Yellow Dog

And Yellow Dogs are better for kids than Bush and his hollow mandate of "No Child Left Behind." I like the fact that Kerry, given his mandate from 49% of voters, is going to push for his plan of providing health insurance for every child in America.

In a statement to supporters Kerry said:

"We must fight not only against George Bush's extreme policies -- we must also uphold our own values. This is why on the first day Congress is in session next year, I will introduce a bill to provide every child in America with health insurance. And, with your help, that legislation will be accompanied by the support of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

There are more than eight million uninsured children in our nation.

That's eight million reasons for us to stay together and fight for a new direction. It is a disgrace that in the wealthiest nation on earth, eight million children go without health insurance.

Normally, a member of the Senate will first approach other senators and ask them to co-sponsor a bill before it is introduced -- instead, I am turning to you. Imagine the power of a bill co-sponsored by hundreds of thousands of Americans being presented on the floor of the United States Senate. You can make it happen. Sign our "Every Child Protected" pledge today and forward it to your family, friends, and neighbors:

http://johnkerry.com/EveryChild

This is the beginning of a second term effort to hold the Bush administration accountable and to stand up and fight for our principles and our values. They want you to disappear; they are counting on that. I'm confident you will prove them wrong, and you will rewrite history again.

Here is what I want you to know. I understand the strength, commitment, and passion that are at the core of what we built together -- and I am determined to make our collective energy and organization a force to be reckoned with in the weeks and months ahead.

Let's roll up our sleeves and get back to work for our country."

Meanwhile, these are Bush's priorities:

From the Washington Post:

"The administration plans to push major amendments that would shield interest, dividends and capitals gains from taxation, expand tax breaks for business investment and take other steps intended to simplify the system and encourage economic growth, according to several people who are advising the White House or are familiar with the deliberations.

The changes are meant to be revenue-neutral. To pay for them, the administration is considering eliminating the deduction of state and local taxes on federal income tax returns and scrapping the business tax deduction for employer-provided health insurance, the advisers said."

SCRAPPING THE TAX DEDUCTION FOR EMPLOYER-PROVIDED HEALTH INSURANCE? Good Lord. Thanks again, Bush voters. I could see why you would "value" tax breaks for millionaires over health insurance for kids.

Yellow Dog would like to thank all Bush voters for a war that continues to spiral out of control, with no end in sight:

Yahoo! News - Violence Breaks Out All Over Baghdad

Our NATO allies are still refusing to offer their support in Iraq, thanks to Bush's inept foreign diplomacy and cowboy, macho, go-it-alone approach. How many more deaths in Iraq (and 5.8 billion a month in taxpayer money) will it take for people to see that this approach is not working? Again, I can't believe 51% of voters opted to stay the course. They are obviously not on the same "course" that the rest of us are on. Wish I could join them in their alternate reality.

Yahoo! News - World's Oldest Man Dies Just Shy of 114


I have to believe that it was due to the prospect of another four years of Bush/Cheney wreaking havoc on our country.

President Bush signed legislation on Friday raising the government's debt limit by $800 billion and clearing the way for Congress to send him an overdue $388 billion spending bill to finance most federal agencies.

The new federal borrowing cap is $8.18 trillion; that's 70 percent the size of the entire U.S. economy, and more than $2.4 trillion higher than the debt Mr. Bush inherited upon taking office in 2001.

Oh well, as long as all of Bush/Cheney's fat cat contributors and CEOS get their tax cuts, who cares if our great grandkids will inherit this enormous debt. Remember when fiscal conservatism was a value for Republicans?

CBS News | Bush Signs Debt-Limit Hike | November 19, 2004 14:53:28

Or has China launched a stealth propaganda campaign?

***NOTE: actual fortune from dinner at Chinese restaurant tonight

UPDATE: DIGGING DEEPER

US Casualties: 1,216; 95 killed so far in November
Headlines from 11/18/04
--Bogalusa Daily News: 8 Bossier City-based Marines Injured in Iraq
--REUTERS: Rare Blood Infection Surfaces in Injured U.S. Soldiers
A total of 102 soldiers were found to be infected with the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii. The infections occurred among soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and 3 other sites
--East Aurora Advertiser: INJURED MARINE VOWS TO "REHAB MYSELF"
Cpl. Mark P. O'Brien, 21, lost his right arm and leg after a rocket slammed into his vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq. a colleague was able to re-inflate O'Brien's lungs with an available medical kit and take him to a field hospital.
--Aljazeera: Fierce clashes erupt in Fallujah
--AP:Commander: Iraq Insurgents Killed America
--Iraq Pipeline Watch: Attack # 160, 17 Nov 2004

PREVIOUS POST
Insurgent attacks are on the increase following the US offensive in Fallujah, with attacks now spreading to Baqubah and Mosul.

