. Instead, we realize we are killing and being killed so that President Bush can strut and corporations can haul off the profits.

Normally I dip into the e-mails except on Wednesdays. On Wednesdays lately, I've been interviewing people from The Third Estate Sunday Review. This Wednesday, I'm lucky to have Dona.

I want to start out by talking about how you have been one of the strongest voices pushing for a "best of" edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review. I wanted to get you to talk about that.

Dona: Okay well, you know, the things generally start on Saturday afternoon or evening and they tend to go all night. Where there's a problem is when it's Sunday morning and it's 7 am or later and we're just getting done. That's asking a lot of people. And when it's something that happens week after week it gets old and wears on people.

But when people were saying that the "best of" would be last Sunday, you ended up voting no on that.

Dona: Well, two Sundays ago, we had the problem with getting things posted to the site. It wasn't fixed until Thursday evening. That's really not enough time to do an edition. But the issue of the press corp shrugging their shoulders, basically, over John H. Johnson's death was an important one. So we went from feeling that Sunday would be the "best of" edition to feeling like there was no way we could do that and be silent on something this because this is really the sort of reason we started The Third Estate Sunday Review.

What do you think of this Sunday's edition?

Dona: I told Jim you were going to ask that. Well I'm really not in favor of the push, push, rush, rush, inspiration will come school or view. I'm someone who believes that you really need to prepare ahead of time. I'm not saying my view is better and it's certainly not the only way. But I do think the editions are stronger when we've batted around ideas and actually started drafts before Saturday rolls around. I say all of that to say that despite that, I think the edition is one of our strongest ones. I believe the reason is that we were bothered by the treatment of John H. Johnson's death. That really motivated us. I think you can see it in the pieces dealing with Johnson like the essay and the parody of World News Tonight as well as in the pieces that don't address him like the editorial, the news review and the TV review Ava and C.I. did. I think, in terms of media criticism, it's the strongest edition we've done. But, having said that, I think that's the exception. I don't think strong work often results from this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants way of putting an edition together.

I wanted to talk about the news review because you came up with that feature?

Dona: A great deal of our features go through many, many drafts. We're all adding something to each one.

Except the TV reviews.

Dona: Correct, those are the work of Ava and C.I. But the other features go through drafts and go through everyone tossing out things and looking at what's been pulled together. That's great and probably makes them stronger more often than not; however, it does take up time. One of the hopes with the roundtable feature was that we could get an easy feature. Just a transcript of what was said and we're done. As you know, a roundtable can go on for four hours. So with the news review, we stop at 59 minutes if possible and do not go over 60 for any reason. It's our roundup of news stories and we do it in a manner similar to Democracy Now! which we all love.

C.I.'s the anchor.

Dona: And hates being an anchor. But the anchor needs to be someone who can stretch because it's got to go in real time. Someone who can stretch shouldn't be asking, "So how are you today?" C.I. is someone who, when told to stretch, can bring up points that go to what's being addressed. Look at when Betty was reporting on Marilyn Monroe in the first news review. The e-mails on that were really impressed with the exchange between Betty & C.I. which wasn't planned by either and only came up because I told them to stretch since the next story up wasn't ready. I mean, I read some of the e-mails on that and people would write, "Marilyn did say she made up things up for her sessions!" Did you know that? I didn't. I couldn't have gone there. And this time we saw C.I. bring up things from, for instance, The New Yorker when it was time to stretch. They add, they round out the story.

I think C.I. doesn't like doing that.

Dona: Because of the spotlight issue and not wanting to be in it as well as because C.I. would rather focus on putting together a story. I know and I understand that. If we had anyone else that could do it and wanted to, I'd be the first to say, "Thank you for anchoring now go put together a story this time." But the reality is the reality. You know, from when we're all working together, that C.I. may bring up anything in passing. It might be a movie or something historical or whatever. You need someone well versed in case you end up needing to stretch. But the feature's done with me holding a stop watch and we stay on time for it so you're looking at one hour of time basically.

I really enjoy it and think it's exciting because, for me at least, I'm thinking, "Will I be able to pull this together?"

Dona: Which is part of the fun and does fit Jim's belief that the pressure can be a benefit. I wish Elaine's piece could have gotten into the news review. But Elaine said the fact that I wish something had made it in instead of wishing that we'd taken something out should always be the goal and I agree with that.

Cedric feels bad about that.

Dona: He doesn't need to. We had, I think, 52 seconds left and it was easier to cut the report he did to fit that then it was to cut Elaine's. But we tried. Jim, Cedric, Elaine and I were all trying to make it fit but her report was complex and cuts just made it confusing.

I'll close by congratulating you. Yesterday was The Third Estate Sunday Review's seventh month anniversary.

Dona: Really? Some days it seemed like we only started last week, other days -- usually the day after an all nighter -- it feels like we've done it for 60 years. 7 months? Wow. Hopefully we've learned something in that time and hopefully it shows a little. You've interviewed Ava and Jim already and I was told to ask who was next?

Ty.

Dona: Well I look forward to reading that and I'll let him know that it's relatively painless.

Advice for Amber and John H. Johnson

Good evening, we'll start off with Democracy Now! which I hope everybody watches or listens to.

August On Pace to Be One of Deadliest Months of War For U.S.
Meanwhile August is shaping up to be one of the deadliest months so far for U.S. troops in Iraq. 44 U.S. soldiers were killed in the first 10 days of the month alone. The week beginning Aug. 3 marked the fourth deadliest week of the war for U.S. forces.

'Marine of the Year' Faces Attempted Murder Charges
In Massachusetts, a decorated Marine who served in Iraq is facing attempted murder charges after he fired a shotgun from his apartment window at a group of revelers outside a nightclub. Just last month the Marine -- Daniel Cotnoir - was named 2005 Marine of the Year by the Marine Corps Times. After he won the award Cotnoir posed for a photo with Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. Cotnoir has reportedly been suffering from post-war stress since serving in Iraq where he worked as a mortician preparing bodies of U.S. soldiers for burial.

A lot of e-mails with advice for Amber. Yesterday, I told you about Amber. One of her best friend's is Foxized by her father and thinks that Amber's speaking out against the war is not supportive. Wally wrote that besides asking the friend to list what she thinks "supports the troops" but also to explain why she thinks Amber's beliefs don't. Bobbie thinks Amber needs to "keep being upfront about what she stands for because a lot of it is probably just that her friend hasn't heard that point of view because we've heard such a narrow range of views in the media." My bud Tony thinks Amber should back up her views with stuff on Iraq because he doesn't think that her friend probably knows much beyond the Operation Happy Talk and purple fingers crap. But what most of the e-mails wondered was if Amber was in school (she's in high school). If the person writing was in high school, like Kristi, Jock, Delia, Heather, Genie and Damon, they were talking about how when the occupation started, the whole school seemed like a war rally but that in the two years since, the mood changed big time. Too many deaths and too many lies is what Damon thinks changed it and Genie thinks it's because "we may be kids but we know right from wrong."

And that's what I saw on my school campus and see on my college campus now. And there's a Common Ills community member named Maria and she teaches and she's talked about that over at The Common Ills for months now, about how it's us kids who woke up and saw the obvious quick. She's talked about how it might have something to do with you got a group of people learning about their country and what it's supposed to stand for and at the same time that we're learning about democracy, self-rule, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and facing forming our own opinions and all, it's easier for us to look at the Bully Boy and say, "The emperor has no no clothes on" than it is for a lot of our parents.

