Protesters prepare for Saturday's antiwar demonstration
By Michael E. Ruane, Staff Writer | Washington Post

Maggie Pondolfino has a 24-year-old son who is a soldier serving in Afghanistan -- "he's honorable, courageous, has a lot of integrity and he loves his mother," she said.

Which is why, in part, she said she will be marching in an antiwar demonstration Saturday to bring him and other soldiers home from what protesters Thursday called America's "illegal war for empire."

The protest, against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will begin with a noon rally in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House. The march will follow.

Organizers said at a news conference Thursday that the Afghanistan conflict has become "Obama's war." They criticized the continued fighting there and in Iraq, and said the president's war policies were just like former President George W. Bush's. Read more.

SPECIAL EVENT! SINGER/SONGWRITER PEACE ACTIVISTS ANNE FEENEY: MARCH 19, 2010

Anne Feeney sings songs about what she believes in/ PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! She has said of her music: "It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable." Come and enjoy this inspiring musician as she introduces her new CD and performs on the Sacred Lands Dolphin Stage, 1700 Park Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida. Opening for Anne: Louise "Goody Haines" and Tom Scadero.

$15.00 for the concert/ Dinner is $8.00. Dinner reservations and advance tickets advised.

Contact Sacred Lands for details and direction 727 374 0354

or Jay Alexander 727 525 8769

Iraq war Coalition Deaths 4,696

Injured 30,000

Iraqi civilian deaths and injured, 1,366,650

Afghanistan coalition Deaths 1,659

The American Political Tradition
By Ray McGovern

Text of Ray McGovern’s prepared remarks at rally before John Yoo speaks this afternoon at the University of Virginia:

This morning I was reading the 11th grade AP American History textbook used in my granddaughter here in Charlottesville.

The textbook is titled: "The American Political Tradition and the Men who Made It." The author is Richard Hofstadter; the book has been around since 1948....almost as long as I have been around. It discusses the basics--the assumptions behind American ideals and American politics. It is what I was taught.

What the author is most clear about is the influence of Mr. Jefferson on other distinguished statesmen....including those not privileged to be Virginians — like Abraham Lincoln, who was a real Republican.

Family Members Ask Court to Reconsider Dismissal of Wrongful Death Claims from Guantánamo | Press Release

March 17, 2010, New York – Last night, the families of two men who died at Guantánamo in June 2006 asked the district court in Washington, D.C. to reconsider its February 16 ruling dismissing their case, which seeks to hold federal officials and the United States accountable for their sons’ torture, arbitrary detention, and ultimate deaths. The families’ request is based on newly discovered evidence from four soldiers, including a decorated Army officer, who describe a cover-up by the authorities and say they were ordered not to speak out. The soldiers’ accounts were reported in Harper’s Magazine in January. The families are represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR).

While the Pentagon has always maintained that the two men, along with a third prisoner, had committed suicide in their cells, the soldiers’ first-hand accounts raise serious questions about the actual cause and circumstances of the deaths. Their accounts strongly suggest that the men died as the result of torture at a “black site” at Guantánamo.

Said Talal Al-Zahrani, father of one of the men who died that night, “Mr. President, the killing of my son in the hands of his guards and under the supervision of the administration of the detention center is a serious and gruesome crime. It is against all human values and norms, and whoever covers up this gruesome crime or obstructs the criminal and judicial investigations is a co-conspirator with those who have committed the crime itself.” The full text of Mr. Al-Zahrani’s statement to President Obama, the courts, and the American People is on the CCR website. Read more.

ACLU Sues Gov't Over Drones
By Jen Dimascio | Politico

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the federal government Tuesday to learn the use of unmanned drones for targeted killings by the military and CIA.

“In particular, the lawsuit asks for information on when, where and against whom drone strikes can be authorized, the number and rate of civilian casualties and other basic information essential for assessing the wisdom and legality of using armed drones to conduct targeted killings,” the ACLU said in a statement, announcing its action.

