Barack focusing on what matters

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   BARACK OBAMA WAS GETTING A PEDI AND A BIKINI WAX FOR MOST OF YESTERDAY THEREBY PREVENTING HIS ANNOUNCEMENT OF WHO WOULD BE HIS RUNNING MATE.   EARLY THIS MORNING, HE ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BE U.S. SENATOR JOE BIDEN WHO HAS ALREADY DECLARED HE BRINGS PERSPECTIVE TO THE TICKET.   IT'S SAD WHEN THE 2ND ON THE TICKET HAS TO EXPLAIN HOW OUT OF TOUCH THE CANDIDATE IS.  REACHED FOR COMMENT, BARACK EXPLAINED HE COULDN'T TALK, HE WAS CHOOSING SHADES OF LIP GLOSS FOR THE DNC CONVENTION.   FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Starting with war resistance. US war resister Robin Long was extradited from Canada in July. He was turned over to US authorities at the border by Canadian authorities (that is not deportation) and has spent the last weeks at Fort Carson in Colorado. Utah's Daily Herald noted last night that Robin "plans to plead guilty Friday to a reduced charge of desertion, his lawyer said." The Detroit Free Press added: "He faces a dishonorable discharge as well as prison time." The Whig Standard explains that Robin's attorney James "Branum said Long has reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to desertion with intent to remain away permanently, a lesser charge than desertion with intent to shirk hazardous duty." Nick Kyonka (Toronto Star) quotes Branam explaining, "In exchange for him pleading guilty, they've agreed to (lower) the three-year maximum sentence that usually comes with those charges." Branum added, "I think they want to prosecute him for free-speech issues without actually charging him for them." Free Speech Radio News will have an audio report today (for those needing or requiring audio). Karen, with Fort Carson Public Affairs Office, states Robin was sentenced to 15 months, reduced in Rank E1 and given a dishonorable discharge. Long has been held at the Criminal Justice Center in El Paso County while awaiting the court-martial. He will received credit for the time he has served ("about 40 days"). The Canadian government has announced that US war resister Jeremy Hinzman will be deported if he does not leave their country by September 23rd. Whether he would be deported or "deported" is an unanswered question. Actions are taking place to make the Stephen Harper government respect the will of the people and let Jeremy remain in Canada. Jeremy is being highly pro-active and has already taped a video, which you can find at the War Resisters Support Campaign, where he speaks directly to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada: Jeremy Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper. This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan. We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years. I was a specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and served honorably in Afghanistan. In 2004, my family and I came to Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the international community. One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau, once said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at this word. On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion saying that United States war resisters should be able to remain in Canada. We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay in Canada. Thank you. Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States. Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada. Title Card: War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada): www.resisters.ca In addition, Independent Catholic News reports that demonstrations will take place in support of war resisters (10-hour vigil outside Canada House in Trafalgar Square) and "members of Pax Christi, the Oxford Catholic Worker and Fellowship of Reconciliation will join Voices in the Wilderness". The War Resisters Support Campaign announces: September 13th is a pan-Canadian Day of Action to support U.S. Iraq war resisters and to demand that the Harper government immediately stop the deportations. Actions, demonstrations, and pickets will take place in cities and towns all across Canada. Click here to see a list of actions and to download materials. If your city is not listed, consider organizing a local action for September 13th. Whether it is petitioning in your local farmer's market, picketing a Conservative MP's office or rallying at a federal building, we need to go all out to stop the deportation of resisters like Jeremy Hinzman and Corey Glass! In addition they are coordinating screenings of Michelle Mason's documentary on war resisters Breaking Ranks for September 14th. Spencer Spratley (Center for Research on Globalization) publishes an open letter to Stephen Harper where he notes, "I feel that some of your polices are beginning to depart from deeply held traditional Canadian values. And you are transforming the face of Canada with the mandate of a minority Government. You also have a majority in the House of Commons who voted, on behalf of Canadians, to support the request made by American War resisters to remain in Canada. I believe you are turning your back on a majority of Canadians on an issue that is very important to us. That is not the sign of a democratic Prime Minister. Somehow Canada has always been a little bit different and we have always been proud of that. We don't want to be more like anyone else. . . . . Sir, in the name of decency, compassion, and a higher justice, I request you to allow American War resisters to remain in Canada as conscientious objectors. Please don't send them off to have their lives and families desroyed by an unjust war. Your decision to begin deporting American war resisters lacks decency and compassion. I strongly urge you to reconsider your position." Courage to Resist alerts, "Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca." There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei Hurancyk, 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, Daniel Baker, 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 the US presidential race. The Democratic and Republican Parties have not declared nominees. John McCain is the presumed GOP nominee, Barack Obama is the presumed Democratic Party nominee. Beginning tonight (in most markets) both Bill Moyers Journal and Washington Week travel to Denver but not to cover Robin Long's court-martial. No to cover the same old and tease it out and tease it out. The DNC convention (barring a surprise shocker) is nothing but a pageant and shouldn't even be broadcast, let alone covered. It's garbage, it's trash and IT'S OLD AND OUT OF DATE. But let's all pretend there's something to be learned in Denver at a political convention. (And let's pretend like either show gave a damn when the Green Party had their convention last month.) (They didn't and they didn't provide coverage. So much for the 