It's also why people who might have seemed like brave voices in March of 2003 strike us as hopelessly out of touch if they've got the same message they had all that time ago. There's been a shift in us and a shift in the country and it's the tipping point thing that Ruth talked about at The Third Estate Sunday Review and in her Ruth's Morning Edition Report and that The Third Estate Sunday Review and The Common Ills has been talking about for some time. Things are changing and Elaine had a great thing about that last night.

And I want to note my buddy Cedric writing about Howard Kurtz yesterday and how Kurtz dismissed the lack of big coverage on the death of John H. Johnson with nonsense about how Johnson didn't anchor a TV show:

See, some people are noting it. Amy Goodman and the folks of Democracy Now! covered Johnson last week and are again this week and Susan of Random Thoughts gets it and Trey and Marcia and C.I.
As for Howard Kurtz, he's a bigger stooge than my cousin who just got patterns shaved into his scalp that make his head look like one of those stickers you put down in the tub to prevent someone from falling.
With Vernon, I said, "What the heck were you thinking?" With Kurtz, he obviously doesn't think. Peter Jennings got massive coverage and John H. Johnson very little coverage because, according to Howard Kurts, Peter Jennings was on TV. And because he was an anchor of an evening news program. So that means no one of my race gets that kind of coverage, right Zowie Howie? I mean, I don't hear that CBS is looking to replace Rather's white rabbit replacement with a brother. And Brian Williams looks like he applies man-tan. So we don't have a black anchor on the evening news of any of the big three broadcast networks. By Zowie's logic, we, therefore, don't get any coverage.
You're only matter, Zowie Howie says, if you're on TV. Of course he would say that since he is on TV. If you lose your TV outlet, do you no longer matter, Zowie?
Most Americans don't know who John H. Johnson was, according to Howie. I'm guessing he doesn't know many black people other than maybe his servants. What Howie's saying is that not many white people he knows know who John H. Johnson is. A lot of important people die that your average person of any color never heard about and I kinda thought that was what the press did, let you know someone important passed but I guess I was wrong. Howie tells us it's all about if you are on TV or not.
Howie needs to leave his, what did C.I. call it?, "restricted comfort zone." I love that. Restricted zone. That's Howie Kurtz. And black people get restricted right out of his area.

Democracy Now! did a thing on John H. Johnson's memorial today so I'll close with that:

ROLAND MARTIN: Well, I think first of all, we need to broaden the scope of John H. Johnson's influence. I do not consider him to be the greatest black publisher in the history of our industry. I consider him to be one of the greatest publishers. I think if there was a Mount Rushmore of the media magnates, I believe that John H. Johnson's bust would be alongside Henry Luce, David Sarnoff, Bill Paley, Ted Turner, and the other icons of our industry.
For me personally, I had a chance to sit with him and his daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, who is now the C.E.O. of Johnson Publishing Company, a couple of months ago. I had an opportunity to talk with him, talk about his vision and how he built the company. But the first time we met was in 1990, when I was an intern at the Houston Defender, and it was interesting, when John H. Johnson came through the office, I mean, it was as if royalty was there, because that's how so many people looked at him and held him with such high regard. Clearly one of the greatest giants we have ever seen in this industry, and his impact goes far beyond the pages of Ebony and Jet.

Cindy Sheehan, CounterRecruiter, Amber's questions and people who don't know the facts about Cindy Sheehan

Good evening, we'll start off with Democracy Now!

Cindy Sheehan Begins Day Nine of Her Protest in Crawford, TX
In Crawford Texas, Cindy Sheehan has begun day nine of her vigil outside President Bush's vacation ranch. Sheehan has vowed to remain in Crawford until the president meets with her. Last year Sheehan's oldest son Casey died in Iraq. He was 24 years old. Hundreds of anti-war activists have now joined Sheehan in a protest that has received international attention. "You know, this is really hard. Not only am I, like, trying to stop the war, but I have to grieve my son every day," Cindy Sheehan said. "Every day I wake up, it's like April 4th all over again. I have to realize that I have to go for another day without my son, and it's really, really hard. And then I do this on top of that." On Saturday, Bush defended his decision not to meet with Sheehan. He said "I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But. I think it's also important for me to go on with my life." Bush's comments came before he went on a two-hour bike ride with journalists and aides. In addition, Bush spent Saturday attending a Little League baseball game, having lunch w/ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, napping, fishing and reading. On Friday Bush attended a political fundraiser. Tensions are also rising in Crawford. One local farmer fired a gun on his property near the protest site. When asked if he was trying to send a message the farmer said, "Figure it out for yourself."



So now let's hop over to the e-mails. I've got one from Amber and she's got a problem. First, she's been talking about Cindy Sheehan every chance she gets. So good for Amber! Way to go! Second, she's got a friend who told her that she doesn't "support the troops" if she supports Cindy Sheehan and Amber's wondering what to tell that friend.

Amber says "I can't tell her to f--k off because she's one of my best friends and because I think if I work hard, I can reach her because she's just repeating stuff her dad told her."

Amber, I think it's great that you faced that and decided to work harder. So my advice is ask her what "support the troops" means? Make her define what it means.

I think she's probably not thought about it and just repeats it as a slogan.

So make her do some thinking and ask her to tell you what "support the troops" means or to make a list of things she thinks "supports the troops."

Then discuss the list with her calmly. And ask questions. Like ask if she thinks it supports the troops if you shut your mouth when you feel your country is making a huge mistake.

Amber says she keeps getting told by some right wingers that Cindy Sheehan wanted the war fought smarter. Amber, you got punked. Cindy Sheehan wants the troops home now. She's said that over and over. I read that and thought, "Call C.I." I did. C.I.'s going to try to address that nonsense tonight.

And see, here's the thing, The Common Ills knew who Cindy Sheehan was before Crawford. The Common Ills linked to Gold Star Families for Peace and Military Families Speak Out before Crawford. The Common Ills has quoted her from Stop The Next War Now, the CODEPINK book. Any right winger who says that crap is an idiot. I've read Stop The Next War Now and I've watched Cindy Sheehan on Democracy Now! so I think it's really sad that some people want to use her to push their own agenda of "fine tune the war!" ("Fine tune the war" is a phrase C.I. or Elaine came up with, I can't remember who right now.)

Cedric told me he saw a "liberal" blogger blogging on it too. L.B. needs to do some research before weighing in because L.B. doesn't know anything. I don't go to that site. I called Elaine because she pulled that site from Rebecca's list. Elaine said she's sick of permalinks from Rebecca to people who won't give Rebecca permalinks so she pulled that site 2 weeks ago. She also didn't care for L.B.'s playing Thomas Friedman while acting "liberal." That's why I don't go to L.B.'s site. C.I. mentioned L.B. when I was doing links and I said, "I don't want to link to that. Or to anyone that pushes Council for Foreign Relations. I may be only 19 but I'm not an idiot." And that's sad, real sad. Here I am 19, not knowing half of what to do and learning as I go and I know more than L.B.