The nonprofit civil liberties group filed initial Freedom of Information Act requests with the Defense, Justice and State departments and with the Central Intelligence Agency on Jan. 13. Only the CIA responded, and the ACLU is pursuing that request with an appeal to the agency.

The military and intelligence communities have increasingly relied on Predator and Reaper unmanned drones to capture video imagery and launch deadly missile strikes, particularly lately in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The Pentagon, especially, continues to purchase more and more drones each year. Read more.

Useless War: Afghanistan Needs Peace to Develop
By John Bachtell | People's World | Submitted by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

The Taliban have their roots in the U.S. drive to destabilize the Soviet Union during the Carter administration. Known then as "freedom fighters" (Mujahideen) they were religious extremists assembled by the CIA to overthrow the government and kill Communists, democrats and Soviet "infidels." They were recruited from predominantly Muslim countries when they couldn't be found in Afghanistan. Because they were trained in Pakistan, they were renamed Taliban, which means "religious students." ...

After the attacks, said Gulzad, they were suddenly renamed "terrorists." Instead of going into Saudi Arabia where most were from, or Pakistan where they were trained, the Bush administration invaded Afghanistan. Gulzad says the reason is the strategic geopolitical importance of Afghanistan, its proximity to energy resources and Iran, Russian, China and the Persian Gulf.

n a potentially important development, exiled members of the former People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan are returning to the country to re-found the organization. They plan to hold a Congress in Kabul later this year and rename the organization the Democratic Party of Afghanistan.

The PDPA was the ruling party that led the country on a path of socialism before being ousted from power in 1992 by the U.S. government-backed Taliban. Thousands of PDPA members were slaughtered or driven into exile where they have functioned over the years as scattered groups.

Exiled members met recently in Germany to unite their ranks and agree on an approach to reestablishing a legal political party on Afghanistan soil.

"The main goal is to return to Afghanistan and bring a situation of peace and stability in the region," said Dr. Zalmay Gulzad, professor of Social Sciences at Harold Washington Community College in Chicago. Gulzad was born in Afghanistan and came to the U.S. as a student in 1971 and stayed. "Once peace is achieved the movement will evolve into different stages." Read more.

Notes From DC
By Missy Comley Beattie

Spirits were soaring on Monday morning, despite the cold rain that fell as a large tent for CAMP OUT NOW, the prelude to Peace of the Action, was erected on the grounds of the Washington Monument. People are here from California, Louisiana, New York and many other places, plus more are arriving daily. The elderly, middle aged, and young are represented, all sharing common goals of bringing our troops home, no more contractors, ending US Empire, closing foreign military bases, fully funding the VA system, saying no to robotic warfare, closing torture and detention facilities as well as paying reparations to those who live in war-torn regions.

Additionally, we hope to bring awareness to Americans about the cost of US Empire. The wars devastate those who live in the lands we invade and they impact us morally and financially here at home.

On Monday evening, renowned peace and social justice leader Cindy Sheehan took the microphone on a stage under the tent and introduced Kevin Zeese, co-founder of Voters for Peace. Zeese spoke about the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and the grotesquely obese US military budget. The statistics he presented were staggering.

Yes, Rahm is Totally Vindicated
By: Jane Hamsher | FireDogLake

Ben Smith writes that if the health care bill passes with “unified, if grumbly, support on the left, it would seem to vindicate the White House’s fundamental approach, which was to take the left for granted as much as possible and focus on courting marginal members of the Senate.”

He’s absolutely right. As I told Jonathan Weisman of the Wall Street Journal the other day (which he didn’t print), “f#%king r$%ards” worked.

Nobody will take progressives in congress seriously, nor should they. Their threats are idle and they won’t fight for anything they believe in. In the end, they’ll just take turns shaking their fists in futility and alternately sucking so no serious liberal challenge ever emerges to anything. Read more.

