If I lived in New York City, I too would be nervous about the upcoming 9-11 terrorists trial. But then I have been nervous about another al-Qaeda attack since 9-12-01. I live in a small town in Utah and I don't fear an al-Qaeda attack here. I think that they will attack again when they are ready with WMD's. Al-Qaeda has vowed revenge for the Muslims whose death we have caused, at least in their opinion. They blame us for more than 10 million Muslim deaths in Iraq and around the world. Thus I expect that they will attack large population centers to cause the maximum number of deaths. New York would be a target whether the 9-11 trial is held there or not.
Some opponents of the trial say that we will provide the terrorists with a propaganda platform. However, we will be affirming our commitment to justice for all, not justice for all except Muslims. The advantage that the terrorists receive will be more than offset, in my opinion, by our demonstration to the world that we practice what we preach. Hopefully our example will make recruiting for al-Qaeda more difficult.
Some time ago we said good bye to Duston who told us he would be going back to Kabul. So he went. Usually when incidents like the most recent Kabul bombing happen, one thinks of one's friends that could be there, in danger. And so I did as well, thinking he must be well anyway, most likely. Kabul is big (I thought). Not so. It is a small world after all. This is what came yesterday. fib
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Hibiscus Tea and Honey in Berlin
"Dear Friends,
At first, I should offer a quick explanation of this letter: I have not yet read any email replies you may have sent me since my last correspondence back around mid October or so. I am currently drinking Hibiscus Tea sweetened with a little honey in an Army Hospital in Berlin Germany. My Laptop Computer has not had internet for two weeks:
October 28th, 2009 began with a loud bang at exactly 6 AM Kabul time. Actually an explosion at the front gate to the Guesthouse where I was living. I don’t know if it was an RPG or Suicide Bomber, and will truly never know for a fact which one it was. The first explosion was followed by machine gun firing and then an RPG hit the front of the building. The Taleban killed the exterior gate residence guards, entered the front house and proceeded to kill as many UN Election Employees as possible before the Police arrived. A long and intense gun-battle ensued over the next hour and a half and the attackers were eventually killed around 7:30 AM. Some of my friends, and some employees, of the Guesthouse were also killed and many wounded during this incident.
I escaped physically unharmed within 90 seconds of the first sound of the attack.
The media incorrectly portrayed the building as the “UN Guesthouse” whereas technically it was a privately run guesthouse, and I referred to it in earlier email to you as the “Zoo”, because it had lots of animals and birds on the property. I do not know who survived other than I have a “story” of the massacre as I experienced it. I ended up with a large group of UN Election Employees who also survived as we hid together in the neighboring courtyard while the Taleban shot it out with the surviving guards, burned down the place and then shot it out again with the Police.
Around 7:40 AM , I was transferred by the Police to a temporary safe location, and then the Bank security man found me and I was taken to the big famous Hotel ( The Serena ) which is heavily guarded in downtown Kabul. Immediately after I arrived, I was standing in the Hotel Lobby , on the cell phone, calling the Germans who I work for, when a mortar round or RPG hit the Lobby. The glass exploded , and once again, I was not injured and everyone ran to the Hotel bunker to wait for the All Clear sign. The Hotel suffered nothing but broken glass and some jittered nerves, but for me, it was the second attack in less than two hours and I withdrew into my own little brain…..telling myself that no place was safe as it seemed like the terror was following me around that morning in Kabul.
Since then, I have stayed in German Army Hospitals except for the plane rides to Germany where I am now. I am receiving treatment for Psychological Trauma and am getting better quickly. I hope to be released to Outpatient within about 4 days. And then about a month more of Outpatient therapy and then final release back into the employment world when I will be able to totally navigate on my own. The goal is to prevent and reduce the long term possibility or impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( “PTSB”) which we all heard of with the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans and other traumatic incident survivors.
I shall not assign my survival that day to my training, skills, experience and quick thinking ( although I am told by many that it was a critical part of my actions and movement within the first minute of the attack ). I have been given yet another chance on the Planet by my Higher Power. I am no more “religious” today than I was a minute before 6 AM on October 28th; however I have grown substantially. My spirituality is stronger now than ever; and I am convinced that God has a Plan for me, I just need to follow the Steps and listen for His guidance on a daily basis.