'diversity' of public television.) Bill Schneider (CNN) breaks down the basics: "Conventions are relics. They don't decide the nominees anymore . . . No one pays much attention to the party platforms except a few ideological activists. So why do we still have them? Two reasons: money and publicity." NOW on PBS uses its time more effectively by traveling to Africa to again examine health care. Book note: Independent journalist and artist David Bacon has his latest book published next month. September 1st, Beacon Press released Bacon's Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants which the publisher notes "explores the human side of globalization, exposing the many ways it uproots people in Latin American and Asia, driving them to migrate. At the same time, U.S. immigration policy makes the labor of those displaced people a crime in the United States. Illegal People explains why our national policy produces even more displacement, more migration, more immigration raids, and a more divided, polarized society." Back to the US presidential race. Ralph's Daily Audio -- is independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's audio commentary. Monday through Friday, the campaign provides audio commentary at that page. This is "Bob Herbert's World" from earlier in the week: This is Ralph Nader. The New York Times columnist Bob Herbert has a problem. He's written numerous columns complaining about presidential candidates and their campaigns ignoring serious policy issues. It's as if no one else is running for president in Bob Herbert's world other than Barack Obama and John McCain. In a recent article that he wrote in the New York Times, he complains about how the two major candidates and their campaigns are ignoring the problems of the cities: the poverty, the transportaion problems, the lack of repair and expansion of public works and facilities, the crime. He complains that the mayors have been complaining that they have been abandoned by Washington, citing a recent gathering of city mayors that he attended. In one of these gatherings he cites the mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, John Robert Smith saying that he believes the nation should devote the same level of commitment to developing a first-rate passenger rail system as was marshalled for the interstate highway system in the Eisenhower era. Well, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign has taken a strong stand for the expansion and modernization of passenger rail as a way to save energy, to reduce casualties on the highway and to provide more immediate evacuation of the cities in case of a calamity or a natural disaster. But to Bob Herbert, the Nader Gonzalez campaign which supports almost one-for-one so many of the issues that he advances and champions doesn't exist. To him, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign or any progressive third party campaign doesn't exist in his column so I say to Bob Herbert, "At least level with your readers, Mr. Herbert, tell them that you think the two major parties, Republican and Democrat, own all the voters and there's no one else on the ballot. At least level with them." This is Ralph Nader. And (again from Ralph's Daily Audio) this is "Forestalling More of the Same:" This is Ralph Nader. This year two and a half to three million Americans will lose their homes to foreclosures. Next year another two and a half to three million Americans will probably lose their homes. Instead of helping these Americans keep their homes, both the Democrats and the Republicans are bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Wall St. banks and their high paid executives -- the same executives who got us into this mess by betting the house on sub-prime mortgages. I call this "Socialism for Spectators." Senator McCain takes a hands-off approach to the mortgage meltdown. Senator Obama talks about helping the home owners but is surrounding himself with the culprits: Wall St. bankers. Obama's economic director? Robert Rubin protege Jason Furman. Rubin was the Clintons' Treasury Secretary. He engineered the disastrous deregulation of Wall St. including the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act. This Depression-era law separated investment banks from commercial banking. Had it been in effect, the current mortgage crisis would have been limited. Rubin went on to be an overpaid executive at Citigroup which he helped tank. Rubin is now advising Senator Obama. Nader-Gonzalez would bring back Glass Steagall. Nader-Gonzalez would re-instate the usury laws that cap interest rates and we would regulate Wall St. instead of bailing it out on the backs of American tax payers. This would include forcing mortgage companies to re-negotiate the mortgages of millions of home owners who are currently faced with being thrown out onto the street as a result of foreclosure. Instead of punishing the home owners, Nader-Gonzalez would bring justice to the predatory lenders on Wall St. who deceived them and who got us into this mess in the first place. Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential nominee. The Green Party of Michigan announces Cynthia will be campaigning in Michigan: The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI; www.MIGreens.org) will be hosting a press conference for Congresswoman McKinney at 7pm Saturday, August 30 at the International Institute (111 E. Kirby, Detroit). The press conference will be followed by a rally with other GPMI Federal, state, and local candidates at 7:30pm at the same location. The rally is open to the public, and free. The following evening -- Sunday, August 31 -- Congresswoman McKinney will deliver a key policy speech on the elimination of poverty at the National Welfare Rights Union (www.MWRO.org) Awards Dinner. The dinner, starting at 6:30pm, will be held at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat House, 23333 Schoolcraft, Detroit. On Monday, Labor Day, Congresswoman McKinney will be joining thousands of union members in Detroit celebrating Labor Day by marching down Woodward Avenue. August 27th, while the DNC holds their corporate dog and pony show, Ralph Nader is staging a Super Rally in Denver. From Team Nader: Next Wednesday, Denver is going to be rockin. Thousands will be gathered at the University of Denver Magness arena to protest the corporate lockdown on the Presidential debates. Sean Penn, Val Kilmer, Cindy Sheehan, Tom Morello, Jello Biafra and others will join Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez. Demanding an end to the corporate control over the Presidential debates. So, if there is any chance you can get to Denver Wednesday, you can make a donation to reserve your ticket here. If you can't get to Denver, no problem. Free Speech TV will be streaming the event live on the Internet. (Wednesday, August 27, 7 p.m. Mountain time, 9 p.m. Eastern.) Just click here to watch. Also, the Free Speech TV will be broadcasting the event live on Dish Network Channel 9415. And many local public access channels will be carrying the Free Speech TV feed. (If your public access channel doesn't carry it, call them and ask them to do so. Click here for a list of public access channels.) Anyway, it's going to be an historic event -- protesting the corporate control over our politics -- in the midst of the corporate Democratic spectacle. So, join us in Denver if you can. If not, invite your friends over, and dial up the live Internet feed -- or watch on television via satellite or on your public access channel. Onward to November.       RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "The Nader/Gonzalez Techno Rap Extravaganza" "Robin Long's court-martial today" "Thug on thug violence" "I Hate The War" "Pesto in the Kitchen" "Nader Rally and Cathy Pollit sums herself up" "ralph and barack's guessing game" "ralph interviewed on tv!" "NoBama Now and Forever" "John McCain and campaign threatened" "Robin Long, Michael Winship, Ralph Nader" "Brief" "Ain't I an American Woman? (prose poem)" "Ralph Nader, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Lance Selfa" "Houses " "The gift from the DNC" "Ralph Nader, music" "Seperated at birth" "THIS JUST IN! BARACK AND MCCAIN -- 2 PEAS"

Seperated at birth

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   PRINCESS TINY MEAT BARACK OBAMA IS SCREAMING HIS HEAD OFF OVER A CAMPAIGN AD BY AN OUTSIDE GROUP LINKING HIM TO HIS LONG-TERM FRIEND BILL AYERS WHO WAS PART OF THE WEATHER GROUND WHICH BOMBED MULTIPLE BANKS AND THE CAPITOL.  MR. AYERS REMAINS PROUD OF HIS ACTIONS.   TEAM OBAMA IS CRYING 'DIRTY' AND 'MEAN' AND MAINLY JUST CRYING.   NO ONE'S SUPPOSED TO NOTICE THAT OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT TO START AIRING THEIR AD ATTACKING JOHN MCCAIN FOR HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH RALPH REED.   WHEN CONFRONTED ON THE INCONSISTENCIES BY THESE REPORTERS, BARACK STOMPED HIS FOOT AND INSISTED, "I'M SPECIAL!  NANCY PELOSI SAYS I'M A GIFT FROM GOD!"     FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Starting with war resistance. Tim Richard is a US war resister. Courage to Resist interviewed him this month, noting that he enlisted in the National Guard in 1999 and that his service was supposed to end in 2005 but he was instead stop-lossed and informed he would be deploying to Iraq. Tim Richard: After 9-11, I just like about any other American kind of wanted a piece of somebody especially me being in the military. You know, I had thought that, you know, I want to do the right thing. I want to go get, you know, who ever did this to America. And then I started doing some research and stuff. And I was behind the Iraq War when it started because I had thought it was -- had to do with 9-11. So, you know, but after the Iraq War dragged on for a bit, I realized that there's no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, there's nothing but poor people and a lot of dead bodies. So I started doing some research on the war and I realized that, well, it's basically a bunch of bull that has been fed to us. So I thought maybe, I mean I'd been thinking about becoming an officer, I'd been thinking about making a career out of the military but I decided at the end of my six years I would just get out of the military. I had to say, you know, six years is enough. I'm not going to re-enlist, I don't want anything to do with the Iraq War. Courage to Resist: Tell me about the research that you did. Did you go to websites? Did you read books? Tim Richard: Yeah, I mean, Wikipedia is an excellent source -- non-academic, of course. But I started asking questions, I started talking to people with different perspectives on things and I just learned about the whole, you know, President Reagan - Donald Rumsfeld connection to Iraq, the how Saddam Hussein was installed to counter the Iranian revolution which came about because the US installed a puppet shah in Iran. And once I started realizing what the root cause of all these things were -- basically the US -- that really got me thinking about what's the point of even being there? I also started thinking in my mind: Is really military intervention and killing people in this manner right?" I mean, it's one thing if you're defending yourself. But morally, I just had problems with the idea of going into a foreign, sovereign country, invading it, toppling the leadership, taking their resources and killing people. To me that was a huge moral dilemma. Courage to Resist: So you began to develop serious misgivings -- both politically and morally -- about what the US was doing in Iraq? Tim Richard: Yes, well I would say the moral misgivings were much stronger than the political misgivings. Cause, like I said, I joined the military with the idea of defending the United States and, you know, if that had been the case, I might feel differently about the Iraq War. But now I just felt like what they were asking me to do was just flat wrong. Shooting somebody who is virtually defenseless is wrong and that's something that I didn't think I could be any part of. Courage to Resist: Alright so you joined the National Guard, as you said, in 1999. And your time was up in about November 2005. What happened then? Tim Richard: Well in about August of 2005, our unit got a warning saying that some members would be going to Iraq. They had told us when we joined that they don't break up units, they don't send individual soldiers. If you go, you go with your unit. But it turned out, once the Bush administration had got done with us, that was simply not true because they kept basically using us to populate other units that were going over to Iraq. And you know, I was a few months out of the military when I got a warning order saying I would be deployed to Iraq. I asked what about my contract and they said I was stop-lossed. I found out later, after I had come to Canada and after I had gotten a hold of my personnel file, they did not let me see this, but it turned out my contract had been extended from November 23, 2005 to December 24, 2031. Courage to Resist: What? 2031? Tim Richard: I've got the paper work. You know, everyone says, "You signed the contract, you'll just have to deal with it." That's not in the contract. No one tells you about it when you sign up. So as far as I am concerned, what they did is illegal but the Supreme Court of the the United States held up that they are allowed to stop-loss. So I mean there's really nothing you can do in that situation. Courage to Resist: So what did you do, Tim? Tim Richard: Well I decided that they weren't going to keep me -- I knew they weren't going to keep me for that long, that's silly, they're not going to keep me for 25 years, I don't think. Even -- well that was my thinking at the time. So I decided that I will deploy to Iraq. I decided that -- they pulled me out