David Swanson Writes WHY the Torture issue needs to be Investigated and more...Prosecuted..

This really solid article about the Torture and What the photos really reveal and WHY we can not move forward until the situation is dealt with.....I did many posts on Torture last winter and spring, I have them linked to the Buttons on the Side about War Crime Trials...

New Blog to Check out and Explore: Welcome the Quaker Agitator...morning awesome..

Poverty Indicators for Children continue to rise....

Snippet from Article:::
"A growing number of American children are living in poverty and with unemployed parents, and are facing the threat of hunger, according to a federal report released yesterday.According to the report, "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being," 18 percent of all children 17 and younger were living in poverty in 2007, up from 17 percent in 2006. The percentage of children with at least one parent working full time was 77 percent in 2007, down from 78 percent in 2006. Those living in households where parents described children as being hungry, having skipped a meal or having gone without eating for an entire day increased from 0.6 percent in 2006 to 0.9percent in 2007, the report said.

Federal officials said the statistics predate the current economic downturn, and forecast harder times for some of the country's 74 million children 17 and younger."It foreshadows greater changes we'll see when we look at these figures next year," said Duane Alexander, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Heath, one of the government agencies that participated in the study."
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There are other issues that this is not addressing yet.....Malnutrition, Medical Care, Education, and yes even child abuse issues as the economic stress continues to rise. ( There are statistic correlations between domestic abuse and economic downfalls).I have yet to hear the DHHS raise any of these issues, or the MSM to cover any of these issues. The Economic Crisis has real impact on real people, wealth should be measured against the Human Condition...and how we treat our young and care for them and nurture them says much about us as People, as a Nation. A year ago we had a President who could not even say the "R" word, because it made him uncomfortable, and the media coddled him and wallstreet as the Economy Plummeted.

Children should never be the Consequence of Arrogance and Abuse of Power....

Why would I write such a harsh endightment ? Have you ever seen people sleeping in cars ? Families ? It changes your perspective.....
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WHAT can you do ?
Give to your local foodbank, especially in the summer when school meal programs are not providing meals. In many states the meal programs and Summer school programs have been drastically cut. These are children that normally would get meals at school and now are home for the summer. Give Child friendly foods, cookies, mac&cheese, baked beans, juices, canned fruit and pudding. And also check and see if the Food banks needs Formula and Diapers. Thank you.

Homelessness is still a problem....and not getting enough attention,

Snippet:::
"Last year, we saw a 34 percent increase in homeless families and a 24 percent increase in homeless children," he said. "Why do we go beyond capacity? Because in a just society, a child should not have to sleep outside or in a car."

Favorite Palin Cartoon....( there are too many to post..)

(stolen from Immoral Minority...thanks gryphen...and click the title to Exgov 's Twitter page...LOL)

BBC Book Nerd Challenge.....

100 Books
The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions:
Copy this into your NOTES.
Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
Tag other Book Nerds and Publish.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - X
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - X
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee - X
6 The Bible - X
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte - X
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell - X
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman -
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott - X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy X
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller - X
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - X (not complete but LOTS)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier!) X
6 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk -
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger - X
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot X
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22 The Great Gatsby - X
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens X
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy - X
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - X
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - X (3 times)
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck -X
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - X
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - X
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis -
34 Emma - Jane Austen - X
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen -X
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis - X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - X
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres -X
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - X
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne - X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell - X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown -
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - X
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving -X
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery -X
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy -X
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood - X
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding -X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan - X
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel - X
52 Dune - Frank Herbert - X
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen - X
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth -
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - X
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley -X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon -X
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - X
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - X
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov X
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt -
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold - X
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie X
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville - X
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker - X
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson -
75 Ulysses - James Joyce - X
76 The Inferno - Dante - X
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray -X
80 Possession - AS Byatt -
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - X
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell -
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker - X
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro -X
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert -
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White - X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom X
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - X
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton-
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad -
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery - X (both English & French!)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams - X
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole - X
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas - X
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare - X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl -X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo - X

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Mary posted this on Facebook....very cool....I don't know my score...hmm..I think I qualify...