From CounterRecruiter (a great site), I want to note Joshua Breitbart's "Selling the Parents" which about the new push-the-war front where they try to get parents up on the war:

The ads have been running since April on old-person cable channels, like Hallmark and the Game Show Network. One in Spanish is running on Spanish-language television and in Puerto Rico. The Army recently expanded their circulation and claims they will reach 58 percent of influencers of potential recruits by September. With Cindy Sheehan and the Gold Star Families for Peace in the news so much these days, the recruiters have a lot to compete with when it comes to reaching parents.
Read more: "Army ads encourage parents to let their children sign up"

Cindy Sheehan, Bully Boy goes we're not withdrawing, Zogby and other things

Good evening. We'll kick things off with Democracy Now!

Bush Won't Meet With Sheehan, But He'll Talk About Her
President Bush emerged from his ranch in Crawford, Texas yesterday and addressed for the first time the rapidly growing antiwar protest outside of his property. What began as a one woman vigil has now grown into the central antiwar action in the US. Before this week, there was very little coverage in the corporate media of antiwar families whose loved ones have been killed in Iraq, but now Cindy Sheehan--whose son Casey was killed in Iraq-- has grabbed international headlines by camping out in Crawford.
President Bush, speaking to reporters on Thursday:
"This is America. She has a right to her position, and I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: Get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so."
President Bush has thus far refused to meet with Cindy Sheehan at his ranch, instead sending emissaries. Sheehan has vowed to remain in Crawford until Bush agrees to meet her. She has also indicated she may camp out at the White House once Bush returns from yet another vacation. He has taken more than 320 days of vacation since assuming the presidency 5 years ago.

I want to jump in here on this. 320 days of vacation when there are like 365 days in a year. So for working five years he basically gets a year off? Has he done a great job? Okay, take Afghanistan where parlimentary elections are coming up and the violence is only increasing and we're losing troops there. Like John Kerry pointed out, we didn't finish the job there. Now take our occupation of Iraq, did he do a good job there? No and only like 38% of us approve of the job he's doing there. Okay well what about keeping us safe? The warnings that an attack may be coming should remind us all that 9/11 happened on his watch. So did Enron's collapse. His people outed Valerie Plame. I see a lot of mistakes and I'm sure they cause a lot of grief and stress but I think most people that screw up like that get fired and not a year's vacation. And he's not done yet. He'll take his Thanksgiving vacation and his Christmas vacation. Just like he takes his daily naps when he is working. "It's hard work" he likes to tell us. If he's working hard it still ain't doing no good because he keeps screwing up. And he's too chicken to meet with Cindy Sheehan.

Now let's go to another thing from Democracy Now!

Bush Denies Iraq Withdrawal 'Rumors'
On Iraq, Bush said he has made no decision on whether to increase or decrease U.S. troop levels there, calling reports of coming reductions "speculation" and "rumors." But he did say that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is looking at whether to add troops at the time of the next scheduled Iraqi elections in December. Bush also predicted that the draft constitution would be finished in time for a Monday deadline.

Flip-flop, flip-flop, and it don't stop. We're not withdrawing. I told you we weren't. Bully Boy can't admit a mistake. C.I. passed me a Zogby poll and there were questions in there about do you support a draft or a requirement for national service and should it be tied into attending college or to getting student loans. So don't think the draft isn't being thought of. Need to see the Zogby questions? Here they are (courtesy of C.I.):


Are you aware that a part of the "No Child Left Behind" education act of 2001 requires secondary schools that receive federal money, to release personal information about their students to military recruiters?
Yes
No
Not sure
Do you agree with this provision?
Yes
No
Not sure
Are you aware that you can opt your child out of this only by making a request to your school district in writing?
Yes
No
Not sure
Are you aware that the Pentagon is creating a database that will contain names, contact information, and other personal details about approximately 30 million 16-25 year olds for military recruiting purposes?
Yes
No
Not sure
Do you support the development of this database?
Yes
No
Not sure
Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree that such a database is a violation of a child's right to privacy?
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
Not sure
Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with re-instituting the draft as a source of additional military troops?
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
Not sure
If Americans were under attack on our home soil, would you then support a draft?
Yes
No
Not sure
Some have suggested that two years mandatory military service in the armed forces should be required of all American citizens upon graduation from high school. Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with requiring mandatory military service?
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
Not sure
Some have suggested that two years mandatory national service in a variety of settings, such as the armed forces, national parks, health clinics, and failing schools should be required of all American citizens upon graduation from high school. Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with requiring mandatory military service?
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
Not sure

Would you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose making national service a requirement for college admissions?
Strongly favor
Somewhat favor
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Not sure
Would you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose making national service a requirement for college loans?
Strongly favor
Somewhat favor
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Not sure




So let's dip into the e-mails.

Sondra writes in about her boyfriend and says she hopes "this isn't a silly question." I like silly questions. She says her boyfriend's not bow legged but lately "like yesterday afternoon, we're standing outside waiting on the bus and he's got his feet planted way apart and I started thinking how he's been doing that a lot lately so I ask him is there a reason you know like you're hurt and he shakes his head and doesn't talk about it."

Sondra, this is my guess and my guess only. I'm basing it on what I do. If I'm outside and wearing jeans or pants and not a pair of shorts, I'm burning it up and that includes my groin. Like especially my groin. If I'm standing for a bit outside in the sun, I'm not keeping my knees together because the heat's just too much. I've got to spread my legs out some to lessen the heat.

That's my guess and I'm going by what I do. I'll toss this out to see if anyone else has any other ideas. Part of the fun for me is taking questions like this. I don't think it's silly because it made Sondra wonder and I bet worry if she asked her boyfriend if he was hurt.

Mick wrote to say he will hang tough. He goes he wishes he didn't have to and that recruiters would take a no for an answer but he can hang tough as long as he has to.

I want to pass on something from Michael Bronner's "The Recruiters' War" from Vanity Fair:

In June, the Pentagon went a step further, contracting a private marketing firm to compile a databse of high-school students aged 16 to 18 and all college students -- listing personal information from birth dates to Social Security numbers, grade-point averages, ethnicities, e-mail addresses, and interests -- to help identify potential recruits. There is a growing opposition among parents to these lists, but recruiters consider them invaluable. Not that they helped Lowry much -- it seemed he just couldn't connect with the local kids. But he wasn't allowed to leave the office and go home to his wife. Natalie, and their baby until he had at least three appointments confirmed for the following day, a task which often took as many as 150 calls. The threat of being fired hung constantly over his head.

So that explains why they call like they do and pester like they do and you gotta be like Mick and just hang tough and say "no" over and over.

I'll be working with The Third Estate Sunday Review tomorrow. I'm hoping to get something up tomorrow or Sunday. But if I don't, everybody have a great weekend. And if I didn't plug my buddy Cedric already, get over to his site and check out his "Anybody talking about John H. Johnson? Why not?"

Cindy Sheehan & John H. Johnson

Good evening. As usual, I'll start things off by noting Democracy Now!

Cindy Sheehan Vigil Gains Support From Congress
Meanwhile, in Crawford, Texas Cindy Sheehan is continuing her vigil outside the ranch where President Bush is once again vacationing. And her campaign is gaining momentum and support. Sheehan, of course, grabbed headlines in recent days since she began camping near President Bush's ranch. She is the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. As more military families arrived from several states to join Sheehan, 38 members of Congress signed a letter asking Bush to meet with her. On Saturday, National Security Advisor Steven Hadley and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Joe Hagin met with Sheehan briefly, but she called the exchange "pointless" and has said she will stay in Crawford until the president meets with her.