of my unit, which was a calvary unit, in which I was fixing radios, and they started training me with an infantry unit -- along with communications duties, they also started training me in regular infantry duties such as house-to-house, like house raids, and defending convoys and that sort of thing. And I decided in around November of 2005, that, you know, this is just -- this is just ridiculous. I -- I -- I cannot morally, I cannot do what they are asking me to do. If I were to deploy to Iraq I would basically -- I felt like I would be a liability because there's no way I could shoot somebody who was simply trying to defend their own home from a foreign invader. They did all this mock training exercises in which we were in full battle gear and we were raiding mock houses -- mock houses with, you know, actors yelling out Arabic and that sort of thing. I had like my rifles and everything. And during the exercise, I shot two unarmed civilians with the blanks of my rifle and I -- and no one said anything to me about it. I don't know if anyone even saw me. But I realized at that time, you know, that if this was Iraq, those people would be dead. All they were doing was trying to defend their home. So I almost just threw away my rifle and just ran right there but, you know, I sort of needed a plan so I decided that I'd wait a few days. And on November 23, 2005, the date my original contract was set to expire, that's when I went AWOL. Courage to Resist: How did you do it? What did you do? Tim Richard: Well, uh, they were training us in Mississippi and this is kind of -- this is kind of strange because we were under lock-down. Lock-down means that, you know, you can't go anywhere without someone knowing, not even to the bathroom. You had your rifle with you, you had your uniform on at all times. But because November 23rd was Thanksgiving, they decided to cancel training for the day, they let us wear civilian clothes and lock up our rifles. And they decided that they were going to bus us into town to go to Wal-Mart so we could pick stuff up. And they said, "Oh, by the way, we'll just drop you off in town. Have fun. Come back in 9 hours and we'll pick you up." So I figured, you know what, if this isn't a sign, I didn't know what was. So I got onto the first bus I could, snuck away from the main group. I called a cab. Meanwhile my mom's on the other end. I didn't tell her exactly what all was going on but she bought me a plane ticket from New Orleans to Seattle. So the plan was to get to New Orleans, take the plane to Seattle, cross the border in Seattle to Vancouver then meet my mom where she was living in Nanaimo, BC at the time. And, well that's the short version, that's what I did. Courage to Resist: It's kind of like the plot for a thriller. Tim Richard: Oh, yeah, if I gave you all the details, man, I don't think you enough tape for that. Courage to Resist: Were-were you nervous at all? Tim Richard: Oh I was. My heart was pounding the whole time. I was sweating. You know, I was so paranoid, you know, because it really only takes one phone call, one person to realize what you're up to, and your name goes on like every computer, like every single military, FBI, local police, everything. You know, it doesn't take that much these days for them to put a looking out for you. So, I mean, I tried to alter the way I walked. As soon as I got to New Orleans, I threw away my dog tags. I threw away my military ID. I tried to, you know, act normal. You know, I tried to the best I can to just sort of blend in. Of course, you know, the haircut and walk just sort of gave it away. So, you know, I just tried my best to blend in and, you know, when I got to the Canadian border, I basically had a one-way car rental, I had out-of-country driver's license, you know, from the US, $400 cash. So I'm thinking, "Okay, I'm busted." My plan was to get out of the car and start screaming, "I'm a Canadian citizen!" and let them not kick me out until they figure out that I'm not. Which I was a Canadian citizen so they wouldn't kick me out. But, you know, the border guard was just really nice and said, "Alright, have fun. Welcome to Canada." And that was pretty much it. Courage to Resist: You said you were a Canadian citizen. It's possible to have dual citizenship? Canada and the US? Tim Richard: According to the United States, no. But according to Canada, yes. I, because my father's Canadian, when I came to Canada -- and I'm glad I did not claim my Canadian citizenship earlier because if I had claimed my Canadian citizenship as a child, I wouldn't have been able, the US military would have made me forfeit it upon joining the military. Because when I came to Canada, I was able to go ahead, fill out all the paperwork, everything, basically sit on my hands for eight months and wait for the citizenship card to come in. And now I'm a full-fledged Canadian citizen and I've got the rights and privileges of every other Canadian citizen. Courage to Resist: We know a few hundred other GIs up there who would like to have those same rights and privileges. Tim Richard: And that's why I'm up here with the War Resisters Support Campaign. Here in London, Ontario, we've got a London chapter and we care for, I know, four war resisters here and we've had ten others pass through. We do several fundraisers, a lot of political lobbying, a lot of talking to the public. That sort of thing. And I try and be as active as I can with the group in order to -- because I feel these guys are up here, in some ways I feel really guilty because, you know, just because I'm a Canadian citizen, just because my dad was born in New Brunswick, I somehow have a privilege they don't and I don't think that's right that I have a privilege that they don't simply because of where my father was born. I've done the same thing they did. In fact, I think what they've done is a little bit more courageous because I came up here knowing that I had Canadian citizenship. These guys that come up now, they've got no claim to Canadian citizenship. They don't know what's going to happen to them. So that's why I try and work and try and be as outspoken as I can about the war resisters support group. Regarding the stop-loss, as Chris Hedges explains in the afterword to Camilo Mejia's Road to Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, Camilo was also stop-lossed and given the 2031 year. Last month, Robin Long was extradited from Canada. As expected, his court-martial is this month. Scheduled for tomorrow. From Courage to Resist: Ft. Carson court martial Friday, August 22. 