Only once since then have I wanted or seriously thought of taking a drink, and I asked to be relieved of that notion, and it was granted. I take some light weight sleeping medication and hope to reduce the strength soon, then be totally free of it within two more weeks or so depending on what the Doctors say. I am receiving excellent medical care here in Germany, with three Doctors and a bevy of Nurses. I see a Trauma Specialist MD every other day and I am recuperating well.
My employment contracts ends in February so money is temporarily not a problem, and I have good insurance for the hospital expenses. So, for today, all I ask for is another chance to be free of my Weaknesses and Character Defects and look for the next path I am to take.
I totally and unconditionally TRUST.
Work the Steps. Turn it over to God. Clean House. Help Others.
With ALL my Love,
Duston"
As a service project, I collect trash from nearby BLM land and I have been doing that since January 19 when Barack asked all Americans for a day of service. I have found all of the following: a large tree stump, palm fronds, construction material, aluminum awnings, a dead dog wrapped in a hospital blanket, paper and plastic cups, auto parts, broken glass galore, empty cartridges, both printer and gun, cans and today currency. I now know that the favorite beverage of the litterer is Bud Lite. Like dogs, some litterers try to bury their trash but most don't bother.
How to prevent this mess? I have two suggestions. Prohibit the sale of beer in bottles. Cans are much easier to pick up and less glass means fewer flat tires and cuts. Secondly, make trash pickup free. I believe that some dumping is an effort to save money. Make trash pickup at home more convenient by responding to phone calls for special pickups.
Utahns want to have more of Utah under state control, rather than Federal control that now exists over much of the state. Will Utah control of our undeveloped lands lead to better care of those lands?
Like dogs, empty beer bottles travel in groups called packs, usually six in number, sometimes more. When I find an empty bottle, I usually can expect to find five more. Does someone drink six bottles at one place in the road? I think not. They just unload by throwing the empties from the window of a moving vehicle. If I am lucky, the bottle has had a soft landing. Otherwise, there are dozens of pieces that can cause potential harm. If the penalty for throwing bottles from a car were greater than for having them in the car, people would think twice before dumping their trash.
Some prefer unbridled capitalism. I prefer capitalism with a bridle. Opponents call capitalism with a bridle socialism. I prefer to think of it as compassionate conservatism.
Michael Moore's new movie called Capitalism: a Love Story is an uneven treatment of the recent financial meltdown. There were two parts of the movie I found particularly interesting. He had extensive film of the recent, December 2008, sit-in in Chicago of the terminated workers at a factory that made windows until it could no longer get financing from Bank of America. The workers were not paid what they were owed and were thrown out of work just prior to Christmas. I grew up in Chicago and the film showed how close to the Loop the factory was. The Loop is Chicago's center of political and financial power. During the sit-in, a Catholic Bishop visited the strikers to voice support. He told how his life was shaped by growing up on the South side of Chicago where abandoned steel mills sit empty and the lost jobs they represent. His experience was similar to Barack's when he was a community organizer in the same area.
The other part of the movie that impressed me was a much shorter segment that showed FDR making a radio address just before his death. FDR thought that the voters should see that part of his speech so he invited movie cameras into the office where he was broadcasting. FDR proposed another bill of rights for the US in which certain rights would be guaranteed: adequate affordable healthcare, a living wage, decent housing and affordable higher education. He died before these rights could be enacted, but the US imposed these rights on the constitutions of our defeated enemies in WW2, Germany and Japan. Isn't it ironic that our defeated enemies enjoy those rights now and after more than 60 years, US citizens are still denied them?
Former Governor Sarah Palin falsely claimed that under proposed health reform legislation, a "death panel" of bureaucrats would "decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether [patients] are worthy of health care." The truth is, there's no such panel mentioned anywhere in the bill.
In an attempt to stall or even derail health insurance reform, many Republican officials have continually made false and outlandish claims that distort the truth about the reforms that are actually being proposed.
Special interest groups continue to rely on scare tactics and mistruths to create confusion and distort the debate. In many cases, they’ve attacked provisions that don’t even appear in any of the health-care measures under consideration.
