VIGIL TONIGHT IN ONEIDA

Candlelight vigil at 6:30 p.m. tonight night—Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at Janet McMahon's home, 447 Broad Street, Oneida.

CNN just reported grim news:

2,000 American soldiers have now died in Iraq.

Their caskets have been hidden from view, and the news of their deaths has receded to the back pages. But the men and women who died in recent days were no less brave or less honorable than those who died in the first days of the war. It's time for us to publicly honor them—to remind the country that they're dying every day in the quagmire of Iraq—and ask, "How many more?"

Together we're organizing candlelight vigils at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night—Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at Janet McMahon's home, 447 Broad Street, Oneida.

Report on Anti War Demonstration in Washington DC Sept. 24 2006

Janet and I will not be able to attend the vigil in body, but will be there in spirit. Janet is working at the hospital and I am in Washington DC on business.

We did attend and participate in the anti war march September 24, 2005. I am attaching some photos. The number and variety of people participating that day was unbelievable. The streets from Washington Monument to the White House were crammed full of people for over 4 hours as a steady stream of chanting, sign carrying and singing people sent a strong message to the Bush administration.

We were energized by the event and heartened to see the turnout. The evening event was a concert by Washington monument with speakers intermixed with a wide variety of music.

On Monday September 26 Janet and I participated in the lobbying effort for our congressman. We spoke for about 20 minutes with staff of Congressman McHugh and provided them with documents regarding the cost of the war in Iraq and our reasons to have him support legislation to restrict funding and push for an end plan for Iraq operations.

Monday at 11 AM Janet and I again marched with those who were participating in the civil disobedience action to the White House. Each carried the name of a fallen US soldier and an Iraqi civilian. This was a more somber event to recognize the human cost of the war. The military families against the war, code pink and other groups all joined in on the march. We witnessed the arrest of over 200 people for refusing to leave the sidewalk in front of the White House after attempting to meet with Pres Bush and being refused access. We stayed until most had been taken away. We were impressed by the committment of those participating with the civil disobedience.
Take heart many many voices are being raised against the activities of this administration.

Charles and Janet

A plan to win back the world
Syracuse Post Standard Newspaper

Sunday, October 16, 2005

By F. William Smullen

SU Maxwell School



As Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff at the U.S. Department of State for two years, I watched a parade of heads of state and foreign ministers visit him in the wake of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. These foreign leaders expressed their condolences, gave offers of support and indicated a willingness to help us wage a global war on terror. Much of that genuine outreach to America at that history-changing moment has dissipated or even disappeared since then.

I saw this disturbing trend firsthand as a member of a congressionally mandated Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy (ACCD) formed in the spring of 2004. We were asked by the Congress and the State Department to take a truthful measurement of attitudes and opinions toward America by people around the world and to find ways to improve conditions.

Our seven-member, bipartisan committee made a fact-finding trip to the Middle East and Europe in the summer of 2004. Beyond that, we studied attitudes globally by monitoring polls and talking to diplomats, foreign officials and a range of experts. We concluded, without hesitation and reservation, that there is a deep and abiding anger at American policy in general and at some of our political and military actions, in particular. This has grown increasingly evident since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2002 and then Iraq in 2003.

……………………………

continued

Why you ask? The answer is it's the right thing to do. Indeed, destiny has been on the right side of America for over two centuries. We see ourselves as a special brand of people, who reside in a special kind of democratic society. President Reagan called it a "shining city on a hill." That's fine with one exception.

Regrettably, others around the world don't view us the same way. As the result of certain of our policies, they see us as a monolithic empire choosing to do whatever we want and wherever we want.

So what, you say! And you aren't alone if you feel that way. Many Americans simply don't care that foreigners have come to believe that the United States is no longer "cool." In fact, there's a boycott of U.S. products taking place in parts of the world. Of the top dozen U.S. global brands, the likes of Coke, Nike, Microsoft and Levi-Strauss, only one - Ford - improved its sales and "power brand" score in the past year. Meanwhile, nine of the top 13 non-American brands improved their ratings during the same period.

Simply put, the American brand has been badly damaged. And it has economic consequences to one's financial portfolio or to the economy of the nation. One in five European consumers will avoid purchasing products and services offered by many American-based companies, notably McDonald's, American Airlines and General Motors, as a direct result of U.S. unilateral foreign policies. And it's not confined to Europe. Almost one of four people in Asia say they avoid buying American brands.