7:30am - Supporters are encouraged to attend the trial Arrive at the Ft. Carson Main Gate at 7:30 am to ensure you can get to Bldg. 6221 in time. You will need to provide a drivers license, registration, and proof of insurance if driving. Do not wear any political buttons, t-shirts, etc. 5:00 pm - Main Gate vigil and press conference Join Robin's lawyer James Branum and supporters for a vigil and press conference at the Main Gate 1. Donate to Robin's legal expenses 2. Send Robin letters of support, more 3. Leaflet: Support Robin Long! (PDF) The Canadian government has announced that US war resister will be deported if he does not leave their country by September 23rd. Whether he would be deported or "deported" is an unanswered question. Actions are taking place to make the Stephen Harper government respect the will of the people and let Jeremy remain in Canada. Jeremy is being highly pro-active and has already taped a video, which you can find at the War Resisters Support Campaign, where he speaks directly to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada: Jeremy Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper. This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan. We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years. I was a specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and served honorably in Afghanistan. In 2004, my family and I came to Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the international community. One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau, once said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at this word. On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion saying that United States war resisters should be able to remain in Canada. We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay in Canada. Thank you. Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States. Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada. Title Card: War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada): www.resisters.ca Courage to Resist alerts, "Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca." There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei Hurancyk, 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, Daniel Baker, 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). [. . .]   In the US, Congressional opponent of the Iraq War Stephanie Tubbs Jones is dead. Tubbs Jones was a courageous member of the House who stood up for the voters and for the vote in January 2005 (along with US Senator Barbara Boxer). The New York Times had long ridiculed questions of voter fraud in the 2000 and 2004 elections. Tubbs Jones and Boxer's stand meant the press had to take it a little more seriously. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a judge, a prosecutor and, following the November 1998 elections, a member of the House of Representatives. The Clintons -- Bill, Hillary and Chelsea -- issued the following joint-statement: There are few words to express the shock we feel at this time our deepest condolences are with Stephanie's son, Mervyn, her family, and her many loved ones, friends, and supporters. Stephanie's friendship meant the world to us, a friendship that deepened through every trial and challenge. We could always count on her to be a shoulder on which to lean, an ear to bend, a voice to reassure. Over the course of many years, with many ups and many downs, Stephanie was right by our side -- unwavering, indefatigable. It was that fighting spirit -- safely stowed behind her disarming smile, backed by so much integrity and fiery intelligence -- that allowed Stephanie to rise from modest beginings, to succeed in public service, to become a one-woman force for progress in our country. All of us who were lucky to know her and love her can only hope now to live like her -- to be as passionate, loyal, hard charging, and joyful in life's pursuits. Stephanie was one of a kind. We will miss our friend always. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a strong foe against the Iraq War so her passing is included for that reason. There are many other reasons. As 2005 community members will recall, there's the White Man who refused to highlight Tubbs Jones' continued work on the Ohio vote and dismissed it (and her) in what we will just call here 'far from left' comments. No, we don't link to that trash. Among the many other reasons to note Stephanie Tubbs Jones' passing is Ruth Conniff. Apparenly Ruth's unaware that Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a friend of and super delegate for Hillary. When she does find out, she will, no doubt embarrass herself again -- as she did earlier this month by using the murder of Bill Gwatney -- a friend of Bill and Hillary's -- as an excuse to trash the Clintons. A man was shot dead in Arkansas and, for Ruth Conniff, his friendship with the Clintons provided her the perfect opportunity to scribble some more garbage attacking them. How proud she must be so have sunk so far into the gutter. Kat called Conniff out here. Turning to the US presidential race, independent candidate Ralph Nader is providing audio commentaries at Ralph's Daily Audio and the one below is "Debates Declaration:" This is Ralph Nader. The two major parties -- Republican and Democratic Parties -- and their candidates seem to want to ration debates in this country. Why do we allow presidential debates to be rationed? We don't allow weather reports to be rationed, entertainment to be rationed, sporting events to be rationed. But when it comes to the future of our country and it's place in the world, when it comes to the livelihoods and the necessities of the American people, we're left with three debates, so-called, in the fall with only Barack Obama and John McCain on the stage. Their own debate commission/corporation ensures that no one else on the stage and they're really not debates, they're like parallel interviews. So we want people to open up the debates and to support the following declaration: "We call for opening up the debates. The scope of discussion must be as broad and deep as the serious challenges we face as a nation. We agree that vibrant debate is the heart beat of our democracy and our First Amendment especially during an election year. We recognize that smaller third parties and independents have traditionally played a vital role in our democracy including leading the charge for the abolition of slavery, the women's right to vote and economic justice for workers and farmers. We support opening up the debates beyond the two parties and the so-called Commission on Presidential Debates -- which is a private corporation, co-chaired by former chairman of the Republican and Democratic Parties -- it's time for our presidential debates to once again be hosted by truly non-partisan, civic minded associations." If you support this declaration, let's hear from you. RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Dexy's back and Davy's got him" "Iraq" "corey hart's 'never surrender'" "Stevie Nicks' 'Edge of Seventeen'"  "Tracey Chapman's 'Fast Car'" "Ashford & Simpson 'High Rise'" "Cyndi Lauper" "Tina Turner, Bangles, R.E.M." "Barack tells people what he thinks there problem is" "THIS JUST IN! HE JUST CAN'T CONNECT!"