Videos From July 8th Iran Protests Coming Out, they used their Cars at Crossings, Families came out together, Also read report......

new just got it off twitter, only viewed 8 times, great they are still protesting and they found a way to get footage out...watch the women.....amazing..,,kinda makes sense to use Cars to protest- thwarts the Basij on their bikes...

( Protests were planned for yesterday to be held to honor the Protests of 10 years ago...and to keep the uprising alive...it was uncertain how many would come out..also communication is sorely hampered).
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More Updates of the Protests of the day, from Tehran Bureau.
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Here is More Footage please share with media and Twitter, really amazing how they organized without Phones compueters...and in spite of all the arrests and brutality...
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I will post more updates below and in comments, and the post below was last updated this AM....
Nico Pitney posted this wonderful video LINK that has many more videos that are worth seeing...
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U2 on their 360 tour.....and Again in Milan they do Bloody Sunday dedicated to Iran with the GREEN and the farsi-
But LISTEN to the audience sing along....please share and retweet...( thanks to Nico for posting this..) it really does need to be shared and seen.....

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The ROOFTOP project,really amazing.

Iran Uprising Update ....July 8th...day 27...( please do continue to follow Nico Pitney's ongoing Updates at Huffingtonpost)

It has been harder and harder to get information but Huffington Post is still doing an amazing job of covering the situation...I will most likely do less updates, maybe a few a week..but with work and the Book..its getting harder for me to cover Iran as well as it deserves...I am still peeved at the MSM who spent TWELVE days "covering " Micheal Jackson's Death. I think it is sad that a Musician died, BUT I am confused WHY MJ needed 24 hours a day coverage. To the people in Iran , I am so embarrassed and horrified of the MSM shutdown...What will happen there ....Time will tell...
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This report from The Guardian , as they continue to attempt to track Who was killed and detained, they have a story from within from a Doctor that tells what Medically really went on and that the death toll is much higher.
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Keep the 25th Open as it is being planned as a UNITE for IRAN day...read more, and I will be posting updates...
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This Video link shows a bigger video of the Students Song at the University and has the lyrics, every powerful. But also shows the determination of the young people to have a Future. This Video was made after some of the Bloodiest brutality. They are brave and resiliant. Watch the whole video and you will hear the women join in and see they too are participating even though they can not dance.
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Amazing Video for Iran...

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An amazing Al Jezeera video by a French Documentary maker that explains the Uprising and where it is at this point:

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Austin Heap has continued to be creative and resourceful helping Iranians keep connected....Please donate to them and read about their work...
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Amazing letter From a prisoner's son...to Ahmadinejead
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Top Clerics decry Election, and defy Government's results..Seattle Times.....
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Day of Solidarity for Iran July 25th, people trying to organize a Day for the world to unite to let Iran know they honor them and this time of struggle.
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Rezla Aslan's new post he has been doing an amazing job educating people about the situation in Iran.
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New post on Iran from Tehran Bureau, so sad that I can not figure this article out, it is basically needing some clarification, if anyone can do that....War Party? I am confused....But I love this journal and their integrity.....
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French woman detained on spy charges...
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Really good article about the sitaution in Iran, explains alot...
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Protesters encouraged to carry Roses and Flowers now...
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11PM update;;;;
As it dawns there right now...protests by the people are planned...and NYT is reporting that 2000 have been released, but atleast 500 detainees face trials.....
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Thursday Noon Updates:::
With renewed protests today to honor the Protesters of ten years ago, there are reports filtering in of Clashes and brutality against the protesters who were marching peacefully in Tehran....more in this LA TImes report.

It does Appear that FOX may have BIGGER problems than we knew- look what fell out of an Anchor's Mouth TODAY...

We need to DO Something Folks- What is it ? A Petition ? or WHAT ?