Contract Killers as PsyOp Warriors
By emptywheel | FireDogLake

Several things stuck out for me in the NYT’s big story about DOD’s PsyOp contractors-as-assassination-flunkies. First, the degree to which DOD allegedly hid its assassination program inside a PsyOp venture. As the story reports, Michael Furlong, the guy running this show, was ostensibly engaged in strategic information, collecting information on Afghanistan’s social structure. But in fact, he was using that money to employ freelancers who, at a minimum, were targeting Afghans for assassination.

Mr. Furlong has extensive experience in “psychological operations” — the military term for the use of information in warfare — and he plied his trade in a number of places, including Iraq and the Balkans. It is unclear exactly when Mr. Furlong’s operations began. But officials said they seemed to accelerate in the summer of 2009, and by the time they ended, he and his colleagues had established a network of informants in Afghanistan and Pakistan whose job it was to help locate people believed to be insurgents.

Government officials said they believed that Mr. Furlong might have channeled money away from a program intended to provide American commanders with information about Afghanistan’s social and tribal landscape, and toward secret efforts to hunt militants on both sides of the country’s porous border with Pakistan. Read more.

Would Obama Issue First Veto to Protect Anthrax Whitewash?
By emptywheel | FireDogLake

Bloomberg is reporting that Office of Management and Budget head Peter Orszag has told the intelligence committees Obama will veto the intelligence authorization because–among other reasons–it calls for re-examining the FBI’s conspiracy theory-as-investigation summary finding that Bruce Ivins acted alone. (h/t fatster)

President Barack Obama probably would veto legislation authorizing the next budget for U.S. intelligence agencies if it calls for a new investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, an administration official said.A proposed probe by the intelligence agencies’ inspector general “would undermine public confidence” in an FBI probe of the attacks “and unfairly cast doubt on its conclusions,” Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees.

Whaa??? Read more.

Excerpt from the ruling: However well-motivated Ashcroft’s intentions may have been in creating, authorizing, supervising, and enforcing the misuse of the material witness statute in contravention of the Fourth Amendment, his motivation does not presumptively immunize the policy, or himself, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, and others implementing and executing it, from complying with the rule of law. “No man in this country is so high that he is above the law. No officer of the law may set that law at defiance with impunity. All the officers of the government from the highest to the lowest, are creatures of the law, and are bound to obey it.” United States v. Lee, 106 U.S. 196, 220 (1882)....

The truth is that there are legions of highly qualified attorneys who would gladly abandon almost any other position for the opportunity to serve as Attorney General of the United States. But it is critically important that whoever serves in that position be dedicated to the rule of law, and to upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.

Bybee’s Circuit: Ashcroft Can Be Sued for Wrongful Detention
By emptywheel | FireDogLake

The 9th Circuit has ruled that John Ashcroft can be sued for wrongful detention of an American citizen. From an ACLU press release:

The American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit charging that former Attorney General John Ashcroft is personally responsible for the wrongful detention of an innocent American, Abdullah al-Kidd, can go forward, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled today. The ruling denies Ashcroft’s request that his appeal be heard by the entire court and upheld the court’s September 2009 decision that the federal material witness law cannot be used to detain or investigate suspects where no probable cause exists for criminal charges. The ruling also held that Ashcroft does not have immunity in this case and can be held personally liable for the wrongful detention of al-Kidd.

“In this country, we don’t believe in arresting and imprisoning people who haven’t been charged with any crime,” said ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project Deputy Director Lee Gelernt. “Former Attorney General Ashcroft deliberately distorted the federal material witness law to allow the detention of innocent people. As the primary architect and overseer of this policy that so clearly circumvented the Constitution, he should be held personally liable.” Read more.

Back From Iraq, Injured War-Zone Workers Fight Insurance Giant AIG, Face Financial Ruin Civilian Contractors Accuse Insurer of Continuing To 'Delay and Deny' Claims
By Avni Patel | ABC News

Civilian contractors who were injured or wounded while supporting American troops in Iraq continue to face long battles with insurance giant AIG for payment of their disability claims, despite Congressional inquiries and calls to reform the system that has handled tens of thousands of disability claims from employees of overseas contractors.