Rumsfeld Planning 9-11 Party/Country Music Concert
For many, the upcoming September 11th anniversary will be a time for somber reflection. Apparently not for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. This week, he announced the Pentagon will hold a massive march and country music concert to mark the fourth anniversary of 9/11. Rumsfeld is calling the event the "America Supports You Freedom Walk." The march will start at the Pentagon and end at the National Mall with a show by country star Clint Black. Black is the man behind the song "I Raq and Roll," a song that conflates Saddam Hussein with "the devil" who attacked the United States on 9/11. One verse of the song goes, "We can't ignore the devil, he'll keep coming back for more ... If they won't show us their weapons, we might have to show them ours. It might be a smart bomb -- they find stupid people, too. And if you stand with the likes of Saddam, one just might find you." The announcement of this 9/11 celebration and concert outraged victim's family groups and veterans organizations.

Cindy Sheehan, man are people starting to talk. I got up this morning telling myself I'd be a pest and bring it up with people I'd already talked about it with and on top of that with anyone I passed. Biggest surprise to me was that I really didn't have to start the conversation. People were bringing it up to me.

At work this old guy, I know he was retired, brings it up and says to me he voted for Bully Boy and he can't believe how "disrespectful" he's beeing to Cindy. He said Bully Boy was supposed to be a straight talker and there he was "hiding from a woman in pain, reminds me of the way he hid behind that Harris woman during the Florida thing." (He means Katharine Harris during the non-recount in Florida.) He said "there's no fool like an old fool and boy was I an old fool for voting for him."

I got the feeling this guy didn't get to talk much because he had a lot to say. Or maybe the people he usually talks are people he's not comfortable saying he made a mistake voting for the Bully Boy too. But he let it rip. He was furious. He said he believed until the violence kept up after the elections in Iraq and now he's just "p.o.ed" and Bully Boy won't bring "our sons and our daughters back, and what a coward, he's gotten our girls killed too" and he won't meet with Cindy who "lost her boy." He goes he's washing his hands of the Bully Boy and he's not giving to the RNC. He goes he gives every election cycle and that's Congressional and presidential but he's had enough. "They've screwed our country, excuse my language."

About Rummy's concert. That Clint Black is a joke and so's his dopey wife. They're both tools and they should be ashamed and embarrassed to let themselves be used to act like Iraq was involved in 9/11 and to act like everything's cool. They are disgusting.

Let's dig into the e-mails. Robyn e-mails to say that she feels like Cindy Sheehan's doing something really important and that things are changing. I agree with you Robyn and so does
Terry who says that his whole family is behind Cindy Sheehan and Terry's got a big family. He's one of eight kids. Bonita says that all the talk from me, Elaine, Kat, Cedric and C.I. have made her bring up this topic everywhere and that the more people she tells about Bully Boy's refusing to meet with Cindy Sheehan, the more people are disgusted with him. Bobbie says that now that she's more comfortable with herself she's talking to people about everything including Cindy Sheehan.

So what about the rest of you? Are you doing the same? Terry was the only guy who wrote in.
So fellows, are we going to let the women do all the work or are we going to do our part too?

Today's August 11th, Cindy's planning to stay down in Crawford all month. And look at all the people taking part and joining her too. This is a movement.

I want to close by noting my buddy Cedric's "Anybody talking about John H. Johnson? Why not?" (Cedric's Big Mix):

Did you know that Peter Jennings died? I guess you did. I guess you couldn't listen to the radio or the TV without knowing about it. I guess you think he's the only one who died in the last few days. There were actually quite a few people who died.
One of them was John H. Johnson.
He started and published Jet and Ebony. Now I'm guessing if you never heard of them you don't get that those were important magazines. They helped fight stereotypes and they also helped people see what blacks could be and were. Back in the day, you didn't have Dr. Huxtable and the Huxtable clan. You didn't have a Denzel or anyone like that. If you saw a black person on your TV set they were usually a criminal or a maid or some servent. Now maybe they were a guest star on a musical special. That's about the most that could be hoped for.
My grandparents can tell you about it, my mother can tell you about it. (My father could tell you about it if he were still alive.)
You know when you pick up People Magazine and all the people in the ads are white? That's pretty common. Ebony & Jet were important enough that Johnson could get advertisers to use black people in the ads.
And not only did they uplift a people and inspire by offering something other than the usual stereotypes, the magazines could also address politics and civil rights. All of this was dreamed up by John H. Johnson. He knew we could support a magazine, support more than one magazine.

Check out Cedric, he's completely cool and tells it like it is. And keep getting the word out on Cindy Sheehan.

Democracy Now!, Dahr Jamail and my interview with Jim

Good evening, let's kick things off with Democracy Now!

More Military Families Join Cindy Sheehan in Texas
In Texas, more military families are heading to Crawford to join Cindy Sheehan in an ongoing vigil in Crawford where President Bush is vacationing. Sheehan has threatened to stay in Crawford until the president agrees to meet with her. Sheehan's son Casey died last year in Iraq. He was 24 years old. Military families from Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and Arkansas are expected to join Sheehan at the vigil site. "He doesn't have any children in harm's way. You know, if there are more soldiers and marines killed today, it's not going to worry him if one of them is his daughter," said Sheehan. "I mean, he's insulated. He's safe. Nobody in this administration has to worry about their children. And if I have to stay out here all month in this heat, it's nothing compared to what our soldiers are going through or what the people of Iraq are going through."

Poll: 57% of U.S. Says Iraq War Has Made Nation Less Safe
Meanwhile a new poll by USA Today in this country has found that 57 percent of respondents believes the war in Iraq has made the United States more vulnerable to another terrorist attack. Only 34 percent said the war had made the country safer.

People are getting wise. We need to make sure we get the word out on Cindy Sheehan. Remember that the rumor is they may try to arrest her tomorrow. Tell everyone you can about Cindy Sheehan. I was talking about it when I stopped for lunch between work and campus today.

Now let me give some good news, The Third Estate Sunday Review is working again. Not because of anything Blogger Support did. They never replied to the e-mails and they never fixed anything. Jim was trying this evening and before I phoned him and it still wouldn't work. I go, "What about C.I.'s suggestion?" Jim didn't talk to C.I. but the light was blinking on the machine. So I called Jim back after he had a chance to listen to the message. C.I. said just try a test post and see if that goes through and knocks everything up. It did.