Many people have received anti-health-reform chain emails filled with blatantly false claims.
These disruptions are being organized and funded by special interest groups who are trying desperately to preserve the status quo. One of the groups behind these disruptions – Conservatives for Patients' Rights – is being helped by some of the same people behind the notorious 'Swift Boat' ads of 2004.
A new day dawnedExactly one year ago tomorrow.His critics see a glass half emptyBarack sees a good beginning.The road ahead is hard and longThe BushMess will not yieldIn a day or month or year.Those of us with BarackShould stop from time to timeFor a bit of fun and to survey the pathHow far to go and how far we have come.The Right may raise their voicesBut that is all they raiseEverything else they lowerHopes, expectations and results.The BushMess is their doingAs much as it was George W.'s.BushMess, BushMess go awayDon't return another day.Wishing will not prevent a repeat.Only hard work and constant vigilanceWill preserve our freedoms and our democracy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/03/david-plouffe-weighs-in-o_n_343424.html
I had arranged to meet David Plouffe on Saturday afternoon at a Starbucks on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington. The night before, a copy of his new book, The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, was waiting for me when I checked into my hotel at midnight. I flipped it open, read a few lines and was hooked. I spent the rest of the night reading it. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/obama-one-year-later-the_b_343209.html
As voters in a number of states head to the polls today, many long-time supporters are back on the phones, making calls to help get out the vote. In New Jersey, Jersey Girl reports:
Turn out is slow like any other non Presidential election no surprises there. This afternoon I volunteered to take people to the polls for now to the phones. Let's go NJ, NY and VA GOTV.
From Cookemon, in Illinois:
I'm making calls to Virginia, reminding folks to vote and let them know how important their vote is... I'll be calling off and on today.
And from Sharon, in Maryland:
Just finished 50 calls to New Jersey. Felt like old times. Time to stretch my legs and go back for more.
No matter where you are, you can help out in the final stretch by making GOTV calls from home using our online tools:
Click here to call voters in New Jersey.
Click here to call voters in New York's 23rd District.
Click here to call voters in Virginia.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/31/recovery-action-powering-america
Earlier in the week, President Obama announced the largest-ever investment in the nation’s electric grid—more than $3.4 billion in grants distributed among 100 grantees. Though the immense scale of the investment was clear during the President’s announcement, the flood of reports from news outlets across the country has been overwhelming. A sample of those stories are linked below, detailing new projects in South Dakota, Vermont, California, and several other states:
Arizona, Arizona Republic, 10/27/09SRP gets $56.9M boost from feds for customer 'smart meters’: Salt River Project will receive a $56.9 million grant from the federal Recovery Act to speed up the installation of "smart meters" for customers, the Energy Department announced Tuesday.
California, Sacramento Business Journal, 10/28/09SMUD receives $128M in smart-grid funds: The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has been awarded $127.5 million in federal economic stimulus funds that will go toward a $308 million smart-grid infrastructure investment.
Florida, Orlando Sentinel, 10/28/097 Florida utilities and tech firm to receive $264 million: Energy grants announced Tuesday by President Obama include $264 million for seven Florida utilities and an Orlando technology company, with each grant requiring final negotiations and matching contributions.
Georgia, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 10/27/09$200 million in stimulus funds flows to Georgia to update power grid: More than $200 million in federal stimulus money is expected to flow into projects in Georgia as part of the Obama Administration's plans to upgrade the nation's aging electric grid.
Massachusetts, Journal of New England Technology, 10/29/09Five New England states land $226M for smart meters: At least 832,000 smart meters will be installed across New England as a part of smart grid projects receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant funding.
Maryland, Daily Record, 10/27/09Federal funds granted for BGE’s smart grid: Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. expects customer costs for its smart grid projects to decrease after winning a $200 million grant from the federal government Tuesday, the company said.
Michigan, Detroit Free Press, 10/27/09Edison, Whirlpool to get stimulus money: Detroit Edison and the Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor will receive $103 million in federal stimulus money to make investments in green technology.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/27/09Peco Energy gets $200M ‘smart-grid’ grant: Peco Energy Co. was awarded a $200 million federal stimulus grant today that will allow it to speed up deployment of "smart-grid" technology, including 600,000 advanced electric meters in the next three years.