The injured workers, including some wounded by small-arms fire or IEDs during insurgent attacks, complain that AIG has continued to "delay and deny" their claims nearly a year after a joint investigation by ABC News, ProPublica, and the Los Angeles Times first exposed serious problems with AIG's handling of disability claims under a government-funded insurance system. An analysis found that AIG challenged nearly half of the claims involving the most serious injuries.

"They will spend whatever it takes, or do whatever it takes, to berate, belittle and humiliate us," said Bill Carlisle, an injured Arkansas man who drove trucks in Iraq for nearly two years. Read more.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

HR 4789 and The Public Option: The Way Forward
By Rep. Alan Grayson | Huffington Post

Health care reform -- here's where we are. The House of Representatives is about to vote on a Senate bill without a public option. It looks like the reconciliation amendment will not have a public option. The House bill had a public option, but once the House passes the Senate bill, that's history.

Which is why I introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act. This simple four-page bill lets any American buy into Medicare at cost. You want it, you pay for it, you're in. It adds nothing to the deficit; you pay what it costs. Read more.

Sign our Petition at WeWantMedicare.com.

Obama Administration Destroys Incriminating Contracting Data
By Lloyd Chapman | Huffington Post

In March of 2005, the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of the Inspector General found large businesses had fraudulently represented themselves as small businesses to illegally receive federal small business contracts. Report 5-16 stated large businesses had committed fraud by making "false certifications," and "improper certifications." (PDF)

On Friday, March 12, the General Services Administration (GSA) destroyed all of the information that had been used in that investigation.

Since 2003, over a dozen federal investigations have found that Fortune 500 firms have received federal small business contracts. In 2004, the SBA Office of Advocacy found large businesses had received federal small business contracts fraudulently through what they referred to as "vendor deception."

As a result of the deletion of the data it will be significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for federal investigators to conduct investigations into fraud and abuse in federal small business contracting programs. Despite public outcry over the proposed changes, the GSA has eliminated the data under the guise of upgrading the system and making it easier to search. Read more.

"SEVEN YEARS TOO MANY," NEW YORK PEACE GROUPS TO PROCLAIM AS EIGHTH YEAR IN IRAQ BEGINS

On March 20, 2003, the U.S. illegally and immorally invaded Iraq.

To mark the seven years since our occupation began, a compendium of New York peace groups will take to the streets March 19 and 20 and demand that all troops, including those in Afghanistan, be brought home NOW.

DATE: Friday, March 19, 2010
TIME: noon - 3 p.m. (march to the WTC site to begin at 1 P.M.)
PLACE: Chambers St. Recruiting center, 143 Chambers St. & West Broadway

DATE: Saturday, March 20, 2010
TIME: 1 - 2 p.m.
PLACE: Military Recruiting Center, 7th Ave. at 44th St.

Ten anti-war groups, united for the occasion as "The Seven Years Too Many" Coalition, will rally on Friday, March 19, at noon at the Chambers St. Army recruiting center at 143 Chambers & West Broadway, then march to the nearby Marine Corps recruiting office, on to the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and finishing at the Vesey St. PATH entrance at the World Trade Center site for leafletting with signs and banners.

The next day, Saturday, March 20, the protesters will hold a rally at the Times Square Army recruiting center, 44th St. at 7th Ave, from 1 to 2 p.m. A Question & Answer format will be employed with signs showing the human (soldiers, civilians, journalists) and monetary costs of war in response to chanted questions.

By: Aaron Datesman, A Tiny Revolution

Point #1: According to a Harvard study, 45,000 Americans die every year because they don’t have insurance and can’t get access to health care.

Point #2: There’s around a gallon of blood in the human body. The blood of 45,000 people would fill a swimming pool 20 feet by 30 feet in size to a depth of about 7 feet, which is pretty gross.

Point #3: They approach politics with a bit more visual flair in Thailand.