I want to note something C.I. did this weekend, Dahr Jamail's latest, which is "What Have We Done?" and worth reading:

Camilo Mejia, an army staff sergeant who was sentenced to a year in military prison in May, 2004 for refusing to return to Iraq after being home on leave, talks openly about what he did there:
"What it all comes down to is redemption for what was done there. I was turning ambulances away from going to hospitals, I killed civilians, I tortured guys…and I'm ashamed of that. Once you are there, it has nothing to do with politics…it has to do with you as an individual being there and killing people for no reason. There is no purpose, and now I'm sick at myself for doing these things. I kept telling myself I was there for my buddies. It was a weak reasoning…because I still shut my mouth and did my job."
Mejia then spoke candidly about why he refused to return:
"It wasn't until I came home that I felt it-how wrong it all was and that I was a coward for pushing my principles aside. I'm trying to buy my way back into heaven…and it's not so much what I did, but what I didn't do to stop it when I was there. So now it's a way of trying to undo the evil that we did over there. This is why I'm speaking out, and not going back. This is a painful process and we’re going through it."
Camilo Mejia was then quick to point towards the success of his organization and his colleagues. "When I went back to Iraq in October of 2003, the Pentagon said there were 22 AWOL's. Five months later it was 500, and when I got out of jail that number was 5,000. These are the Pentagons' numbers for the military. Two things are significant here-the number went from 500-5,000 in 11 months, and these are the numbers from the Pentagon."
While the military is falling short of its recruitment goals across the board and the disaster in Iraq spiraling deeper into chaos with each passing day, these are little consolation for these men who have paid the price they’ve had to pay to be at this convention. They continue to pay, but at the same time stand firm in their resolve to bring an end to the occupation of Iraq and to help their fellow soldiers.

Now I want to get started with Jim because he's got stuff to do and I'm running late for a date. I noted trapping bears last night and I was referring to a story that C.I. had e-mailed me about yesterday afternoon that was going to be in today's paper, John Holl's "As Bear Complaints Rise, New Jersey Considers a Hunt" because Jim is interested in this topic. In New Jersey there's concern by some that there are too many bears and some say it's not a problem.
So let me get this interview with Jim started so we can both get on with our nights.

The bear situation, what do you think about it?

Jim: I think it's really nonsense. I think we're seeing something that is alarmist. If it is a problem, the answer's not to hunt them. Put 'em in a zoo. There are zoos all over the country and there are cut backs and the economy is in the toilet. I read Holl's article this morning and almost missed it so thanks for the heads up but it seems that just as easy as it is to kill a bear, we could trap it and get it to a zoo. But kill, kill, kill seems to be the answer to everything. These are bears native to this country so there should be a reason for zoos to want to preserve them. Maybe it's not as cute as some panda from China, but it is a native animal and at a time when our eco system is under attack and we are losing so many species, you'd think people would be saying, "Okay, if we do have a surplus, let's get some into a zoo."

Right. I thought the bear in the photo in the New York Times today was pretty cute but it looked sad. There was something in one of it's eyes.

Jim: Yeah, made it look like it was crying.

Why do you think the answer is "kill, kill, kill"?

Jim: Because it's always easier to destroy something. Easier than preserving, easier than maintaining, easier than saving. Kill, kill, kill. It's that blood lust that Elaine's talked about.

Right. Cindy Sheehan is a big topic this week and your thoughts?

Jim: Well she's doing what we should all be doing. She's expecting our government to actually be accountable. She's making a difference. That's why we all said, "This is the editorial!" Saturday night when we were going over topics. This is someone doing something amazing and it's so amazing because she has to know the attacks that will come. But the thing everyone's been stressing, you, Elaine, C.I., Cedric, everybody is that if we get the word out, this will have impact. Every little bit has helped us get where we are and what Cindy Sheehan's doing can take our country even further towards an honest discussion. But only if we get the word out and only if we stand up for her and stand with her.

What's the other big topic this week?

Jim: Sadly, Peter Jennings death. The death is sad as it is when anyone dies but let's be honest ABC turning over World News Tonight to the story of Peter Jenning's death was not news. It was not good journalism. It was maudlin and it was self-serving. And meanwhile real stories and tragedies were going on. Note his death in the last five minutes, no problem. Lead with the story, devote the first segment to it and come back to it after the first break . . . That's overkill on any story and the death of a news personality doesn't warrent it.

Do you think it will stomp other stories?

Jim: I think it already is. C.I. has a thing up at The Common Ills about John H. Johnson. I forget how many excerpts there are in that thing --

Seven.

Jim: Seven. And C.I.'s noted that death on Monday and on Tuesday. But where are you seeing it? This is a little more than a news reader. Johnson was active in the civil rights movement, Johnson's Jet publicized the Till story. This is a big story and it's a big story on campus. Not with only African-American students. And yet to look at the news on TV or to hop around the net and it's not a big story and it doesn't seem to matter. It does matter.

Cedric's writing about it tonight. I talked to him today.

Jim: Good, he should. We should all be writing about it. We'll note it this weekend. C.I.'s comment was so on the money. It is another missing blonde girl. You've got two men dying, both from the world of journalism. One gets headlines and nonstop coverage and the other is largely ignored. I'm glad the New York Times covered it. They did the obit that C.I. noted earlier this week and they did the story from the arts section that C.I. excerpted today. But I'm not seeing any TV coverage. And the blog world seems to be ignoring it over all. It's hard to believe that race isn't playing into this. Good for C.I. for, as usual, stating what no one wanted to say.

C.I. made a comment about a special on Peter Jennings and I bring that up because there is one and it's starting now.

Jim: I know, I don't know if that was something someone had passed on to C.I., if it was stating the obvious, or if it was one of those synchonistic thoughts. I haven't spoken to C.I. about that so I don't know and if I did know and didn't have permission, I wouldn't speak about it.

I interviewed Ava already, so you're now my second interview.

Jim: I know, I laughed at Ava's interview. I think she enjoyed it because it read like she did. So are you going to work your way through The Third Estate Sunday Review each Wednesday.

That might be an idea. I don't have anything scheduled for a specific day the way C.I. does with the "rest of the world reporting" thing on Sundays, the Indymedia on Thursdays, etc. So yeah, that might make for a pretty good idea. I should have noted that I'm talking to Jim who's part of The Third Estate Sunday Review that publishes their edition each Sunday.

Jim: Well don't forget Cedric, Kat, Betty, Elaine and Rebecca.

What's on deck for this week's Third Esate Sunday Review edition?

Jim: I honestly can't tell you because we don't have anything planned. We've been busy wondering if we were moving the site somewhere else. And trying to get it fixed. We will do something on Johnson because it's honestly disgusting that he's been so ignored this week. Dona's gone with Ava to the group Ava's putting in all the time with --

On the Save Roe thing?

Jim: Right and when they get back and I tell them about the site finally working, we'll start brain storming. I know C.I.'s wanting a book review thing and wanting Edith Wharton's Custom of the County but I'm not sure how many people have time to read so I guess we'll be pulling it all together Saturday night.

I like it, it's exciting.

Jim: I like it too. I like pushing that deadline and that feeling that we might miss it. I think we get more passion in our writing that way. We may miss typos as we rush around but we get more passionate writing. And I just find it a lot more exciting. But, Mike, I think we are in the minority. People have stuff to do on Sundays and the all night sessions wear people down.

So what's the answer?

Jim: Maybe there's no answer. Or maybe it's to start earlier or get more stuff in a final draft form earlier.

I like how a piece goes through everyone. We're all tossing stuff in and then when it's typed, it's still not done unless it's a roundtable or a transcript. I'm rushing for time and so are you but do we have time to talk about the news review.