South Dakota, Argus Leader, 10/27/09Two S.D. power companies to share $9M in federal funds to install smart meters (video): Black Hills Power and Sioux Valley Southwestern Electric Cooperative will share in more than $9 million in federal funding to help modernize the nation’s electric system.
Vermont, Bennington Banner, 10/27/09Powerful energy Vermont plan for ‘smart’ meters getting $69M: A Vermont plan to install electricity smart meters and other technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs will receive nearly $70 million in stimulus money.
Wyoming, Star Tribune, 10/27/09Smart' grid stimulus funds come to Wyoming: Two Wyoming electric utilities will receive more than $7.5 million combined in federal grants to help modernize their infrastructure.
Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! by Ralph Nader, 733 pages is a fast reading fable about what is wrong in the US and how with leadership and donations from billionaires we can right the wrongs. Nader gives names to the good guys and slightly disguised names to the bad guys. I found the inside details on the working of Wal-Mart and Congress the most interesting parts of the book. Whether you like Ralph Nader or not, he has done a lot of good for the country. In this book, he reveals knowledge that he has accumulated over a lifetime fighting for the average citizen.Some critics of Barack want the US to be the tough kid on the block in defense matters. This is Nader's response: "Asserting moral courage is being tough. Waging peace is tough. Standing up to arrogant power is being tough. And until we have the deeply just society our people deserve, doing the right thing even it costs us in the short run is being tough."
Nader also relates Lincoln's style on campaigning before there was mass media in 1840. Lincoln advocated dividing the voters into three categories: those who are with you from the get-go, those who are susceptible to persuasion, and those who are against you from the get-go. Then he guided his followers through the step-by-step process-- or more accurately the doorstep-by-doorstep process--of meeting with every voter except the opposition hardliners. Worked for Lincoln. Let's give it a go in 2010.
He also quoted Judge Learned Hand, "If we are to keep our democracy, there must be one commandment: Thou shall not ration justice." Nader contends..." that it is democracy, justice, and the rule of law that make capitalism produce a better material life for more people, not capitalism in itself.'I am giving my copy of this book to my son. I have purchased two additional copies of the book which I will send free of charge to the first two people who respond to this message. I wish that I could give away more than two copies. Please send an email to me at walthe@aol.com and put "Nader book" in the subject line. I will send a book to each of the first two responders.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/30/honoring-legacy-ryan-white
President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. It represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring access to needed HIV/AIDS care and treatment. The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worked very closely with Congress on this bipartisan legislation, and the consensus document developed by the HIV/AIDS advocacy community was an important part of the process. We were so pleased that Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White’s mother, was here at the bill signing.
Speaker Pelosi unveiled the House’s final version of health insurance reform legislation – The Affordable Health Care For America Act - in front of the U.S. Capitol this morning, marking another historic step in the on-going effort to pass reform this year.
The bill delivers on President Obama’s goals for reform: increased security and stability for those who have insurance; quality, affordable choices for those who don’t; and lowering the skyrocketing costs of health care for American families, businesses and our government itself.
Here’s an excerpt from the President's statement this morning:
“I congratulate the House of Representatives on the introduction of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, another critical milestone in the effort to reform our health care system… “The House legislation includes critical reforms to the insurance industry, so that Americans will no longer have to worry that they will be denied coverage, or that their coverage will be dropped or watered down when they need it most. I’m also pleased that the bill includes a public option offered in an exchange. As I’ve said throughout this process, a public option that competes with private insurers is the best way to ensure choice and competition that are so badly needed in today’s market. And the House bill clearly meets two of the fundamental criteria I have set out: it is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit in the long term.”
“I congratulate the House of Representatives on the introduction of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, another critical milestone in the effort to reform our health care system…
“The House legislation includes critical reforms to the insurance industry, so that Americans will no longer have to worry that they will be denied coverage, or that their coverage will be dropped or watered down when they need it most. I’m also pleased that the bill includes a public option offered in an exchange. As I’ve said throughout this process, a public option that competes with private insurers is the best way to ensure choice and competition that are so badly needed in today’s market. And the House bill clearly meets two of the fundamental criteria I have set out: it is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit in the long term.”