We can think they're wrong, and we can choose to ignore them, but unfortunately, that won't change the way they feel. As a senior U.S. government official told committee members when we visited Egypt, "We're making enemies faster than we're gaining friends." Now that is a scary thought.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes and Assistant Secretary for Cultural Diplomacy Dina Powell have reflected that in their public comments. They have expressed "the need to listen, and to foster greater understanding, respect, and a sense of common ideals." Our ACCD report offers them some prioritized recommendations that can help.

This is a difficult time for U.S. public diplomacy. The challenges and consequences are enormous. Cultural diplomacy is but one diplomatic tool that can be used to positively influence attitudes and opinions and how we as a nation and a people are perceived. It is the linchpin that can make a difference. But we must set our diplomatic compass correctly and navigate carefully. My hope is that our report will provide the Congress and the State Department certain azimuths on which to proceed.

F. William Smullen is the director of National Security Studies at the Maxwell School and professor of public relations at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

Peace Vigil Scheduled for Wed., Oct. 19

Higginbotham Park in Oneida across from the Post Office. It will begin at dusk, which should be around 6:00. A list of those killed in Iraq will be read.

Everyone is welcome, bring a candle and holder.

No Place for a Poet at a Banquet of Shame
By Sharon Olds
The Nation

Monday 19 September 2005

For reasons spelled out below, the poet Sharon Olds has declined to attend the National Book Festival in Washington, which, coincidentally or not, takes place September 24, the day of an antiwar mobilization in the capital. Olds, winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award and professor of creative writing at New York University, was invited along with a number of other writers by First Lady Laura Bush to read from their works. Three years ago artist Jules Feiffer declined to attend the festival's White House breakfast as a protest against the Iraq War ("Mr. Feiffer Regrets," November 11, 2002). We suggest that invitees to this year's event consider following their example.
- Editors, The Nation
Laura Bush
First Lady
The White House

Dear Mrs. Bush,

I am writing to let you know why I am not able to accept your kind invitation to give a presentation at the National Book Festival on September 24, or to attend your dinner at the Library of Congress or the breakfast at the White House.

In one way, it's a very appealing invitation. The idea of speaking at a festival attended by 85,000 people is inspiring! The possibility of finding new readers is exciting for a poet in personal terms, and in terms of the desire that poetry serve its constituents - all of us who need the pleasure, and the inner and outer news, it delivers.

And the concept of a community of readers and writers has long been dear to my heart. As a professor of creative writing in the graduate school of a major university, I have had the chance to be a part of some magnificent outreach writing workshops in which our students have become teachers. Over the years, they have taught in a variety of settings: a women's prison, several New York City public high schools, an oncology ward for children. Our initial program, at a 900-bed state hospital for the severely physically challenged, has been running now for twenty years, creating along the way lasting friendships between young MFA candidates and their students - long-term residents at the hospital who, in their humor, courage and wisdom, become our teachers.

When you have witnessed someone nonspeaking and almost nonmoving spell out, with a toe, on a big plastic alphabet chart, letter by letter, his new poem, you have experienced, close up, the passion and essentialness of writing. When you have held up a small cardboard alphabet card for a writer who is completely nonspeaking and nonmoving (except for the eyes), and pointed first to the A, then the B, then C, then D, until you get to the first letter of the first word of the first line of the poem she has been composing in her head all week, and she lifts her eyes when that letter is touched to say yes, you feel with a fresh immediacy the human drive for creation, self-expression, accuracy, honesty and wit - and the importance of writing, which celebrates the value of each person's unique story and song.

So the prospect of a festival of books seemed wonderful to me. I thought of the opportunity to talk about how to start up an outreach program. I thought of the chance to sell some books, sign some books and meet some of the citizens of Washington, DC. I thought that I could try to find a way, even as your guest, with respect, to speak about my deep feeling that we should not have invaded Iraq, and to declare my belief that the wish to invade another culture and another country - with the resultant loss of life and limb for our brave soldiers, and for the noncombatants in their home terrain - did not come out of our democracy but was instead a decision made "at the top" and forced on the people by distorted language, and by untruths. I hoped to express the fear that we have begun to live in the shadows of tyranny and religious chauvinism - the opposites of the liberty, tolerance and diversity our nation aspires to.

I tried to see my way clear to attend the festival in order to bear witness - as an American who loves her country and its principles and its writing - against this undeclared and devastating war.

But I could not face the idea of breaking bread with you. I knew that if I sat down to eat with you, it would feel to me as if I were condoning what I see to be the wild, highhanded actions of the Bush Administration.

What kept coming to the fore of my mind was that I would be taking food from the hand of the First Lady who represents the Administration that unleashed this war and that wills its continuation, even to the extent of permitting "extraordinary rendition": flying people to other countries where they will be tortured for us.