Jim: We better make time. C.I. wanted that noted in our "A note to our readers" and I blanked on it. We were trying to do something different because two things weren't working and we killed those pieces. You know there was a feeling that since one was hard hitting we should have something heavy in news. Then Dona said, "Let's do Democracy Now!" and we really got behind that idea. It was a way to use Kara's thing and not just repost it as a blog spotlight. C.I. didn't want to be anchor but we thought that would be better and less stressful since we were pulling it together at the last minute. But Ty and Maria were the sacrificial lambs and they went first to get something up and then started helping all of us with our bits. We did that "live." That's a transcript and Dona was keeping time the entire time. You know how crazy it was. And the thing with Betty and C.I. on Marilyn Monroe, the conversation they go into, worked so well. I was surprised by that because, you know this, nothing was ready to go yet so Dona starts going for C.I. and Betty to stretch that part out. And it reads perfect. We're all Democracy Now! fans and we have so much respect for what Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalaz do. But it was really amazing to try to do it in our own way and really get what they do each day.

I wish I could have been there in person. C.I. was and that's okay to note, right?

Jim: I hope so but I'll note it anyway. I think the thing is not noting when travel's taking place and there's a reason for that. But I think it's fine to note it after. C.I. was speaking in the area and swung by to help out in person. And I think it needs to be noted because there are people complaining about weekend posts at The Common Ills, feeling like there should be more. And the simple fact is that C.I.'s traveling a lot and people need to be glad there's anything up there at all. We always enjoy it on phone but when C.I.'s there it's usually more fun. And if C.I. hadn't tossed me the Vanity Fair after we started that thing, I wouldn't have had a story. I hadn't even thought of what I was going to do.

I got the issue today for the recruiter story and I just read the Sibel Edmonds thing. I think you did a great job summing up a very long story.

Jim: Well it was an experiment and we all had a lot of fun with it and hopefully covered some topics that might not get noted otherwise.

Jim, thank you.

Jim: My pleasure, Mike.

Talk about Cindy Sheehan!

Let's kick things off with Democracy Now!

U.S. Prepares to Send More Troops To Iraq
The Pentagon is preparing to send more troops to Iraq ahead of a scheduled vote in October on the new constitution and elections in December. The U.S. currently has 138,000 troops in Iraq. The total jumped to 160,000 ahead of the elections earlier this year. Pentagon spokesperson Lawrence Di Rita said, "It's perfectly plausible to assume we'll do the same thing for this election."

More troops to Iraq? Well where are they going to get them? Recruiters can't get bump those numbers up. But how long ago was it that Bully Boy was floating the "reduce troops" angle?
Last week.

We have to increase troops to reduce troops. Dad said that sounds like "we had to burn the village to save the village."

There are no answers from the Bully Boy cause he's got none. Instead he hides out from the press, the people and Cindy Sheehan. Tomorrow's supposed to be the big arrest day for Sheehan. That's what they're threatening. And they're calling out all the usual smear tactics to question her and make people back away to look resonable which is the same old bullshit they do every time. I try to keep the language clean here for Ma but bullshit was she said when she heard some of the attacks on Cindy Sheehan. Ma's not much on cursing. I think I heard her curse four or five years ago when she was slicing an onion and cut herself real deep. C.I. had a thing up that was talking about these tactics and how it's important we combat that by getting the word out to everyone. Not just the people who pay attention to the news but to as many people as we can. Like C.I. said, we need to get the word out because people need to know about the brave stand Cindy Sheehan has taken.

If a brave stand takes place and people don't know about it, it's still a brave stand. But the more people who know about it, the more people it influences. You know about Cindy Sheehan and you start thinking, "Cool." And you start thinking about stuff you could do too.

So I'm asking readers here to do the same thing C.I. asked last night and that's talk to everyone about this. Get the word out on this like nothing you've ever gotten the word out on before. We're all doing that in my home. Dad's telling his friends and people he works with, same with Ma, they're both telling people at the church and my sister's copied and pasted C.I.'s thing and turned it into an e-mail chain. At work and on campus today, I was talking about this.

A lot more people know about it than I thought would. But most don't. And some who do know just know that she's outside Bully Boy's ranch. One guy in class said, "But she's there to support Osama." I took 10 minutes with him. He's not a bad guy, he just doesn't get information. After we started talking he was like, "Her son died there?" And I told him about how she was doing this to get an answer for why we're over in Iraq, why we got people dying over there. He went from knowing of some woman outside the Crawford ranch that he thought was for bin Laden to knowing Cindy Sheehan as a person making a brave stand.

Be pushy. Talk about this. Bring it up. Don't wait for someone else to.

Let's say Cindy Sheehan gets arrested tomorrow, okay? (I don't think Bully Boy has the guts to do that.) If she's arrested and it makes the news, we want everyone to know how outrageous this is. This isn't about going to your friends who you can usually get to do an e-mail to a Senator or to sign a petition, this is about talking to everyone around you.

People need to know what she's doing. They need to know that she's asking for answers.

So start talking. Or e-mailing friends or instant messaging them or calling them but tell everyone you can think of. Let's get a movement behind her.

I'll dip into the e-mails now. Mick e-mailed because there's this recruiter that won't stop bothering him. It's only going to get worse for Mick and for everyone else. They want to put more troops in Iraq and they got to get them somewhere. So Mick, hang tough. Hang up on the dude's phone calls. Walk away from him if he's stopping by. And everyone else, if you're in high school or college, you better get used to it because they're going to be bothering you too.


I talked to C.I. on the phone today and we were discussing an article I hadn't read yet. C.I. ended up typing up a section and e-mailing it to me so I'm going to share it with you here. It's
Michael Bronner's "The Recruiters' War" from Vanity Fair, the September, 2005 issue but the article's not available online. C.I.'s going to write on it tonight so check out The Common Ills.
Here's the section, C.I. sent and I'll try to remember to pick up the issue tonight after my date:


In the spring of 2000, just out of high school, Tim was working part-time with his mom at the trout plant and taking welding classes at the community college. One morning, two Marine Corps recruiters arrived on campus in their dress blues and set up a "fruit stand" (a recruiting table). They rarely made the trip all the way out to Andrews, Tim's hometown, but one of the administrators at the college was an old Marine Corps master sergeant, so they were always welcome. That morning, they caught Tim Queen's eye. "I think I may be joining you soon," he announced.
Tim caught the recruiters' eyes, too. It was crunch time, a couple of days before the end of the month, and they needed one more body to "make missions" -- their monthly quota. Timmy Queen would be that body.
The trip to Tim's school was a training run for the younger Marine, Sergeant Jimmy Massey, who'd been on recruiting duty less than a year. He was out with his gunnery sergeant, Tim Dalhouse being shown the ropes. Massey wasn't new to the Marine Corps. He'd been in for eight years already, several of them working with new recruits as an infantry instructor at basic training at Parris Island. He planned to retire from the Marine Corps an old man; he was in for the long haul, and for many career Marines, doing a tour on recruiting duty is a gauntlet worth running, a roll-of-the-dice that can fast-track your career, all but guaranteeing promotion if you're good. If you're not, however, it can be a career-ender.
[. . .]
On that spring day in 2000, Tim Queen was impressed by Massey and Dalhouse. "They were always saying things like 'Semper fi' and all that stuff, and it was definitely encouraging to be around. They seemed to me to be true and hard-core people, and I liked that."
[. . .]
Over his three years on recruiting duty, Massey developed such a knack for scooping up questionable new recruits that he earned a nickname: "Jimmy the Shark." By his own account, he entlisted kids with asthma, illegal-drug users, kids with criminal records. He'd coach most to lie to military doctors during their physicals. He'd advise some to stop taking prescription medications like Ritalin and antidepressants -- which could disqualify them -- without consulting their doctors. "The Marine Corps will be your backbone now," he'd explain. He was investigated for badgering a high-school student for lack of patriotism in the wake of 9/11. He was cleared (though he told me he taunted poolies all the time). "If it comes between a recruiter's word and some kid's, the recruiter wins every time," he said. He received a dozen or so recruiting awards. He was promoted to staff sergeant. None of his methods were new, however, or unique to the Marines. Rather, they are well-worn tricks of the trade passed down by veteran recruiters in the strip malls where military recruiters of all stripes share real estate.

