How important are you to this administration?
http://www.bluebus.org/archives/20050422_38_republican_s.php
GOP and Bush: Say at every photo-opportunity: "We support the troops!". But what do they do in Congress?
http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2005/04/optruth-lists-senators-who-hate-troops.html

Depleted Uranium- what is it? why should you care?
What Is Depleted Uranium? ( http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News/19news02.htm )
http://www.wanttoknow.info/050405depleteduranium
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/du_death_toll.html
A Scientific Perspective ( http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News/19news03.htm )Interview with Leuren Moret, Geo-ScientistA Military Perspective ( http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News/19news04.htm )Interview with Dr. Doug Rokke, Ph.D, former Director of the U.S. Army Depleted Uranium ProjectA Survivor’s Perpsective ( http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News/19news05.htm )Interview with Melissa Sterry, Gulf War Veteran who is surviving the effects of depleted uranium
Free Speech- an Endangered Species in Good Ol' USA:
http://www.denverthree.org/

Honest debate and proper review of Laws - Also an Endangered Species:
Budget Conference Report Rushed Through HouseRepublicans forced a budget resolution through the House tonight using martial law procedures that in the past have resulted in embarrassing and controversial amendments being added onto critical bills. Last year, Republicans used martial law to force through a massive 1,645-page omnibus bill with only a few hours for Members to review - leading to egregious violations of taxpayer privacy rights that had to be reversed days later. Today, they are giving the House only a few hours to review a $2 trillion budget resolution that will increase the national debt, slash Medicaid and crucial aid for education and health care, and spend the entire Social Security Trust Fund. Perhaps they allowed so little time for this misguided bill to hide its damaging impact from the American people.
Rushing the Budget Resolution is an abuse of power.http://democraticleader.ctsg.com/ctt.asp?u=3676799&l=90... Abuse of Rules and Abuse of PowerThe U.S. House of Representatives operates under a set of established rules and guidelines. These rules dictate procedure and ensure that the legislative process is conducted in a fair and unbiased manner. Unfortunately, many of these rules are either being ignored or completely rewritten by the current Republican majority. In one instance, House Speaker Dennis Hastert held a vote open three hours, from 3 A.M until 6 A.M. in the morning, while party leaders bullied their Members into voting for an expensive and inadequate prescription drug bill. Majority Leader Tom DeLay even offered to trade political support for a vote for the bill, which earned him an admonishment by the House Ethics Committee.Another example of rules abuse is the practice of rushing through thousands of pages of legislation with only a few hours for Members to review. As a result damaging and controversial provisions - often written in secret with the help of outside special interest groups - are being slipped into bills at the last moment, and Members are not allowed the time to find them before they are forced into an up or down vote without debate. This is exactly what happened with the last Omnibus Appropriations bill. Republican Rep. Istook’s office inserted measures into the 1,645 page bill that violated taxpayer privacy rights. A special session of Congress was forced to meet and reverse the ‘error.’Republican leaders are also muzzling Floor debate and blocking legitimate Democratic amendments from the floor. Even Republicans have been shut out when they dared to suggest improvements and changes to legislation that didn’t toe the party line.This abuse of the House rules is subverting the democratic process. When Members are barred from participating in the legislative process, unable to offer amendments and forbidden to engage in debate on the floor of the House, then the Americans they speak for are no longer being represented. At a time when the Republican party claims to be pursuing democracy abroad and overseas, they are undermining it here at home.

The Republican hypocrisy know no bounds. The party of "We Support the Troops" Chickenhawks who wrap themselves in the flag and wear pretend military garb at every photo oppurtunity have just had the opportunity to show their true support for the troops. Please read about it:
Bait and Switch:Republican Senators Vote Against Healthcare for Iraq War Veterans
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Ruth Wood, Aberdeen News (South Dakota) Posted 2005-04-19 20:59:00.0http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/11431363.htm

Murray Fights for Veterans Health Care
On April 12, Senator Patty Murray (D - WA) kicked off her fight for Veterans Health Care on the Senate Floor by introducing her amendment that would boost funding by $2 billiion.
Unfortunately, the Murray Amendment to the $80 billion supplemental funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was defeated for the second time ( http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=236300 )
(it was first defeated as an amendment ( http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=233759 ) to the Senate Budget Resolution earlier this year) by a vote of 54-46 with all but one Republican member of the Senate voting against the veterans’ funding. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Flag or veterans - which is priority?
On April 14, a constitutional amendment was introduced by South Dakota Sen. John Thune that would protect the flag of the United States.
According to the Aberdeen American News, "With so many members of the military serving overseas, now is the time to pass an amendment to protect the flag, Thune said." He also said, "It is a symbol of liberty and freedom that we enjoy today, thanks to the immeasurable sacrifices of generations of Americans who came before us."
This appears to be a grand and noble gesture, but is it when we consider what happened on the floor of the Senate two days earlier?
On April 12 the Senate discussed an emergency appropriation bill of $80.6 billion to continue the operations in Iraq. This item was not included in the annual budget because the administration couldn't estimate the costs in Iraq when the president presented his budget.
An amendment was offered by Sen. Patti Murray from Washington state to add $1.9 billion to ensure every veteran returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has quality health care, boosted funding for mental health care - especially treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, and provided $40 million to each regional VA to open new clinics and hire staff.
There were two votes on this amendment. The first vote said that the veterans health care crisis in not an emergency (Vote No. 89), and the second said that veterans health care is not a priority. (Vote No. 90). Sen. Thune voted with the 53 other Republican Senators who voted against the amendment. Only Sen. Arlen Specter had enough courage to buck his party to show he cared for the veterans. They said this is not the time; this is not the place for fixing the health care system for the veterans who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not an emergency nor is it a priority.
It is estimated that one fourth of the returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. To paraphrase Sen. Thune, with so many members of the military serving overseas, now is the time to pass an appropriations bill to improve our veterans' health care.
Don't get me wrong, I love our flag. It is a beautiful flag full of color, tradition and symbolic of the country I love, but I love our veterans more. They deserve priority. Since Thune has not served one day in the uniform of our country, maybe he does not understand the veterans' priorities. I don't know of one veteran who fought for the flag alone. There may be some out there, but the ones I know were just trying to do their job and stay alive to get out and on with the rest of their lives. It is a cruel twist of fate when these men and women who have served so admirably cannot depend on our government to treat their physical or mental injuries when they get home.
We have all been touched by tragedies of Vietnam veterans who suffered untreated PTSD. It may have been a hurting vet who turned to alcohol and caused a fatal accident or an untreated vet who took his own life because he was tired of hurting or turned his anger and hurt on others in a mass killing. Can we afford to turn our backs on another generation of veterans?
Maybe in a time of peace when there are no other problems, protecting the flag would be the top priority, but I happen to believe that the veterans deserve top billing now. "Now is the time" to improve veterans' health care. Sen. Thune has voted three times in the first 100 days of his Senate term to block any increased funding for veterans' health care. Now is the time to get our priorities straight and protect the people who made our flag a meaningful symbol and the integrity of our flag will be preserved.
Ruth Wood, Cresbard, is a retired teacher, farmwife, the mother of three and grandmother of 11. Write to her at the American News, P.O. Box 4430,Aberdeen, SD 57402, or e-mail americannews@aberdeennews.com
CONTINUE TO BELIEVE BUSH LIES AND LIARS AT YOUR OWN PERIL!
I URGE YOU TO SPEAK UP IN THE NEWS AND AT ALL RALLIES AGAINST THE LIARS IN POWER.

posted by Joshua P. Angell  @ 16.5.05

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