On the Porch...trying to get caught up....

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I have been on the porch most of the day, working on The Book, reading up on Iran and trying to get caught up after going back to work this week and working the past 5 days ( after recovering from the Cookie Dough Illness..)...So I am a little behind..sorry...Iran post will be up tonight...you can catch me on Twitter ( watergatesummer)....for music ( Blip...yeah...it's amazing...I am DJ- Enigma4ever...) or you can also find me now on Facebook...or email me. And yes, Comments are open below.

July 5th Day 23 of the Iranian Uprising.....

THE LONGEST SCROLL PROJECT...wow...A wonderful project that Nico Pitney blogged about this am....it will inspire you and make you want to be a part of Something Bigger...and so artistic and creative.... Nico Pitney is still Liveblogging the Uprising over at Huffington Post...he always has amazing updates and Finds...I did hear about this on Twitter last night, but I am so glad that he blogged it today...we need to share this ...far and wide....
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Austin Heap's Haystack project will really help the Iranians get better access to the internet....critical right now, please do share this information...
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This article from The Guardian explains about Proxies and how they work and help the Iranians. And in this article they also explore how Twitter has changed the World of Connecting.....forever.
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Now for some good news...about Clerics defying the Ayatollah and the Election, this from the NYT late last night....
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Revolutionary Road has an update....
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LA Times also has a thorough update that covers a variety of the issues at hand...including what is next for Mousavi....
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Neda's Boyfriend tells more about her and her life...about how innocent she really was....
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BBC has an analysis of where the Sea of Green Stands and what happens next...
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This column written by Roger Cohen will take your breath away....it is so touching and painful....I cried when I read it...People have asked me if I will stop blogging about Iran, and I have to say no...I am in awe of their Courage and sheer Determination. I am inspired by their struggle.....I wore a green ribbon this weekend around my wrist...an Iranian Man that came in to the market ( that is job number 3...the other 2 are nursing...I work the market because I need to try to get health insurance...) But he asked me, quietly, "For Iran ? and I said " Yes, for them...for the Sea of Green..."He nodded and filled up and said Thank you. It was a small moment...a moment of Connection. I told him we must have Hope and Faith.....I meant it.
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Comments are open tonight. Anything Hateful or inappropriate will be removed.period.

Where do I file this, "Lost Marbles" or "Sunday Insanity"? Last Last night on Independence Day Sarah Palin Jumped the Shark...Click and read.

( On friday I had promised not to blog again on her....BUT....she is up there having fits..sooooo)

Okay so I got up this morning and hit the Internets to find the News, I first read up on Iran, and then I decided that I should see WHAT is going on in Alaska where I have good friends, and with Sara Pee after all I need a Laugh....omg...She has officially lost her marbles...She has now decided that to shut up the Media and those damn Bloggers she better SUE the Internets....( Click the title and read Wonkette's take on this whole mess...warning I did spew Pepsi....her take is hilarious..and she does try to link to the 7 Page Palin Manifesto that was created with her lawyer.)

So Let me get this straight In Honor of THIS Great Country and Freedom of Speech....she wants to SUE the Internets and find a way to Block Bloggers from Having Free Speech....and the Gotcha Media...and That Vanity Fair and WHO else ?????? And the joke is on her- Did she really think only a FEW Bloggers blogged on her ? Gee , try THOUSANDS honey...I bet in her pee brain as it narcisstically swirled , it never dawned on her how many blogged her antics last fall. And Letterman may have apologized- but is she hoping that ALL Bloggers will "apologize"?