Barack tells people what he thinks there problem is

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   TODAY IN MARTINSVILLE, VA., THEY UNVEILED THE LATEST BORG MAKEOVER FOR SENATOR 'SWEETIE' BARACK OBAMA.  IN A WOODEN DELIVERY, THE HIGHLY PROGRAMMED BARACK TRIED TO REASSURE AVERAGE AMERICANS THAT HE KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE THEM.  IT DID NOT GO OVER WELL.   NOR WOULD IT WHEN HIS VANITY INSISTED HE PLAY KNOW-IT-ALL.   "NOT ONLY," HE ROBOTICALLY INTONED, "ARE YOU FEELING MORE INSECURE WITH YOUR JOB, YOU CAN'T GET RISING WAGES OR RISING INCOMES, AND THE COST OF EVERYTHING FROM GAS TO FOOD TO HEALTH CARE TO TRYING TO SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO COLLEGE KEEP SKYROCKETING."   AS TEAM BAMBI ATTEMPTED TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE SPEECH FLOPPED -- BARACK'S MOST SERIOUS ATTEMPT TO PROVE HE IS LIKE THE AVERAGE AMERICAN -- IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT BILL CLINTON FELT YOUR PAIN, HE DIDN'T TRY TO DIAGNOSIS IT.   SAID ONE SPECTATOR, "WHY WAS HE SPEAKING DOWN TO ME?  I DON'T TRUST HIM.  HE'S TOO SNOOTY AND STUCK UP.  HE SEEMS TO THINK HE'S DOING US A FAVOR BY MAKING TIME TO ASK FOR OUR VOTES."   FROM THE TCI WIRE:   Starting with war resistance. US war resister Tim Richard could not take part in the illegal war in Iraq for legal and ethical reasons so he went to Canada.  At the London War Resisters Support Campaign, he notes J.M. Branum's response to the ridiculous Rondi Adams. James Branum, a member of the National Lawyers Guild and co-chair of their Military Law Task Force, is representing US war resister Robin Long expected to face a court-martial shortly after being extradited from Canada last month.    Courage to Resist offers the followings to support Robin:         1. Donate to Robin's legal defense         Online: http://couragetoresist.org/robinlong         By mail: Make checks out to "Courage to Resist / IHC" and note "Robin Long" in the memo field. Mail to:    Courage to Resist       484 Lake Park Ave #41     Oakland CA 94610  Courage to Resist is committed to covering Robin's legal and related defense expenses. Thank you for helping make that possible.      Also: You are also welcome to contribute directly to Robin's legal expenses via his civilian lawyer James Branum. Visit girightslawyer.com, select "Pay Online via PayPal" (lower left), and in the comments field note "Robin Long". Note that this type of donation is not tax-deductible.     2. Send letters of support to Robin      Robin Long, CJC        2739 East Las Vegas            Colorado Springs, CO 80906        Robin's pre-trial confinement has been outsourced by Fort Carson  military authorities to the local county jail.         Robin is allowed to receive hand-written or typed letters only. Do NOT include postage stamps, drawings, stickers, copied photos or print articles. Robin cannot receive packages of any type (with the book exception as described below).        3. Send Robin a money order for commissary items          Anything Robin gets (postage stamps, toothbrush, shirts, paper, snacks, supplements, etc.) must be ordered through the commissary. Each inmate has an account to which friends may make deposits. To do so, a money order in U.S. funds must be sent to the address above made out to "Robin Long, EPSO". The sender's name must be written on the money order.       4. Send Robin a book           Robin is allowed to receive books which are ordered online and sent directly to him at the county jail from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. These two companies know the procedure to follow for delivering books for inmates.   Robin Long was extradited.  It was done under the cloak of deportation because Judge Anne Mactavish knew that if she openly instituted extradition proceedings, there would be higher checks on her actions which could have prevented Robin from being forced out of Canada.  It is not a minor point and it's one that's all the important as US war resister Jeremy Hinzman has been informed he has until September 23rd to leave Canada.  In Robin's case, Mactavish was willing to ignore the law as well as guidelines covering refugees and immigrants (most obvious in her decision to extradite Robin and break up a family -- Robin is the father of a Canadian child) and willing to oversee the handover of Robin Long to US authorities (that's what makes it extradition and not deportation).  Hopefully, Jeremy's expulsion from Canada will be stopped.  But people need to pay attention to what happens if it is not.  Robin was locked away for weeks and kept from contact with those who could have advised and offered support.  He went from a Canadian jail to being handed over to US authorities.  Judge Mactavish argued that Robin had to be imprisoned because he was a "flight risk."  A "flight risk"?  If someone you are debating expelling is a "flight risk," you don't lock them away.  You hope they decide to leave on their own to avoid your government paying the costs of a hearing.  Mactavish got a way with a lot.  If Jeremy is expelled, all eyes should be watching to ensure that laws are not broken.  Jeremy is being highly pro-active and has already taped a video, which you can find at the  War Resisters Support Campaign, where he speaks directly to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada:   Jeremy Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper.  This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan.  We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years.  I was a specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and served honorably in Afghanistan.  In 2004, my family and I came to Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the international community.  One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau, once said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at this word.  On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion saying that United States war resisters should be able to remain in Canada.  We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay in Canada.  Thank you.   Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States.   Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada.   Title Card: War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada): www.resisters.ca     Courage to Resist alerts, "Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca." In addition to that, Canada's War Resisters Support Campaign is staging an emergency meeting this week (August 20th, Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Steelworkers Hall at 25 Cecil St.) and planning a day of action (September 13th) where "[a]ctions, demonstrations and pickets will take place in cities and towns all across Canada."     There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei Hurancyk, 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, Daniel Baker, 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 the US presidential race.  Cynthia McKinney, Green Party presidential nominee, continues her campaign stops in Tennessee.  Tomorrow she starts the day in Dickson and moves on to Nashville where she will hold a press converence at Legislative Plaza (11:00 a.m., open to the public) and then  and she has upcoming appearances this week (tomorrow and Thursday) followed by a public Q&A.   Indpendent presidential candidate Ralph Nader continues his campaign for ballot access.  Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez' independent presidential bid has set the goal of appearing on 45 states' ballots and Ryan J. Foley (AP) reports that the Nader campaign in Wisconsin is 100 signatures away from the required number of signatures to gain access to the state's ballot and that they expect to more than exceed the required number by the September 2nd deadline.  In other news, Team Nader notes:   As late as yesterday, we didn't think we had a chance. For the first time in this campaign, we were at serious risk of missing a self-imposed financial goal. Then, yesterday, you came through. And now, we're back in it. Now, we're just shy of $42,000. And we have a chance to hit our goal of $50,000 by 11:59 pm tonight. But we're going to have to bust a gut to get there. All out. All day. All night. So, we are calling on 900 of you -- our most loyal supporters -- to donate $10 each now to push us over the top. (900 times $10 equals $9,000, right?) And for every $10 contribution you donate today, we will give free admission to a needy student who wants to come to hear Ralph Nader at our Open the Debates Super Rally at the University of Denver's Magness Arena. ($10 in advance, $12 at the door.) Ralph will be joined by his running mate Matt Gonzalez. And -- breaking news -- a star studded line-up will join Ralph and Matt in a call to open up the Presidential debates. Featuring -- Val Kilmer, Cindy Sheehan and Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Jello Biafra, Nellie McKay, and Ike Reilly. So, please -- give a student a chance to attend this historic event. Donate $10 now -- or whatever you can afford -- and send a student to raise the banner in Denver -- Open the Presidential Debates, More Voices, More Choices. Keep an eye on our widget throughout the day. Watch your name go up in lights. And see if we blast through our goal. Donate now. And let's get it done. Together, we will not be denied. Onward.   RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Sad state of the 'peace' movement" "The denial crumbles" "ralph's prediction" "Open the debates" "Kiss my Black ass, Alice Walker " "Short" "Perceptions " "Nader, brief Olympic thoughts" "No, it's not news" "THIS JUST IN! IT'S NEWS BECAUSE THEY SAY IT IS!"

