Tricounty DFA: Dean on Face The Nation: DSM Meeting with Sweeney Staff for the 24th; more
Hello Everyone:

In this update:

1. Dean On Face The Nation Sunday
2. DSM Event On the 24th -- Not 17th
3. Jean Pirro Speaks Out
4. DFA-Link Is Now Up
5. Good Links: Estate Taxes, Frank Rich, Why Isn't The War An Issue, and Religion & Politics
6. Who Fought For America?

1. Dean On Face The Nation Sunday

Democratic National Committee Chair Governor Howard Dean will be on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer for the whole half hour Sunday morning. Face The Nation's time spot in the Albany, NY broadcast market is 10:30am. Dean has been on the move and has now visited 30 states, so he hasn't been on national TV in quite some time. Should be interesting!

2. DSM Event On the 24th -- Not 17th

Our local DSM meeting on the 24th. We had hoped to be able to have a Downing Street Meeting along with other DFA groups across the country next Wednesday, but Rep. Sweeney's staff can't accommodate us until the following Wednesday, August 24th.

This is fine! We actually appreciate being able to meet with Sweeney aide Jim Clark, who we met with last April to discuss Social Security. As a result of that meeting, a number of our members got tickets to Rep. Sweeney's forum in Clifton Park. Jim has been very good about meeting with us, and let's remember, there are offices of Republican Congressmen that are refusing to meet with DFA people.

I'll be emailing on this later on, but again, we will be meeting with Sweeney staff member Jim Clark on Wednesday, August 24 at 12:30pm.

3. Jean Pirro Speaks Out

Republican Senate Candidate Jean Pirro spoke out on Senator Clinton this week...sort of... If this is the best she's got, it's going to be.... interesting. Check it out.
http://asphaltjungle.com/Speechless.mov

4. DFA-Link Is Now Up

As most of you now know, DFA has set up a new online service called DFA-Link to replace the about to be bankrupt Meetup.com. These new tools are sensational and are going to take DFA to whole new level because they empower us to "do stuff" easier and faster. No one out there has anything like this.

But all that hard work Burlington has done is for nothing if we don't register. So I am asking everyone to please take a second, click this link and go online with DFA-Link and register. http://www.DFA-Link.com/register.php?id=91042f3ae603ef90

After you register , you can then search by zip code to join our local groups. Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area is already up. More will be coming shortly. That way, you'll stay informed about the group you chose! If you want you can also directly join our regional coalition group, Democracy For the Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area.

Thanks!

5. Good Links: Estate Taxes, Frank Rich, NYT and Rove, Why Isn't The War An Issue, and Religion & Politics

Just when you think your capacity for shock is blown for good, something like this comes along. The Washington Post has a must read that shows that even in this debauched, decadent era of unbounded greed there are some ultra rich people for no tax at all is apparently to much. For instance, the Waltons, yes, the Walmart family, the richest family on earth, even richer than the Saudi Royal family, apparently aren't going to be able to sleep at night until they know for sure they will never pay a cent in Inheritance Taxes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081102013.html

Frank Rich

Also not to be missed is this brilliant column by one of the NY Times' two redeeming voices, Frank Rich:
http://nytimes.com/2005/08/14/opinion/14rich.html?pagewanted=print
The Times is going to put these behind a pay site, so enjoy while you can.

The Times need's Rich's and Paul Krugman's redeeming presences, and you see why when you read this digest about the next Vanity Fair issue on Karl Rove and NYT: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001013806

Why Isn't The War An Issue?

Like Frank Rich, more people are asking: Why isn't the War an issue?

Gary Hart has an interesting take in the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/gary-hart/a-voice-crying-in-the-wil_5482.html

But the best may be Ari Berman in Nation Magazine, who explores the culture of Democratic pundits and policy wonks in Washington, how they have been consistently wrong, and why. This is a real eye opener. http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20050829&s=berman
How do these guys get these gigs? That's what I'd like to know.

In Salon Francis Kissling has a reality check on religious message advocate Jim Wallis and the implications of his ideas for women's rights. This is disturbing and really makes the case that when you fight fire with fire, you get a bigger fire. What you want is a hose.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2005/08/12/religious_progressives/print.html

6. Who Fought For America?

Finally, Pell Kennedy and her Dad sends this along, and it is great reminder in a week when our chickenhawk deserter president doesn't have the balls (excuse the expression, but this is really disgusting ) to meet with Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan. Probably afraid she'd grab him by the ear and turn him over her knee, or something. (For more on that, check this out: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4331131 )

This list should also now include Paul Hackett, USMCR, Democratic Candidate , OH-2.


who sends whom to war

The List

Democrats:
* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army
journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V,
Purple Hearts.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star,
Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign
ribbons.
* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,
and Soldier's Medal.
* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and
Legion of Merit.
* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze
Star with Combat V.
* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
* Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
* Chuck Robb: Vietnam
* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
* George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but
received #311.
* Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and AirMedal with 18 Clusters.
* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII.
Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.

Republicans -- and these are the guys sending people to war:
* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
* Karl Rove: did not serve.
* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max
Cleland's patriotism.
* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
* Vin Weber: did not serve.
* Richard Perle: did not serve.
* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
* Jon! Kyl: did not serve.
* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got
assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for
U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared
from duty.
* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non- combat role
making movies.
* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit,
Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem, " although continued in NFL
for 8 years.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.

Pundits & Preachers
* Sean Hannity: did not serve.


* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
* Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
* Michael Savage: did not serve.
* George Will: did not serve.
* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
* John Wayne: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.
* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
* Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot
back.)

Please keep this information circulating
--Illinois State Sen. Howard W. Carroll

Thanks everyone! Please remember to register with DFA-Link! http://www.DFA-Link.com/register.php?id=91042f3ae603ef90

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:15 PM