( well, she won't sue FOX, because they are over there in Mourning and crying every other hour about the demise of her political Career....and just for the record..This Country owes Bloggers a HUGE collective Thank You for Exposing Sara Pee for the Dimwitted Dangerous Twit that she is, and she could have been ONE Melanoma away from the Oval Office...yikes I shudder...) As Paul Begala said Friday eve ," She makes Sanford look sane".
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Do read Huffington Post's Take on all of this...more polite than I can be.... Muckraker updated the post tonight as Shannyn Moore gave a press conference today on how she as a Citizen will not be bullied by Sarah.
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Great Alaska Newspaper has more...
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And great AK Blogger Gryphen has more, I can proudly say that I have been friends with him for almost 5 years....he blogs ALL things Alaska...and tells the story well..... read more here.
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Monday AM: MSNBC: " Palin=palooza",
On Weekend Analysis of her Batshit decision....worth the read.
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For More Background information:::::
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Interview with Shannyn Moore of AK:

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MORE ABOUT HOUSE-GATE.....
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Comments open....

For the Forth....Music...a post for our VETS...and a new Update on Iran...have a good day..I will be back tonight...

oh...and of course...there is a post about SaraPee...just scroll down...

This Forth of July we must not forget the VETS home...or still abroad..

Paul Reickoff's post, "Coming home from war is no Independence Day picnic for Iraq soliders" is a must read In a very careful personal way he reminds us of what is real for the military that we have in Iraq and why we need to get them home and we need to take care of them once they come home.....All of them...So they don't feel alone when they get home....ever.PTSD is real and is effecting 1000's that are coming home and contributing to significant suicide rates, we need to talking about it and acknowledging the suffering and demanding DC to put more money towards CARE for those returning, Mental health care is still not getting the funds that are needed.And as the Iraqi withdrawal begins we have to be willing to care for the Returning and ALL wounds...even ones we don't think we can see.....

(( Paul Rieckhoff is the Founder and Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the author of Chasing Ghosts....and if you haven't read "Chasing Ghosts"...you must.....))

Forth of July Music...by Cat Stevens (Yusuf)

I have thought alot about the Iranians this week....and the past 3 weeks...and how Something Real has been happening there..they are connected..and have tasted Something real...they have tasted freedom..freedom to think for themselves to talk to coonect...to connect to the world and to each other...to write and express themselves and take photos...and now all of that hangs in the balance...but the seed has been planted....for millions.....
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Peace Train
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How can I tell you....
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Maybe you're right...maybe
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The Wind....
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Morning has broken...

4th of July Post for Iran, 22 days of Unrest and Uprising after the Rigged Elections....

Today is the Forth....I am wearing Green,and painted my nails green and have a green bracelet....I am working, so I had to find a way to do Something...Please Do Support Iran..Support the Sea of Green...Maybe even tie a green ribbon to your flag....They still need our support...Have a good forth....
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The Nation has an article about the Sea of Green....
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Really beautiful video from Revolutionary Road...
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Here is the video from Revolutionary Road's post - sent to me- 12 views,and I had no idea what it was...until I read the Revolutionary Road's explanation...really beautiful...

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Late friday night, CNN posted that the Ex Iranian president supports the Detainees...please read this. I wish CNN would Air this !!!
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"Iran Body Count"... nice tribute blog to those that have died.
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Video from University? when was it taken..still moving..
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Iran Executions ? are they protesters ? Iran has been executing people, at Evin and other prisons, but it is uncertain if they are protesters.
How do we find out, how do we get the MSM to cover ?
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LA Times has an actual account from a released Detainee, that is more than worrisome...it is disturbing.
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CNN makes excuses as to WHY Iran Coverage has has drastically decreased in the past week....no mention of their excessive coverage of Micheal Jackson...
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Calls to god with a message...so poignant and beautiful...
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Ahmadinejead faces isolation internationally....
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Update from Revolutionary Road...29 to be executed today...
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Iran claims it is getting confessions from those imprisoned...

Iran Body Count., nice tribute blog
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Video from University? when was it taken..still moving..
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Iran Executions ? are they protesters ?
How do we find out, how do we get the MSM to cover ?
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CNN makes excuses as to WHY Iran Coverage has has drastically decreased in the past week....no mention of their excessive coverage of Micheal Jackson...
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Calls to god with a message...so sad
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Ahmadinejead faces isolation internationally....
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Update from Revolutionary Road...29 to be executed today...
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Iran claims it is getting confessions from those imprisoned...
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Basiji beating up Dishes..
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BBC UK seeking clarification on the charges against the two remaining Embassy Employees, read more here.....
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The Guardian has more about the Formal Charges being filed....
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U2 and Barcelona and Bloody Sunday,...dedicated this song to Iran and there were green lights and poem flashed on screen written in Farsi....really beautiful they did this...all over twitter and the Internet tonight...

Still Blogging on Iran, working on new post.....skip the Palin post (had to blog it...we can't stand her...)

BREAKING NEWS::: Sarah Palin announces Resignation...she will leave her Governor Post end of July ( Long Meandering 18 minute speech on MSNBC)

Not sure what is going on- just released on MSNBC...do read the Horrendous article in Vanity Fair called " IT came from Wasilla"...not complimentary at all.... Will post more when I have it...Mudflats blog is down? Immoral Minority up and blogging on it.. check his site...I have no comments to make...other than ...there must be a Big Iceberg she can see from her porch...

Now the CNN tape of Weird "Resignation" speech today, more diahrea of the mouth....watch and see what you think. Maybe in some deluded way she thinks she can still run for 2012 ???

Here is the video from today with Andrea Mitchell's comments from Insiders saying she is DONE Finished with Politics.....

Her most stellar moment this year .... the pardoning of the Turkey.....get the children out of the room....

And there is more And here is more from Shannyn Moore 's post on Huffpost....you betcha...

and from the Daily Dish...And Andrew Sullivan does not know what to make of it either...

and here is another report from Jonathon Turley has more on this...

And then there is THIS, the Quote of the Day, David Gergen on CNN: "I think most of us long ago gave up trying to figure out what goes on in Sarah Palin's head." Whoa.

( help yourself to some Sara Pee cocktails....LOL)

and the LATimes has their own analysis....

Alaskans say there is Another Big Shoe ready to drop....any day..stay posted...

Daily Kos has more about her blaming Bloggers for her career woes and a Possible Criminal Probe....

Her Word Salad speech...

TIME magazine has more....
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Interview with Shannyn Moore of AK:

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MORE ABOUT HOUSE-GATE.....
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About Her stupid ass McArthur Quote, Daily Kos Thank you- I could NOT find her stupid McArthur quote- BECAUSE HE DID NOT MAKE A QUOTE ABOUT RETREATING...SEE BELOW:::
Palin's MacArthur Quote?
by KetzUT
Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 03:43:53 PM PDT

"I'm looking for confirmation, but it would appear that Sarah Palin's memorable citation at the end of her speech today may come from Major General Oliver P. Smith:

Opposed by no less than eight Chinese divisions, fighting through numerous enemy roadblocks as they made their way south, and forced to endure subzero temperatures, the Marines suffered thousands of battle casualties and cases of frostbite. Yet Smith’s dogged leadership and crucial air support enabled them to maintain their tactical integrity and inflict 25,000 casualties on the Chinese. Asked by a journalist December 6, if the Marines were retreating, Smith, in a widely circulated quotation that earned him great acclaim at home, defiantly replied: “We are not retreating, we are just advancing in a different direction.”

Perhaps MacArthur used this quote in another context, even quoting Smith, but I can't find any other attribution for MacArthur."
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Please note that this is a post on Palin, the one and only...I will be back posting on Iran tomorrow. Comments are still disabled, please email me , address on profile.

Friday Day 21 of the Uprising that resulted due to Election Fraud in Iran......3 weeks later.