No, it's not news

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE   FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BROOKLYN, AMY GOODMAN OF DEMOCRACY SOMETIMES AGREED TO TALK TO US "BRIEFLY, IF YOU'LL LET ME PASS" ABOUT HOW BARACK QUALIFIES FOR NEWS.   Q: TODAY YOU TURNED BARACK INTO A HEADLINE.  THAT SOME DAY THIS WEEK HE WILL ANNOUNCE HIS V.P. CHOICE.  CYNTHIA MCKINNEY AND RALPH NADAR PRETTY MUCH HAVE TO RESCUE A CAT FROM A TREE OR SAVE SOMEONE FROM A BURNING BUILDING FOR YOU TO MENTION THEM.  HOW ARE YOU AN ALTERNATIVE?   GOODY: I AM AN ALTERNATIVE BECAUSE THE MSM IS CENTER-RIGHT AND I'VE BECOME A DEMOCRATIC PARTY ORGAN.  I OFFER JUST AS MUCH CRAP, BUT WITH A DEMOCRATIC SPIN.   WITH THAT GOODY CAUGHT A RIDE FROM DONNA BRAZILE ON HER NO-RULES BUS AND DISAPPEARED.   FROM THE TCI WIRE:     Starting with war resistance.  US war resister  Jeremy Hinzman has been told he has until September 23rd to leave Canada.  John Mackay (WSWS) explains, "Hinzman joined the US Army in early 2001, partly out of a sense of patriotism and adventure.  However, he was primarily attracted by the promise of financial support for a university education.  He says that more than a year after joining, he realized that he could not become a killer.  He felt he could not dehumanize the people he was supposed to shoot.  He applied for conscientious objector (CO) status in August 2002, but his command threw his application away.  Hinzman subsequently reapplied while serving in Afghanistan, only to have his application turned down.  In Afghanistan, while his CO application was being processed, Hinzman played a non-combatant role as an assistant to Haliburton employees serving meals to soldiers.  Upon denial of his application for CO status, Hinzman was ordered to return to active duty.  When his unit returned to the US with the understanding that they would soon be sent to Iraq, Hinzman deserted, crossing the Canadian border in January 2004 with his wife and young son and claiming refugee status."  Nga Nguyen, Jeremy's wife, just gave birth to a daughter (Meghan) in July.  We'll note again that the four are in a video at the  War Resisters Support Campaign where Jeremy speaks to Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada:   Jeremy Hinzman: Hello, Mr. Harper.  This is my family Nga, Liam and Meghan.  We've been in Canada for the last four and a 1/2 years.  I was a specialist in the 82nd Air borne division of the United States Army and served honorably in Afghanistan.  In 2004, my family and I came to Canada because we would not participate in the Iraqi War, a war which Canada also refused to participate in because it was condemned by the international community.  One of your predecessors, Pierre Trudeau, once said that Canada should be have from militarism and we took him at this word.  On June 3, 2008, the Canadian Parliament passed a motion saying that United States war resisters should be able to remain in Canada.  We're asking you to abide by this motion and allow us to stay in Canada.  Thank you.   Title Card: On September 23rd, the Harper government plans to deport the Hinzman family back to the United States.   Title Card: Hinzman faces a court martial and up to 5 years in military prison for opposing the Iraq war and coming to Canada.   Title Card: War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada): www.resisters.ca     Courage to Resist alerts, "Supporters are calling on Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to intervene. Phone 613.996.4974 or email finley.d@parl.gc.ca,"Iraq Veterans Against the War also encourages people to take action, "To support Jeremy, call or email Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and ask her to intervene in this case. Phone: 613.996.4974 email: finley.d@parl.gc.ca." In addition to that, Canada's War Resisters Support Campaign is staging an emergency meeting this week (August 20th, Wednesday, 7:00 pm, Steelworkers Hall at 25 Cecil St.) and planning a day of action (September 13th) where "[a]ctions, demonstrations and pickets will take place in cities and towns all across Canada."   A new documentary, The Path of Most Resistance, addresses war resistance. Directed by Gareth Keogh, the film traces two US service members attempts to receive CO status.  One receives it, one doesn't.  Susannah Tarbush (Saudi Gazette) reports on the film noting that Daniel Baker and Robert Weiss are the two CO applicants.  Anyone paying attention knows who was successful and who wasn't:   Daniel Baker joined the US Navy in 2004, but soon after being deployed in Qatar as a communications officer in 2006 he made a successful application for CO status. He now works for the Catholic Peace Fellowship, one of the organizations that advise CO applicants.   In contrast, soldier Robert Weiss's application for CO status was turned down in December 2007. He said: "I feel that at this point I have no legal avenue for pursuing recognition of my beliefs, so therefore I have no choice but to leave the military rather than do something I feel is immoral." On December 22 he was due to fly back to Iraq, but saw no alternative but to go absent without leave (AWOL) for 30 days, the minimum time necessary to be classified as a deserter. He would then turn himself in and face the inevitable court martial and imprisonment.   During his period of being AWOL, he was given refuge by a family with pacifist sympathies. In February he turned himself in, and on May 13 was court martialled. He is serving a seven-month sentence in a military prison in Mannheim, Germany.  .     There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Yovany Rivero, William Shearer, Michael Thurman, Andrei Hurancyk, 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, Daniel Baker, 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 the US presidential race.  The Democratic Party holds its convention in Denver shortly.  AP notes, "Independent Ralph Nader planned to attend a rally at Denver University on Aug. 27, the night before Obama accepts his party's nomination. And Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney was scheduled to address supporters after an anti-war march through downtown Denver on Sunday, the day before the convention opens." Christopher Keating (Hartford Courant) notes that independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's campaign was set to turn in petitions today in New York and Alabama making them the 31st and 32nd states the Ralph Nader - Matt Gonzalez ticket will be on the ballots of.  