The kid got accepted, Tim, and guess what, he shows up for training and he's accused of lying to his recruiters and doctors and they end up slapping a dishonorable discharge on him. Tim wanted to serve. He didn't lie. He told his recruiter. And his problems were visible, this twitch he had, the doctors should have seen it when they were evaluating him. But, pay attention to this Mick, they don't care. The recruiters don't care. They just need to make their monthly quota. They do that by signing you up. After they've signed you up, they don't care if the military takes you or not. They've made your quota.

The only way to fight lies is with truth and where you can tell the truth right now is to get the word out on Cindy Sheehan's bravery. Elaine's getting word out Cindy Sheehan, Cedric is, Kat is and Betty said she'll post the editorial tonight. So do your part and talk to the people around you.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to have an interview with Jim. We may talk about trapping a bear. We may not. (No we're not hunting a bear.) But we will be talking about Cindy Sheehan. Make sure you are too.

Cindy Sheehan

Good evening, let's kick things off with Democracy Now!


Mother of Soldier Killed in Iraq Protests Near Bush's Ranch
In Texas a mother whose son was killed in Iraq has begun a month-long protest in Crawford in an attempt to meet with President Bush who is vacationing there at his ranch. Cindy Sheehan was joined on Saturday by 50 other anti-war activists. The Secret Service blocked the group from approaching the President's ranch and they were forced to gather four miles away from the site. Sheehan's son Casey was killed last year in Sadr City at the age of 24. She told reporters, "I want to ask George Bush: Why did my son die?"


We're going to pick back up on that topic at the end but right now, we're going to the e-mails.

I have one from a mother with a 15 year old son and she doesn't want him "on those lists" but isn't sure where to go. Here's where you go, Leave My Child Alone. Sign up there to opt out of the recruiters lists and out of the Pentagon's list.

And while you're there, check out The Daily Texan article (link to a link to get there), JJ Hermes' "Teenage Hearts and Minds:"

Over the last few semesters, volunteers with the Austin organization Nonmilitary Options for Youth have taken to local high school lunchrooms in an effort to provide students with a different perspective from military recruiters.
While their impact on the student body is far from quantifiable, their work has brought forward an interesting record of student opinion concerning the war in Iraq. With some parents opting out of the provisions in the No Child Left Behind act which allow recruiters to contact their children, and recruiting goals going missed, winning over the hearts and minds of graduating seniors has become one of the greatest focuses for our all-volunteer army.
NOY has helped to illuminate students' pulses by soliciting responses to three basic questions concerning the current military situation:
"What do you think about the war in Iraq?" "What is your opinion about military recruitment in your school?" and "What do you think about the possibility of enactment of a military draft?"
On its Web site (http://www.progressiveaustin.org/nmofy/), the group posts the reactions it receives. All responses are anonymous, and so far more than 450 students have responded from 11 schools in Austin Independent School District.


While we're in the e-mails, Bobbie writes again. Readers know Bobbie's lost her desire for sex with her boyfriend and we've attempted to offer suggestions here. She wrote that she appreciated the feedback but we'd been no help to her. However, when Lachelle wrote in with a similar problem and readers weighed in on that, Bobbie thought she saw something helpful. She wrote today to say that she broke up with her boyfriend Friday and Saturday went to a gay club. Bobbie says she always knew but she just wouldn't accept her sexuality. She says to tell Lee Anne "big thank you." See, you never know what will help or what you'll find here. Keep us updated Bobbie. (E-mail address is irishmike02@yahoo.com.)


I want to talk about The Third Estate Sunday Review because the problem they're having is a problem with Blogger (the program). The error message tells them to contact Blogger. That happened Sunday morning at four a.m. An automated reply was all they got. They wrote again at five a.m. They wrote Sunday evening. They wrote this morning. I just got off the phone with Jim and they've still got no reply and when they try to republish or index their site they still get the same error message. So they wrote again this evening. Right now, they're wondering if they need to move their online magazine somewhere else? If the problem continues this weekend, they'll use one of our sites. Probably The Common Ills. Whichever site they use, we'll all do an entry at our sites to let you know where you need to go to read their magazine.

I'm going to highlight the editorial. I worked on this and so did C.I., Kat, Elaine, Betty and The Third Estate Sunday Review (Ava, Jim, Ty, Jess and Dona). So here's their editorial and the link takes to you The Common Ills because when it wouldn't show up at their site, C.I. posted it at The Common Ills.

"Editorial: Cindy Sheehan puts most of us to shame:"

The angry mother of a fallen U.S. soldier staged a protest near President Bush's ranch Saturday, demanding an accounting from Bush of how he has conducted the war in Iraq. Supported by more than 50 demonstrators who chanted, "W. killed her son!" Cindy Sheehan told reporters: "I want to ask the president, 'Why did you kill my son? What did my son die for?'" Sheehan, 48, didn't get to see Bush, but did talk about 45 minutes with national security adviser Steve Hadley and deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin, who went out to hear her concerns.
Appreciative of their attention, yet undaunted, Sheehan said she planned to continue her roadside vigil, except for a few breaks, until she gets to talk to Bush. Her son, Casey, 24, was killed in Sadr City, Iraq, on April 4, 2004. He was an Army specialist, a Humvee mechanic.
[. . .]
"I want to ask the president, `Why did you kill my son? What did my son die for?" she said, her voice cracking with emotion. "Last week, you said my son died for a noble cause' and I want to ask him what that noble cause is?"

The above is from Deb Riechmann's Associated Press article entitled "Mom Protesting Iraq War Meets Bush Aides."

Cindy Sheehan (Military Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families For Peace) has stood and been counted for many times before. At the John Conyers hearing on the Downing Street Memo, Sheehan spoke:

The deceptions and betrayals that led to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq cost my family a price too dear to pay and almost too much to bear: the precious and young life of Casey. Casey was a good soldier who loved his family, his community, his country, and his God. He was trustworthy and trusting and the leadership of his country seemingly betrayed him. He was an indispensable part of our family. An obedient, sweet, funny, and loving son to myself and his father, Pat, and an adored big brother to his sisters, Carly and Jane, and his brother Andy. And the beloved nephew to my sister, Auntie, who is here with me today. Our family has been devastated and torn asunder by his murder.
I believe that the reasons that we citizens of the United States of America were given for the invasion of Iraq have unequivocally been proven to be false. I also believe that Casey and his buddies have been killed to line the pockets of already wealthy people and to feed the insatiable war machine that has always devoured our young. Casey died saving his buddies and I know so many of our brave young soldiers died doing the same thing: but he and his fellow members of the military should never have been sent to Iraq. I know the family of Sgt. Sherwood Baker, who was killed guarding a team that was looking for the mythic WMD's in Baghdad. The same WMD's that were the justification for invading Iraq as outlined in the Downing Street Memo. Sherwood's brother, Dante Zappala, and his dad, Al Zappala are here with us today. I believe the Downing Street Memo proves that our leaders betrayed too many innocents into an early grave. The lives of the ones left behind are shattered almost beyond repair.


