5 August 2005

Oshkosh Northwestern questions Bush on Iraq War following death of local man

In a stunning turn, the Oshkosh Northwestern on Friday appears to be asking now the same questions that the Lake Winnebago Green Party, the Peace and Justice Center, local Democrats, and over 50% of the population: What the hell are we doing in Iraq, how long will we be there, and how many more have to die?

• "Tell us, Mr. President, how many more good men and women our military planners expect to die in order to win this war, American and Iraqi? How many?
• Tell us, Mr. President, what are the specifics of which troops will leave first, reserve or regulars?
• Tell us, Mr. President, what is the exit strategy so we may know that there is one. Is there an exit strategy?

The Northwestern editorial comes on the day that Oshkosh will bury Benjamin Jansky, who died July 27th in al Taqqadum Iraq.

Benjamin Jansky is one of over 1800 Americans that have died in this war to date, a war that appears to have no end in site. 21 soldiers have died in Iraq this week alone. The Northwestern is now asking: why? The American people are asking: why? Why are we sending our young men and women to kill and be killed? Why are we embracing a culture of Death and War and calling it Patriotism? Why are we killing and being killed in Iraq, when we had al Qaida and bin Laden cornered in Afqhanistan and Pakistan? Why are we continuing to send troops to Iraq instead of bringing them home and negotiating an end to the violence?

The War in Iraq is increasing the number of soldiers being recruited as terrorists, and decreasing the number of soldiers being recruited by the American military. We are spending billions of dollars in tax payer money, borrowing it from our childrens' future, assuming our children won't be sent to die.

Please end this war.

4 August 2005

Greens blast Energy Dept Plutonium 238 Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members strongly criticized an announcement from the Department of Energy that production of plutonium 238 for batteries would be resumed at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls.

The program is estimated to cost as much as $1.5 billion and produce 50,000 drums of radioactive waste. Plutonium 238 hasn't been produced since the Cold War.

"The Idaho National Laboratory site is already heavily polluted by large quantities of nuclear waste stored carelessly over earlier decades," said Robert McMinn, spokesperson for the Idaho Green Party. "Groundwater has been contaminated by previous leaks, and further production and storage of waste will magnify the danger to nearby cities and recreational areas, including Idaho Falls, Big Lost River and the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming."

Greens warned that plutonium 238 is highly radioactive and that a single particle can cause lung cancer. An explosion or deliberate release would spread particles randomly through the atmosphere with no advance warning or protection for civilians.

read the rest of the story here

Northwestern Editorial opposes County sales tax: urges Harris to sacrifice Labor instead

The editorial in the Oshkosh Northwestern pans Winnebago Co. Executive Harris' decision to propose a 1/2 cent sales tax. "Faced with tough financial choices, the answer being offered is to increase taxes again, this time via a county-wide half-cent sales tax." Winnebago Co. currently has no additional sales tax, unlike many other counties in Wisconsin.

What are the other options proposed to avoid the "20 cents for every $40 pair of shoes"?

• Stick it to Labor;
• Privatize the County nursing home;
• Shift health care costs for county employees further onto the employees;

"These choices may sound harsh," says the editorial. Yes, they are.

But there is a less harsh option: a tiny little 1/2 penny sales tax to save 100 jobs, a nursing home, and maintain a labor friendly county contract.

2 August 2005

Today's Must Watch Election: Ohio's 2nd pits Iraq War Veteran vs. Right to Life President (4 Aug Update: Right to Life won in a squeaker)

A special election to replace the departed Republican Portman in a heavily Republican district in Ohio will be wrapped up today. Who cares? Republicans have won this district by up to 50 percentage points over the years, but this year something different is happening.

The Democrats are running Paul Hackett, who just finished a 7 month tour of duty in Iraq and who has been highly critical of Bush and the Iraq War. The Republicans are running Jean Schmidt, President of the Greater Cincinnati Right to Life.

The Republican attempt to 'Swift Boat' Hackett early by doubting his combat experience in Iraq swiftly backfired, forcing an apology from the 'Swift Boater' himself. DailyKos had adopted this race as 'an experiment', raising tons of cash for the Democrat.

At any rate, the election is actually close. One analyst claims that even if Hackett comes within 10 percentage points, its a sign of Republican trouble in scandal wracked Ohio. Given Ohio's history of vote counting, we may see this one counted again and again until Hackett is called back up to return to Iraq.

1 August 2005

The King is Dead