What happens now ? Thousands are imprisoned are missing now due to the Brutal Crackdown. Millions took to the streets peacefully, and yet the system remains ironfistedly in control with a troubled corrupt leadership ensconced as they have legitmized a fraudelent election, empowering a leader that was so weak he came in third by actual numbers.And sadly due to media censorship,there is very little news coming out. And with 34 fine journalists imprisoned, it will be hard to get Real News or photos. The People continue to attempt to get information out via phones, risking lives to do so. Sadly the Media here has been pathologically focused on the death of a musician for over a week.....and the fate of the Brave Country of Iran is now a below the fold story. There are many around the world who are still trying to keep the focus on the fate of these people.
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Mousavi...what next ? Is what most people are asking, and this Guardian article is probing that issue.
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Truthout has beautiful post about The People and why they are still going to the roofs at 10 PM...and will continue to do so.
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RSF, Reporters Without Borders, has a whole page on Iran, what happens to the detained Journalists and what else is going on in Iran. There is also an article about American Companies that are part of the Internal Censorship problem that must be read...
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Demotix mourning the dead post has story about the families there grieving and the photos are haunting.
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Read about the Freedom Glory Project and twitter it. Nico posted this am, really amazing music...and videos.
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Where is My Vote ? site has a great way for ordinary people to help. Please remember to wear green tomorrow...
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Beautiful blog that has updates, it is called Windows on Iran.
I posted this link a few days ago , but Nico Pitney has more information about the site,
" I wanted to pass on word of this excellent Iran blog "Windows on Iran" run by Fatemeh Keshavarz, Chair of the Dept. of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Blog on Iran ( translate daily), Unique inside view or Tehran
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Iran evin and the hangingsSadly it is important to note that Evin has hangings, but the real question is are these Protesters or any that were swept up in the Uprising arrests ?
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As always Nico Pitney of the Huffington Post is covering this Uprising still, with great thoroughness and attention to some of the finer details. In todays Live Blog he has the Statement from the young exiled Doctor that cared for Neda at her death....must read..
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Comments remain disabled due to hate mail and harrassment. I do not wish these comments appearing. I still encourage readers to write via email. Email address is on profile page.I apologize for the incovenience. I will continue to blog this issue as it is a Human Rights Issue.
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"Stand by Me" by Bon Jovi and Andy Maladian

Wednesday July 1st Day 18 of the Election Fallout and Uprising in Iran

July 16th photo of the Azadi Monument...Azadi means Freedom, it is where millions gathered to protest their Lost Vote...
what happens now to all of these people....it is a big Question, especially now that the Election was legitimized yesterday.
( Blog updated at 6 PM below).
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The Guardian is still trying to put a Face on it , but keeping track of the Dead and the Detained. I look at this photo above and wonder how many are Missing or Killed ? And how can Killing People legitimize an Election ? Or Faking a Recount ? ( please yesterday's post). And Tehran Bureau has more about what those detained, really face and how serious this situation is for all, but especially for journalists.
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Please do read this story of Treatment of Prisoners, beatings and rape...a prisoner's story. And this just posted by Nico, a story of Someone released, that outlines the Human rights conditions WithIn.
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Really thorough analysis of the Election "results" is here in a pdf , Chatam House Papers, compares all the data and shows the logistical problems with Ahmadinejead 's "win".
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In the past two weeks the Iranian Government and Ahmdinejead had complained that America and the UK were "meddling" in their election affairs, NOW they are demanding an apology from the EU's 27 nations and accusing ALL of them of meddling as well.Read more in this Reuters article. ( Meanwhile Ahmadinejead is cancelling a trip abroad today, possibly due to tensions at home.)
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It was only a matter of time, before this happened , the Basiji Militia are issuing Charges against Mousavi, please read The Guardian to learn more.
From the article:
"Iran's opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi today became the target of the notorious Basij militia as it called for him to be prosecuted for his role in the greatest political unrest in Iran since the Islamic revolution.In a letter to the country's chief prosecutor, the Basij accuse Mousavi of involvement in nine offences against the state, including "disturbing the nation's security". That charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

The letter came as the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cancelled a planned trip to Libya without explanation. The last-minute cancellation is being seen as a sign of the continuing volatility in Iran as the authorities struggle with the fallout from last month's disputed election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared the winner.One of the other candidates, Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist cleric, vowed to continue his fight to annul the election despite the endorsement of the poll by the powerful guardian council after a partial recount of the vote.