Foon Rhee (Boston Globe) adds that the Nader campaign is set to submit their signatures to be on the Massachusetts ballot.  The Nader campaign states it has around 17,000 signatures gathered, that Massachusetts would be the 34th state they'd be on the ballot of and that "Michael Richardson, Massachusetts Nader/Gonzalez 2008 Coordinator, will hold a Weds. Aug. 20, 10 a.m. news conference at the Elections Division office, McCormack Bulding, Room 1705, One Ashburton Place, Boston, Mass. 02108"..   From Ralph's Daily Audio, this is "The Difference Between The Two Parties:"   This is Ralph Nader. Just how different are the two major parties?  Well I've often said that the towering similarities between the two parties are far greater than the dwindling differences they're really willing to fight over.  It's clear that the Democrats are better than Republicans on Social Security, civil justice, the right to go to court if you're wrongfully injured, civil rights and a number of other issues. But consider the similarities.  As I've said when it comes to the overriding issue of the corporate takeover of our federal government department by department, agency by agency, the two parties differ in the velocity with which their knees hit the floor when corporations pound on their door.  The two parties are pretty similar on foreign and military policy.  In recent weeks the leading foreign affairs reporters for the Washington Post and the New York Times said that Obama would be similar in his foreign and military policy to the second term of George W. Bush.  They're both pushing for more military budget.  They haven't singled out a single weapons system that they think is obsolete, redundant or not needed.   They both are not doing anything about cracking down on corporate crimes commensurate with the violations of health and safety laws by the corporations in the looting and draining of trillions of dollars of mutual fund savings and pension funds they both are furthering the perforation of the tax code  corporate loopholes and offshore havens. They both have put the regulatory agencies under anesthesia.  They both are in  a race to get more and more private special interest money into elections corrupting our election process.  You ever hear them mention in any specifics what they're going to do about consumer protection or what they're going to do about repealing anti-worker, anti-union laws like Taft-Hartley? No way.  Similarly silent.     The Democrats took over the Congress in January 2007, they haven't rolled back any of the legislation or even made a major college try to roll back the bad legislation that Bush and his Congressional Republicans have passed So we can go and on but just think about it, how necessary it is to have somewhere else on the ballot line to cast your vote.  Nader-Gonzalez.  Thank you.   Team Nader notes:   We are in a sprint to the finish line. That would be November 4. And we're not about to let up. But for the first time since we started this campaign, we are in danger of not meeting one of our financial goals. We set a goal of $50,000 by tomorrow night 11:59 p.m. As of now, we are just under $30,000. So, we need to ramp it up. Big time. And now. We need 2,000 of you -- our loyal supporters -- to drop $10 each. That simple. So hit that there contribute button. And drop a ten spot on Nader/Gonzalez. Time to get it done. By the way, did you hear some of the big names that are coming to our Super Rallies in Denver and Minneapolis? Not just our own caped crusader. But also -- Batman? Huey Long? The Anti-Pelosi? Stay tuned. Here's one person who will be there for sure. Ashley Sanders. Ashley who? Ashley Sanders. Ashley gave one of the most eloquent and thought provoking endorsements of the Nader/Gonzalez candidacy this year. Check out Ashley here -- introducing Ralph in Utah last month.  But first things first. Let's not miss this deadline. Kick it in so we can push it over the top. Onward to November.   Cynthia McKinney is the Green Party presidential nominee and she has upcoming appearances this week (tomorrow and Thursday): Wednesday, August 20th McKinney will make 3 stops in Memphis. That evening she will be in Jackson, Tennessee for a fundraiser hosted by the Madison County Green Party. Thursday, August 21st McKinney's first stop is in Dickson to meet with representatives of the community who have been affected by the dumping of toxic waste in their community. Then to Nashville for an 11:00 AM Press Conference in Room 31, Legislative Plaza speaking to the press about her campaign. This event is open to the public. Following the press conference Ms McKinney will speak directly to the public and take questions. This will also be in Legislative Plaza, Room 31. That morning Greens will turn in their nominating petitions to secure her position on the general election ballot in Tennessee. "Due to Tennessee's oppressive election access laws Ms McKinney will be listed on the ballot as an independent candidate which we can achieve with 275 valid signatures. It would take over 45,000 valid signatures to get her listed with the "Green" affiliation. The Green Party is currently a litigant against the state seeking ballot access laws that are fair", said John Miglietta a delegate to the Green Party of the US and a Green Candidate for US House District 5. Following the Press Conference she is scheduled to visit Tennessee State University, Fisk University and Carver Food Park where Sizwe Herring of EarthMatters Tennessee teaches children and community members about the value of composting and principles of ecology. Those appearances start tomorrow and the Geen Party website still has nothing up.     RECOMMENDED: "Iraq snapshot" "Jeremy Hinzman, Robin Long, Joshua Key" "The battle of Kirkuk?" "nader, body of war, jeremy hinzman" "Jeremy Hinzman" "Nader, McCain, Barack" "Jeremy Hinzman, Ralph Nader's Super Rallies" "Nader and the self-destructing Dems" "Nader, Third" "Biddy-baby whines again" "THIS JUST IN! BIG WHINY BABY BARACK!"