George Bush Countdown: 1 Day

No surprise here as the countdown ends:

#1 IRAQ

George Bush will be most remembered for starting the war in Iraq behind lies and misinformation. Some have said he was interested in going to war with Iraq prior to September 11th. Some say as soon as 9/11 happened he wanted Iraq to be behind it. No WMDs were ever found. He was wrong when he landed on an aircraft carrier and claimed the mission was accomplished. The war distracted attention away from the search for Osama bin Laden. Thousands (and counting) of Americans lost their lives. Many more coalition forces from other nations lost theirs. Countless Iraqi citizens died (and are dieing) as well. Billions upon billions of dollars were spent on the war and now we are in a financial crisis. Gas prices rose and fell like a roller coaster.

Prior to the start of the war protests filled the streets of many cities of the world. I went to one in my small college town in Florida. In the United States the majority seemed to be in support of the war. Yet some, ah hem, hello there, never thought any weapons would be found and if they were they would be fabricated (at least they didn't stoop that far).

So, with that the countdown ends. Tomorrow is a new day.

Five Years in Iraq

3,990 American Troops Killed
29,000+ Injured
2,100 have tried to commit suicide
[Huffingtonpost stats]

Anti-War Protestors Block Military Shipments

Here's a story that didn't get too much media play. The story is actually a couple days old but worth it anyway.

A few days ago a group of anti-war protesters in Olympia, Washington attempted to stop military shipments going so far as to pour cement on the railroad tracks used to carry the materials. Over 40 protesters were arrested. A spokesman for the Olympia Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) said,

"The soldiers have made it home, and we're really glad about that. This is about the military equipment. As long as the government refuses to listen to the will of the vast majority of people who want an end to this war, it's not safe to allow the military to have its hands on this equipment because it will continue to support the war in Iraq."

The umbrella group to the PMR is the Olympia Movement for Peace and Justice.

Capitol Police Assualt and Arrest a Black Minister

Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. of the Hip Hop Caucus was denied entry into the OPEN AND PUBLIC hearing on the Iraq War before the House Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees.

As you can see from the video the Rev. was standing in line along with other members of the public waiting to get into the hearing in which General Petreaus was testifying regarding progress in Iraq. This testimony is particularly important because the Bush administration has been pointing to Petreaus' report and testimony as a marker regarding the future policy in Iraq, i.e., whether to continue the surge or withdraw troops.

The Rev. was denied entry, most likely due to his reputation as a peace activist. This is the Hip Hop Caucus mission statement and Rev. Yearwood's biography. Also, the Hip Hop Caucus is one of the major groups behind the planned September 15 Iraq War protests in Washington DC.

The Rev. apparently suffered a broken leg and was arrested for attempting to assault an officer.

You can also see the second part of the video capturing Yearwood receiving medical treatment here.

Suicide and Iraq

The most recent figures from the Pentagon report over 115 U.S. Troop suicides in Iraq, this number does not include suicides that may have occurred in the United States among veterans and soldiers between deployments.

A story about a troop from Minnesota who had been suffering from PTSD can be found here.

My Ultra-Con Supreme Court

There will be two major consequences of the Bush administration that will be felt throughout the nation for many, many, years, decades, and generations. The first and most obvious is the Iraq war. As the death and injury tolls rise and rise more and more folks back home suffer the consequences and many more unborn and as yet unwitting folks come closer to feeling the effects. Perhaps a better way to think about the casualties in terms of numbers is to multiply each death by 4 or 5. This produces a number sparked by the death toll somewhere in the 14,000-18,000 number. These are the families, the spouses and children, the parents and siblings. Broken families create a myriad of problems children grow up without fathers, mothers fall into depression over the loss of their child, guilt, anxiety, nightmares, etc. And what about those who come back changed, PTSD and other mental and physical problems. What fate do their people face. Think of the children forced to grow up in a home with an Iraq vet suffering from PTSD, substance abuse and poor veteran's benefits. How many generational cycles of abuse will begin or amplify as a result of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for the matter?

The role the war in Iraq will play n our future is terrifying but a more dangerous if less obvious problem is the Supreme Court. There was a concerted effort made in 2000 and 2004 to try to call attention to the fact that the President appoints Justices to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court in many ways is the most powerful branch of the government. Well, with the decisions recently handed down we see what will become a depressing trend. Votes of 5-4 on issues from campaign finance, th First Amendment, abortion, and on-on are going to be with us for some time. Lets look at the composition of the court.

The conservatives on the Supreme Court have resumes fitting Republican administration officials, which is perhaps not surprising since some of them have been in Republican Presidential administrations.

The current Chief Justice, John Roberts is only 52 years old, the life time appointments given to Justices makes him a relatively young man. This guy is likely to be on the court for 20 years. From 1981 - 1986 Roberts worked in the Reagan administration.

Justice Alito is 57, also young by Supreme Court standards. From 1981-1987 Alito served in the Reagan administration as well.

Justice Clarence Thomas is 59 and served in the Reagan and Bush administrations from 1981-1990.

Justice Saclia, relatively middle aged at 71 served time in the Ford administration and was appointed to the Court by Reagan.

These four make up the solidly conservative block of the court and, get this, they are all ROMAN CATHOLIC!

Justice Kennedy, often referred to as the swing voter is also Roman Catholic and therefore, isn't much of a swinger. He does have a little more of a libertarian streak in him which accounts for some of his swinging away from the Ultra-cons.

The liberals and moderates are between the ages of 67 and 87.

The decisions of the Supreme Court can sometimes be rendered irrelevant by legislative action ranging from Constitutional Amendments to simple law creation. It will always, however, be easier for 9 judges to hand down opinions on important topics than it will be for hundreds of mostly dirty politicians to really get things done. SO, what's the answer, just to wait I guess. Just to wait like within anything else. Try not to get in the way. Hope things will change. I don't know. Have a beer. There's no movement.