"I don't consider this government legitimate," Karroubi said on his website."
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{ The Government of course has shut down his newspaper, so how many will hear his voice on this remains to be seen. ( LA Times)}
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Further down in the article, there are also charges planned against the Doctor that tried to care for Neda on the street as she lay dying from a bullet to the chest and sadly was caught on film. Read below:
"Iran's police chief, Brigadier General Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, said 1,032 people had been arrested since the 12 June election, but he claimed that most had since been released."Those who are still in detention were referred to the public and revolutionary courts in Tehran," Fars News Agency quoted him as saying, according to Reuters.

Ahmadi-Moghaddam said 20 "rioters" had been killed during the unrest and more than 500 police had been injured.He also asked Interpol to arrest Arash Hejazi, the doctor who was filmed coming to the aid of Neda Soltan after she was shot in the widely seen video of her death.Hejazi fled to London after the incident and suggested that a Basij militiaman on a motorbike was responsible for her killing.

"Her killing was a planned scenario and had no relation with the riots in Tehran," Ahmadi-Moghaddam said.
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Once again the BBC Interview with the Doctor, and he explains what he saw happen and how Neda died and that he did expect charges to be filed against him.
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As to the Legitimacy of the Election, please do see yesterday's post about the "Recount". But Karoubi is not the only candidate to call repudiate the election results, and declare them illegitimtate, Mousavi also issued a statement on his website as well. (WSJ)
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Here is more about Mousavi and what he wrote on his website He carefully explains his thoughts on his website ( from Reuters-India)
Read more from that Statement:
""It is our historical responsibility to continue our protests and not to abandon our efforts to preserve the nation's rights," he said, two days after Iran's top legislative body confirmed Ahmadinejad's election victory.Mousavi, who has repeatedly said the June 12 vote was rigged, said he would join a planned association of leading figures which would follow up people's rights and "ignored votes" in the election.Its demands would include "halting security and military confrontation with the election, returning the country to a natural political atmosphere, reforming the election law to prevent vote rigging, securing freedom of holding rallies and freedom of press," the statement said.

Mousavi also called on the authorities to release detained "children of the revolution", in reference to scores of leading reformists arrested since the disputed poll, and said he could not compromise regarding people's rights.

He called for a lifting of a ban on some moderate newspapers and websites."
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RSF have written an article about Evin Up above it was stated by Iranian Government officials that 1206 have been arrested, and that more than 600 were wounded, it is to be remembered that many of the wounded were also taken to Prison, removed from the hospitals from treatment. This Reporters Without Borders article ( RSF) has more about the Conditions of Evin.
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Really beautiful post from the Tehran Bureau about the "Writing on the Wall", and how graffetti is still on walls throughout Tehran....and telling of the struggle within...
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On another note this amazing video shows the Twitter role in election fallout and the role of technology as it aided Iran to still communicate during a Brutal Crackdown.
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Article about the Brave Citizen journalists of Iran, PBS really shows how Media is Changing and has to....
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And still millions go to the Rooftops to Call to God, even though it is NOW illegal...beautiful haunting video of the calls, monday night.
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Iranian poet tweets the uprising one tweet at a time...NPR..
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6PM ::: I have been reluctant to blog on this, but there were reports in Twitterland today that there were 6 hangings today at Evin Prison,they were supposedly quilty of 'Murder". It is unclear if they were protesters, am still researching this story,Iranfocus has a small piece on it, but we need to learn more...
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(( Comments remain disabled at this time, please do email me thoughts or info. My apologies for the inconvenience. Thank you.))

Today at the Town Hall Meeting.....Our President has a heart to heart with a Woman who really needs Healthcare...

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As one of 50 Million Without Health Insurance, and who was cancelled...I really heart this woman...really do feel her pain...and that he listened and Heard Her...that means alot to me....

Tuesday Night Music ...For Iran...