The New York Times reported:
The bill would require nearly everyone by 2013 to sign up for health coverage either through their employer, a government program or a new kind of purchasing pool called an exchange. Tax credits would be available for most of those buying coverage through the exchange. They would have the option of picking a new government plan or private insurance.During the transition years from 2010-2013, a temporary government program would help people turned down by private insurers because of medical problems, lawmakers said. After that, insurers no longer could refuse to provide coverage to the sick, nor could they charge more because of poor health of the insured.The plan also calls for a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people. And it would impose a requirement on employers to offer insurance to their workers or face penalties.
The bill would require nearly everyone by 2013 to sign up for health coverage either through their employer, a government program or a new kind of purchasing pool called an exchange. Tax credits would be available for most of those buying coverage through the exchange. They would have the option of picking a new government plan or private insurance.
During the transition years from 2010-2013, a temporary government program would help people turned down by private insurers because of medical problems, lawmakers said. After that, insurers no longer could refuse to provide coverage to the sick, nor could they charge more because of poor health of the insured.
The plan also calls for a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people. And it would impose a requirement on employers to offer insurance to their workers or face penalties.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the House bill would cost $894 billion over 10 years and extend insurance coverage to 36 million, covering 96 percent of Americans. It is expected to cut the deficit by $30 billion in the first 10 years.
Speaker Pelosi has said she expects to send the bill to the floor for a vote before November 11.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/28/about-whether-we-value-one-another
Today President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, legislation that will extend new federal protections to people who are victims of violent crime because of their sex or sexual orientation. It is an update to the federal hate crimes statute that Congress first passed in 1968. For the first time, the law that previously protected people from attacks motivated by race, religion or ethnicity will also protect gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.
The President will host a reception commemorating the enactment of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the East Room of the White House this evening. This afternoon, before signing the bill, he said:
"...After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are. "I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day -- make this day possible..."
"...After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are.
"I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day -- make this day possible..."
Here’s an excerpt from an editorial in the Washington Post this morning:
PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law…The law doesn't outlaw bigotry or "thought crimes." It applies only to "violent acts motivated by" the characteristics of the victim -- acts, not thoughts or speech. But crimes that target someone because of race or sexual orientation are more than offenses against that individual. They can terrorize whole communities.http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/28/about-whether-we-value-one-another
PRESIDENT OBAMA is scheduled to sign Wednesday what is being described as the nation's first significant pro-gay rights legislation. Attached to the defense authorization act, the measure would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list of protected classes under the 1969 federal hate-crimes law…
The law doesn't outlaw bigotry or "thought crimes." It applies only to "violent acts motivated by" the characteristics of the victim -- acts, not thoughts or speech. But crimes that target someone because of race or sexual orientation are more than offenses against that individual. They can terrorize whole communities.
Under the first amendment, Fox has the right to criticize the President. Under the first amendment, the White House has the right to criticize Fox.
George W. Bush's first press secretary was Ari Fleischer, who called reporters whose stories the White House did not like. Reportedly he threatened some with loss of access to White House sources in the future. If you are a White House reporter and cannot get access, you could very well lose your job. In my opinion, Fleischer's threats crossed the line. Can anyone truly say that the actions of the Obama White House have crossed a line?
This is the final week of the GreenGov Challenge, and I urge everyone to view some of the remarkable sustainability ideas submitted thus far by government and military employees.
And for those readers who are government or military employees, I urge you to share your suggestions. Though nearly 6,000 have been submitted thus far, that good idea in your mind right now could rewrite the way the Federal government reduces energy use, conserves water, reduces waste, and supports clean technology.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10/26/good-ideas-good-people-greengov-challenge-rounds-final-turn-with-nearly-6000-sustain
President Barack Obama
To view the webcast of President Obama's speech from Kresge Auditorium on October 23, 2009, click on the appropriate link below. Closed Captioning is available only through the Windows Media Video links.
Flash VideoOn-Demand Stream Windows Media VideoOn-Demand