So many Americans who had felt pride in our country now feel anguish and shame, for the current regime of blood, wounds and fire. I thought of the clean linens at your table, the shining knives and the flames of the candles, and I could not stomach it.

Sincerely,
Sharon Olds

(originally printed in THE NATION)

Anti-war rallies condemn Bush and Blair
Sat Sep 24, 4:03 PM ET



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators rallied outside the White House, demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq as public opinion polls show collapsing support for the war effort.


Chanting "Bring the Troops Home Now", a column of protesters stretched for several blocks around the White House, with parents pushing infants in strollers while students beat makeshift drums.

Opponents of the US-led war also marched in central London, protesting the presence of British troops in Iraq. Police said some 10,000 converged on Hyde Park though sponsors said the crowd was much larger.

A small rally was held in Paris and anti-war protests were planned in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle on the US West coast.

In Washington, protest organizers had hoped to attract 100,000 people but neither organizers nor police would give an estimate.

The age and politics of the crowd, many of whom had travelled from across the United States, covered a wide spectrum, with militant leftists mingling with those who had never marched at a demonstration in their lives.

Featured speakers included Cindy Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son, Casey, was killed in Iraq last year, and outspoken British member of parliament George Galloway, who received the biggest response.

The Scottish socialist was given a rousing reception after he told the crowd: "There is an absolute need for your country and my country to stand shoulder to shoulder against the war criminals Tony Blair and George W. Bush."

Galloway, who drew international attention for a fiery condemnation of US policy he made to the Senate earlier this year, said the British prime minister and US president had failed to justify the invasion.

"This is not a clash of civilizations, not a war between people of the West and East, not a war between Christianity and Islam; George Bush does not represent any civilization," he said to cheers.

Sheehan breathed new life into the anti-war movement in August when she camped outside the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, demanding to speak to Bush.

The president refused to meet her and was not in Washington for the rally, having gone to Colorado to inspect military preparations for the relief operation after Hurricane Rita.

Sheehan said however there were clear signs that the tide is turning against the president over Iraq.

"I believe momentum is building, I can see it with my eyes. But I also read the polls," she told reporters.

"People ask me if the troops will come home and I know they are, I know they are."

Demonstrators were buoyed by recent opinion polls that show a growing majority disapprove of Bush's handling of the war.

"It seems to be playing out the way it did with Vietnam. As time goes on, more and more people begin to have doubts," said Frank Nicosia, a history professor who came by bus with his wife from the northeastern state of Vermont to attend the march.

Supporters of the Bush administration plan a counter-demonstration on Sunday, arguing that an early withdrawal of US troops could trigger civil war and jeopardize US interests.

Among the demonstrators were some 40 former U.S. soldiers recently returned from Iraq, holding up signs saying "Bring Them Home Now!" and wearing their desert camouflage uniforms.

"This is all new to me. I've never participated in something like this," said John McNamara, 25, who served six months as an army truck driver in Iraq.

"I took part in some destruction in the Middle East and I feel bad about that," said McNamara, who flew from Los Angeles for the event. "Being here won't make up for it but it might make me feel a little better about it."

Organizers said the protest was designed to bring pressure on Congress, including Democratic party leaders who have castigated Bush's handling of the war but not sought a deadline for withdrawal.

Recent polls have signalled a collapse in US support for the war and the president's handling of the conflict.

A New York Times/CBS poll one week ago said support for the Iraq war has fallen to 44 percent, the lowest in the time the question has been asked over the past two years.

Fifty-two percent of the 1,167 adults asked said there should be an immediate withdrawal of the approximately 140,000 US troops in Iraq. About 1,900 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war.

20 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT VOTING IN THE U.S.

Did you know....

1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold

2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886

5. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html

6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php

7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential candidates.
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm
http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html

8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.
http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html

10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm

11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm

12. Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as consultants and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30 states.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml

13. Jeff Dean was Senior Vice-President of Global Election Systems when it was bought by Diebold. Even though he had been convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree, Jeff Dean was retained as a consultant by Diebold and was largely responsible for programming the optical scanning software now used in most of the United States.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0312/S00191.htm
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how

14. Diebold consultant Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf

15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.
http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html

16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it! (http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190

17. 30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml

18. All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm

19. The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President's brother.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html

20. Serious voting anomalies in Florida -- again always favoring Bush -- have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further investigation.
http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,97614,00.html
http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110904.html
http://uscountvotes.org/

NOTE: Please copy the above list and distribute freely!
LET THE FACTS BE KNOWN! Thank you!