Weapon X a American Iranian wrote this song about 10 days ago.....

"They don't care about us" ( mashed up now more than 50 times for Iran, and this version has a very touching part ahout half way in...)

Going Green for the Forth...

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No one should ever die for their Vote...or be terrorized by their Government....No One.
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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

AL FRANKEN WINS....FINALLY...and Coleman accepts Loss

Tuesday June 30th, Day 18 of Election Fallout and Uprising in Iran

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Many are wondering what happens now in Iran, after 18 days of The People's struggle to demand a Legal Election and that their Votes be counted. At first there was outcry against the results, millions took to the Streets. Then there was the demand for a Recount. Then there was a demand for an Annulment. But yesterday the Guardian Council handed down their decision, that the Election had been "fair", and that 10% of the Votes had been re-examined.And the State TV continues to say that the Vote was fair, and that Ahmadinejead won even more votes. Please do look at the photo from the State TV story, please note that the Ballots are not even FOLDED. ( pointed out by an Iranian).It was a rigged Election, and now has been falsely legitimized.

Read here how Ahmadinejead says that the Enemy Plots have failed in Reuters...
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The Guardian is still trying to put a Face on the Detained or Dead. Please do read this post. Please remember many of these that are Detained, are Imprisoned, for no reason, other than they were on the street.And others were protested the Legitimacy of their Election . Others were journalists that were covering the Election.Others were wounded that were taken from the Hospitals. People are trying to investigate if there is any way to send in International Red Cross and check on the safety of the prisoners at Evin Prison.Evin Prison is by some accounts "full", and supposedly people are being kept at other Facilities now, the veracity of that issue needs to checked, but it remains concerning. At this point remember people were also arrested for having cellphones and cameras....and the Exact Number of how many detained is Questionable ? Estimates are that 2000 have been imprisoned in recent weeks.

And what is their fate ? and will the Government really plan to execute all of them ? or some of them ? and the Journalists ? and the Students ?
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Detained in Tehran, about the Greek photographer This photographer has been detained since June 17th.
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What Iranians go through to get their story out...
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This Human Rights Watch Report does detail how the Government is terrorizing it's own citizens. HRW and Amnesty International continues to monitor this situation closely.
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The Sunday LA TImes had a very good story examining the situation there and raising some interesting questions please do read.
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Andrew Sullivan 's post The Revolution is not over is striking and thoughtprovoking....
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This site continues to have amazing updates and photos...
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Nico Pitney posted this on Huffington Post yesterday, and it has been making the rounds on Twitter, please do watch this video of Life in Iran today...in a Military lockdown....(this was filmed on Sunday it is believed).

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This video was found via Twitter last night ,( it was filmed in the past 5 days? it is disturbing, but there is no actual blood in this video, but it needs to be seen, and has been forwarded, it clearly shows what a Street Clash looks like.) it is footage shot bravely by a woman , appears to be filmed with a camera, as she wears dark robes fully cloaked, she holds the camera up to film part of this, it appears it is a street scene, there is a crush by paramilitary units, but from somewhere ? above ? gunfire admits, there is also Basiji , in a matter of seconds, there is crushing chaos. Even though the paramilitary units with various uniforms have full armour and Shields they too are swept up dodging bullets,they also do not appear to understand the language. Note the casings on the ground and hitting the sidewalk.It is unclear if this was a protest, or just people going about their daily life.The video ends in a hurry, with gunfire still echoing....It is unknown what happened to the camera woman....

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About the Police, or some of the Basiji that get paid 200.00 a day for beating people.....on the street.
Troop of Riot Police bashing cars in an alley:::

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Nico Pitney posted this amazing photos link, must see,....
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And Tehran Bureau brings the story from the Students Perspective about What Happened when their dorms were attacked..
very haunting and sad.
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Please do read posts below, especially the one from yesterday with the Ann Curry Interview with Mrs.Mousavi. My Comments remain disabled, email me comments or updates.Thank you.