Her letter to Bully Boy, "From Cindy To George," is legendary and appears in CODEPINK's Stop The Next War Now:


Dear George,
You don't mind if I call you George, do you? When you sent me this letter offering your condolences on the death of my son, Spc. Casey Austin Sheehan, you called me Cindy, so I naturally assume we are on a first-name basis.
George, it has been seven months today since your reckless and wanton foreign policies killed my son in the illegal and unjust war on Iraq. Casey, my big boy, my hero, my best friend.
Casey was always a good boy. He could play for hours by himself. He loved Nintendo, GI Joes, the World Wrestling Federation, baseball (especially the Dodgers), his church, and God.
He joined the Cub Scouts when he was in the first grade, and he eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He became an altar boy when he was eight, and he continued serving his church for the rest of his life. He never talked back to his dad or me. He rarely fought with his brothers and sisters. He loved our animals and he loved little children.
Everyone assumed Casey was going to be a priest because he was so faithful to God and to the church.


Democracy Now! has noted her fight for truth and justice many times.

From "Pentagon Turns Away Mothers of Soldiers Killed in Iraq" (Januaray 21, 2005):

CINDY SHEEHAN: Hi. I have had a very busy day today. Well, yesterday I was with Celeste when we tried to get a meeting with our Secretary of Defense, and we have been trying for weeks. We have been emailing, writing, calling. They finally stopped taking our calls. And I just saw all of these people today cheering for them and their policies, and I think if I had like $25 grand, I would probably have access to everybody in this administration, but I have paid a price that is priceless. You cannot put a price on what I have given to this country. I gave them my only -- my oldest son -- not my only son, but my oldest son, and they don't even have the courtesy to reply to us to say, no, we're not going to meet with you, or, you know, maybe later, or would you like to meet with another aide. They don't even have the courtesy to meet with Gold Star Families. I was on "Good Morning, America" this morning, and they asked me why I opposed the inauguration, and I said, “While these people are partying tonight, there's going to be more bloodshed. And I just think it's very inappropriate to celebrate when there's millions of people in harm's way."

From "Thousands Protest in Fayetteville in Largest Army Base Demonstration Since Vietnam" (March 21, 2005):

CINDY SHEEHAN: I often get introduced as a mother who lost her son in Iraq. I didn't lose Casey. I know right where he is. He is in a grave in Vacaville, and I know who put him there: George Bush and the rest of the arrogant and ignorant neo-cons in D.C. who murdered my son and tens of thousands of other innocent people. Before I temporarily leave that subject, why are they still in our Capitol? Why are they still running our country? From state-sponsored terror and sustained torture, we have to face it: We're governed by psychopathic killers who need to go. On a very personal note, I told [inaudible] today it has two anniversaries. One is a second anniversary of the so-called shock and awe. Today is also the first anniversary of when my son's deployment began in Iraq. In 16 days, my family will suffer the one-year death-iversary of Casey. Casey was a brave, honest, loving, kind and gentle soul who was needlessly and senselessly killed for lies. Since this war is based on lies and betrayals -- this is very awkward -- not one more drop of blood should be spilled, not one more penny for killing. If our Congress votes to give Mr. Bush $81 billion more, they should soak their hands in blood and not ink from sham elections in Iraq. On this day, we should remember the terrible loss of our country that we have suffered and the devastating losses, too, of the Iraqis, especially we families who have paid the terrible price for our leaders' recklessness. I have a challenge for George W. Bush. [inaudible] democracy, why doesn't he march his daughters over there. I'm done. But if he won't send his kids, he should bring our kids home now!

From "Mother of Soldier Killed in Iraq: 'The Best Way To Honor My Son's Death Would Be To Bring The Troops Home'" (June 29, 2005):

AMY GOODMAN: Your response to President Bush addressing U.S. service men and women and what his message was.
CINDY SHEEHAN: Well, first of all, I think the best way to honor my son's death would be to bring the troops home, and that's what we in Gold Star Families want our children to be remembered for: peace and not war and hatred. For him to use my son's blood to continue the killing, to me, is despicable. I don't want one more drop of blood spilled in my son's name or in my name. We never should have been there in the first place. It was a mistake. It was a mistake when we invaded. It's a mistake now, and I want my son’s sacrifice and the sacrifices of the other brave Americans to stand for peace and to bring peace to the world and not to spread more hate. You know, he said that my son died to spread freedom and democracy in that region. We're spreading imperialism and death and destruction everywhere we go. And, no, not one more drop of blood in my son's name or the names of any other of our brave young people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for basically nothing.
[. . .]
CINDY SHEEHAN: Actually, I met with the President in June of 2004, a couple of months after my son was killed. We were summoned up to Fort Irwin, Washington state, to have a sit down with the president. So my entire family went. And I was on CNN last night with Larry King talking about this, and there was another mother who had met with him, and she said that she supports the war and the President, and she said he was so warm and everything and gentle and kind, and when my family and I met with him, I met a man who had no compassion in him. He had no heart. Like Karen said, he cares nothing about us. We tried to show him pictures of Casey. He wouldn't look at them. He wouldn't even acknowledge Casey's name. He called me "Mom" through the entire visit. He acted like we were at a tea party, like it was something fun, that we should just be so pleased that we got to meet with the President who killed our son.

When others might back down, Sheehan continues to persist. She wants answers and she wants justice. She's not waiting for someone to speak for her or to plead her case. She's making it herself, this time in Crawford, Texas. The high today is expected to reach 95 degrees. There may be rain. But that's where Cindy Sheehan is because she refuses to go along or back down or make nice or simply be silent while others debate "fine tuning" the invasion/occupation.

Thaddeus DeJesus' "Mother of slain soldier demands audience with Bush" (Waco Tribune-Herald):

Cindy Sheehan shrugged off the Texas heat Saturday afternoon as she sat in the shade a mere four miles from the Western White House.
"It's hot in Iraq and our children are suffering there, and the Iraqi people are suffering," said Sheehan, whose son was killed in action in Iraq. "If they can do this day after day, month after month, then I can stay here for a few weeks. This is nothing compared to what they're going through."
Sheehan, 48, of Vacaville, Calif., vowed to stay in Crawford through August until she could get an audience with President George W. Bush, who is spending the month vacationing at his ranch nearby. Earlier in the day, she lead a group of about 50 anti-war demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Iraq.

When she spoke at the Conyer's hearing, she spoke plainly and to the point. Hopefully, she realizes how many people she's touched and how important her voice is at a time when leadership is largely silent.

Maybe the Bully Boy will meet with her, maybe he won't. But she's demanding answers (something the D.C. press corps should have done long ago -- in fact, they should have done it before the invasion began). Make sure you're aware of her bravery and make sure your friends are. Her refusal to back down deserves our attention and our applause and it will inspire other actions.