Meanwhile, the number of US casualties has risen to 1,200--that's 79 killed so far in November, making it the second deadliest month since Bush began his misguided (and illegal) war in 2003.

Over 500 US soldiers are reported wounded in action, just over the last week.

The Red Cross estimates that at least 800 civilians--innocent men, women, and children--were killed in Fallujah.

Meanwhile, due to the shortage of troops (reflecting the poor planning for this war), the back door draft is still going strong, according to a NY Times article:

"The Army has encountered resistance from more than 2,000 former soldiers it has ordered back to military work, complicating its efforts to fill gaps in the regular troops.

Many of these former soldiers - some of whom say they have not trained, held a gun, worn a uniform or even gone for a jog in years - object to being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan now, after they thought they were through with life on active duty.

They are seeking exemptions, filing court cases or simply failing to report for duty, moves that will be watched closely by approximately 110,000 other members of the Individual Ready Reserve, a corps of soldiers who are no longer on active duty but still are eligible for call-up."

After the election, I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read "Draft Young Republicans." I think it's actually a very good idea to find those who support Bush and Bush's War in Iraq and to send them off to fight for what they believe in.

Iraq Coalition Casualties

As National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice did a pretty crappy job, failing to protect the country from terrorist threats. According to the Sept. 11 commission report, Condi failed to act on repeated warnings in the first part of 2001 about the likelihood of a major terrorist attack on the United States.

Here's more from The Washington Post:

"The report also detailed several more specific warnings from [counterterrorism coordinator Richard] Clarke to Rice in the spring and summer of 2001:

• On March 23, he told Rice that he thought terrorists might attack the White House with a truck bomb and also that "he thought there were terrorist cells within the United States, including al Qaeda."

• On May 29, Clarke wrote to Rice and her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, about possible assaults by a Palestinian associate of al Qaeda, adding that, "When these attacks occur, as they likely will, we will wonder what more we could have done to stop them."

• On June 25, Clarke informed Rice and Hadley that "six separate intelligence reports showed al Qaeda personnel warning of a pending attack," the report said.

• Three days later, he added that the pattern of al Qaeda activity indicating preparations for an attack "had reached a crescendo."

• On June 30, a briefing was given to top officials titled, "Bin Ladin Planning High-Profile Attacks."

The spike in reported al Qaeda activity ended in July, but senior intelligence analysts continued to be deeply concerned, the report noted, causing them to include in the Aug. 6 "President's Daily Brief" an article titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US."

Imagine how things might have been different if Condi had only taken even one of the above threats seriously. I hope she is grilled during her confirmation hearings about why she ignored each of these threats, although it won't do much good now since it's clear the Bush admin. plans to continue its pattern of rewarding incompetence (following the pattern of 51% of voters who recently rewarded incompetence).

Rice's NSC Tenure Complicates New Post (washingtonpost.com)

"Democrats took to heart their Sunday school lessons that they were supposed to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and assuage the pain of those less fortunate with universal health care. Democrats believe it is immoral to give enormous tax cuts to today's wealthiest Americans, producing astronomical deficits for future generations to pay.

Democrats even consider protecting God's natural environment to be a moral issue. And, unless directly threatened, they would rather not send young Americans into war to kill other people and to be killed. They are pro-life that way.

None of those were the moral values voters seemed to have in mind when they went to the polls to re-elect George Bush. Republican moral values, ironically, are the direct opposite of Christian charity and tolerance toward others. It's a more aggressive form of morality that doesn't get bogged down with a lot of neighbor-loving.

That's why Democrats will never be able to compromise their own moral principles enough to go after the moral values crowd that voted for Bush."

AMEN. This columnist hits the nail on the head. I would much rather fight for the vision of morality that is true and right rather than the Republican brand of intolerance masquerading as morality.

The Capital Times