Olbermann: Bush, Cheney Should Resign

Riveting commentary. It is approximately 10 minutes long, and it is essential to watch.

Tell Us the Mission

A strong spoken word critique of Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” blunder from tellusthemission.org:



Visit:

• Tell Us the Mission

Student Protesters Upset Attorney General’s Harvard Reunion

Student protesters wearing hoods and Guantanamo Bay garb found their way into the US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ 25th Harvard Law School reunion Saturday.

A release sent by the group to RAW STORY claims Gonzales was “forced to leave through a back door.”

Gonzales apparently arrived unannounced. Students met him and his fellow classmates outside the law library where the class of 1982 had posed for a photo.

As the photographer said cheese, the group said students yelled that “torture,” “resign” or “I don’t recall” might be more appropriate.

The Justice Department could not immediately be reached for comment.

“When I heard he was on campus, I was stuffing envelopes with letters to Congress in an office two floors above,” said Deborah Popowski, a second-year law student, according to the release. “I dropped everything. Gonzales needs to know that after approving poorly-reasoned memos that distort the rule of law and justify torture, he is simply not welcome here.”

According to the group, Popowski slipped though the law library’s front doors and approached Gonzales from behind as the Attorney General’s security detail kept protesters at bay.

“On behalf of many other Harvard Law students,” she said, “I’d like to tell you that we are ashamed to have you as an alumnus of this school. And we’re glad you’re here to be able to tell you that.”

Gonzales thanked the student and offered to shake her hand, but was refused.

Following the photo, Gonzales was said to have entered the library, traveled to the reading room, then ducked out through a basement emergency exit and into a waiting SUV.




Photos by Nate Ela, one of the protest organizers.

Source:

• The Raw Story: Student Protesters Upset Attorney General’s Harvard Reunion

Washington Post: 82 Inmates Cleared but Still Held at Guantanamo

Even though 82 inmates have been cleared by military review panels to leave Guanatanmo Bay, U.S. officials could take months or even years to free them from captivity.

An excerpt from a Washington Post article:

More than a fifth of the approximately 385 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been cleared for release but may have to wait months or years for their freedom because U.S. officials are finding it increasingly difficult to line up places to send them, according to Bush administration officials and defense lawyers.

Since February, the Pentagon has notified about 85 inmates or their attorneys that they are eligible to leave after being cleared by military review panels. But only a handful have gone home, including a Moroccan and an Afghan who were released Tuesday. Eighty-two remain at Guantanamo and face indefinite waits as U.S. officials struggle to figure out when and where to deport them, and under what conditions.

Read more:

• The Washington Post: 82 Inmates Cleared but Still Held at Guantanamo

Gravel Rocks the Boat at Democratic Debate

Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska rocked the boat at the Democratic presidential debate, even attacking other candidates for their stances on Iraq, Iran, the use of nuclear weapons, pre-emptive strikes, and hostile foreign policy.

Entertaining and definitely worth the watch:


This clip is 6:43 long.

Washington Post: Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed

The Washington Post reported today how the U.S. government failed to collect most of the $854 million in aid offered in response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. This only further underlines the clear double-standard in how the government responded to the victims of the 9/11 attacks versus those of Katrina.

An excerpt from the article:

...the U.S. government was turning down many allies' offers of manpower, supplies and expertise worth untold millions of dollars. Eventually the United States also would fail to collect most of the unprecedented outpouring of international cash assistance for Katrina's victims.

Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent.

In addition, valuable supplies and services -- such as cellphone systems, medicine and cruise ships -- were delayed or declined because the government could not handle them. In some cases, supplies were wasted.

Read the rest of the article:

• Washington Post: Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed