Carlos Arredondo "I am proud to be an American citizen"

Man given citizenship because son killed in Iraq
By David Ertischek, Staff Writer

Carlos Arredondo came to America in 1980 after illegally crossing the Mexican border into Arizona on his way north from Costa Rica. And after being in the country that he calls home for 26 years, he is now a citizen of America after a Dec. 1 ceremony.

But while Arredondo can celebrate his citizenship and no longer fears deportation, gaining citizenship is bittersweet.

On Aug. 25, 2004, his son, Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo of the Marines, was killed in action in Iraq, which was also Carlos’ birthday. And due to a 2004 law that President George W. Bush enacted, any parent who was not a citizen who has a child die as a serviceman automatically gets their citizenship.

“Not like I wanted to be in that position because of my son,” said Arredondo. “But we do the best we can.”

On his 44th birthday, after being confronted with the loss of his son, Carlos set fire to a U.S. Marine van and himself. He sustained burns to 26 percent of his body; he has since apologized in person to the USMC Casualty Assistance Team.

But while Arredondo continues to mourn for the loss of his firstborn having started the nonprofit group People United for Peace, he is happy to be an American citizen.

“It gave me more security for me to be free in this country because being an immigrant, legal or illegal, there is more risk with the freedom of speech or in the situation where I am in because of the situation with my son,” said Arredondo, who has become a very outspoken public critic of the Iraq war. Arredondo often attends peace vigils around the area against the war. “People can walk up to me and get upset with me and that can cause a difficult situation. People could get very upset with me and maybe even cause deportation,” he said.

But Arredondo said he is honoring his son and other fallen heroes from our American military branches.

“I’ve been in Boston for 26 years, in case you didn’t recognize my accent,” joked Arredondo, who also changed his official name to Alexander Brian Arredondo in honor of his two sons.

And Arredondo takes his duties to America very seriously. He volunteers for the American Red Cross as a Spanish-English translator. He is also starting to volunteer for the West Roxbury Veterans Hospital.

Arredondo said he had filed for American citizenship twice before, once in 1990, which he was rejected because he checked off an incorrect box. He also applied in 2001.

But he reached one of his goals in a ceremony in Lowell with 950 other new American citizens. Arredondo said there were more than 106 countries represented in that one ceremony as friends, family and other loved ones piled into the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

“It was emotional and also pretty much a dream come true for me,” said Carlos, whose wife, Melida, and son, Brian, were present for the ceremony. Carlos also was able to keep his citizenship in Costa Rica, where he was born.

But Carlos recalled why as a young man, he wanted to come to America.

“I wanted to pursue the dream that I had to have a better life and also to come to see this great country,” said Arredondo. “I wanted to be in this wonderful land. I learned about this man in Costa Rica in 1962, I was 2 years old. He was there with his wife before he got killed in Dallas. He said ‘Don’t ask what your country can do for you — but what you can do for your country’.”

Arredondo said his family adored President John F. Kennedy because JFK set up a program in Costa Rica called An Answer for Progress, which provided assistance to very poor people, like Carlos’ family.

He recalled how America sent food and medical reinforcements a mere two days after the Racu volcano erupted in 1962. He said America was the first country to assist.

“The beauty of this country, which is everywhere, the power of this country. We see it everywhere. The kindness we see it everywhere with people. I have been learning from them and volunteering with people,” said Arredondo. “The decisions that the people in this [Bush] administration make have nothing to do with the servicemen. I am proud to be an American citizen to honor this country and do the best that I can for this country.”

One Pissed Off Mom

Mom asks that wrenching war story end

By John Carlson / Des Moines Register

Norwalk, Ia. - You'd have to be the mother of a Marine or soldier to have any real idea what's going through Kimberly Downing's head.

She's spent too many months dreading a knock on the door from a military officer bringing the worst possible news. Or a phone call from a sympathetic sergeant telling her of another explosion - and another injury - to another child.

"My family has given enough to this war," said the 44-year-old Norwalk woman. "No more. They can't ask any more of us. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my son isn't sent back over there again."

You've heard and read the stories of soldiers and Marines. This is a mom's war story.

In 2004, Kimberly's husband, Jeff, a member of the Marine Reserves, and her sons, Ryan and Justen, active-duty Marines, all were in Iraq at the same time.

Jeff, a Des Moines firefighter, made it home from that deployment without injury. Ryan, now 23, was caught in a hellish firefight in Ramadi in April of that year and wasn't so lucky.

"Ryan was shot in the leg," she said. "He still has shrapnel in the arm, neck and shoulder. He had a hearing loss. He recovered as much as he could, I guess. Now he's back over there. And he's been wounded again."

Justen, now 21, was injured by an improvised explosive device attack in that first deployment.

"He said he thought he was dead after that one," Kimberly said. "He was back over there in 2005, and was in a Humvee accident. He had a head injury and was hospitalized for three days."

Then came word Justen has been ordered on a third seven-month deployment to Iraq and is scheduled to leave with his unit early next year.

This woman, who describes herself as a "pissed-off mom," vows to make sure it doesn't happen.

She's just one woman trying to influence a sprawling military bureaucracy to do what she believes is the right thing for her family. The way Kimberly sees it, she has no choice.

"This is something I have to do," she said, sitting on the edge of a couch in the family's comfortable new home south of Norwalk. "I'm not anti-military, and I'm proud of my husband and sons and their service. I'm not political. I'm not going to stand in front of the White House with a sign, screaming at the president. I just know that sending Justen back over there is morally wrong."

She also knows that her sons enlisted together of their own free will, without coercion, in July 2003. Yes, it was over her objections - the truth is, she begged them not to go - but they wouldn't listen. They'd played football and wrestled in school. They had jobs. And the way they saw it, they had a duty.

"They both said, 'Mom, this is something we have to do.' They knew they'd be sent to Iraq, but they were ready to go. They'd been obsessed with the Marine Corps since they were little boys. I thought they'd outgrown it, until that master gunnery sergeant sat in my living room and they signed the papers. A year later, my sons and Jeff were all in Iraq."

Kimberly met Jeff in her native California when Jeff was stationed there as an active-duty Marine. He adopted Ryan and Justen after their marriage 13 years ago. He became a Marine Corps reservist, but left the service when his enlistment ended after returning from Iraq.

"He knew I couldn't deal with three of them in Iraq again," said Kimberly. "... People ask me how I function. Sometimes I don't function. I don't sleep. I don't like to leave the house. Then I think I can't sit here anymore."

Not that she expects most people to understand what it's like, sitting at home with her husband and their 11-year-old daughter, Megan, worrying about her boys.

It may even be worse when she hears the details.

"You want to know what it's like? Here's the report I got last week from a sergeant who called to tell me Ryan had been wounded again and was in a military hospital. His unit was under heavy attack. He was shooting out the top of a Humvee. A tank (American) was behind them. The tank fired a round over the Humvee and he was injured. Two days before that he was shot in the head. The helmet kept it from killing him, but he was knocked out. He's had two head traumas in a week's time. He only got back over there a month ago."

Kimberly talked to Ryan on the phone, and he said he's doing OK.

"He told me, 'Hey, at least I'm talking to you, Mom.' He should be back with his unit now. He already had two Purple Hearts before this last thing. I asked the sergeant who called to tell me Ryan was hurt, 'How many times do you have to get hurt to get out of that place?' He said, 'A lot.' "

The family has no word on when Ryan will be home. He originally was told his unit would do a "quick in and out" stay of a just few weeks. There's talk now it will be an open-ended deployment.

Justen is another matter. He and Ryan are both due for discharge from active duty in July, but his scheduled third deployment is to begin in February. Which would leave him in Iraq until September if he is required to stay for the full tour.

"Justen has been injured twice. He has a Purple Heart. He knows I don't want him to go back. They both know it. ... Look, I don't want them out of the Marines before their enlistment is up. I know I can't get Ryan home, and I don't know what chance I have to keep Justen from going. But I'm not going to stop trying. Every male in this family has been to Iraq. ... How much are we supposed to give for this war?"

She has written to Iowa's Sen. Tom Harkin for help, and a staffer in his office has asked for more information.

Kimberly is hopeful, but she knows the Marine Corps doesn't base its duty assignments on the outrage of a mom in Iowa.

"I'm just a little person saying what I think needs to be said. I'll get down on my knees and beg somebody if that's what it takes. I just want somebody to do the right thing. My family has given way more than it's share."

Congratulations Carlos !!!

I'm very happy for you!
May we all have peace inside us!
Cindy


Man who set himself ablaze after son died in Iraq becomes citizen

By David Weber / Associated Press

LOWELL, Mass.— Two years ago, Carlos Arredondo tried to destroy a military van and set himself on fire in his grief over the news that his son, a Marine, had been killed in Iraq.

On Tuesday, Arredondo became a citizen of the country his son died fighting for, and used his new status in a protest, peaceful this time, of the war his son died in.

"Enough! Bring the troops home now!" read the sign Arredondo held aloft moments after he and 933 other immigrants were sworn as citizens in a ceremony at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

"Now I can use my First Amendment to say what I need to say," he said afterward. "Now I can express myself without being afraid of being deported."

In August 2004, Arredondo was celebrating his 44th birthday and awaiting a phone call from Alexander, his oldest son, when a Marine Corps van pulled up in front of his house in Hollywood, Fla. The officers were there to deliver the news that 20-year-old son was dead.

At first, Arredondo would not believe it, convinced that his son, a practical joker, would dart out from behind the van and wrap him in a hug.

When Arredondo realized it was no joke, he lost it.

He walked into his garage and grabbed a five gallon can of gasoline, a five-pound hammer and a propane torch, and headed for the van. Once inside he began destroying everything with the hammer, he recalled Tuesday.

"I was screaming and yelling," he said. "I splashed gasoline all over the van and got some on myself. My mother was trying to pull me out of the van when I hit the button on the torch."

The explosion of the gas fumes threw Arredondo out of the van, and he was badly burned.

Arredondo, a native of Costa Rica, recovered from his injuries, and later met with the Marines to apologize.

He also moved to Boston to be closer to his son, Brian, 19, and prepared to become a U.S. citizen.

"This is a way for me to honor my sons," Arredondo said about his passage into citizenship.

On Tuesday, Arredondo, 46, was among the immigrants representing 106 countries who became new United States citizens. With his son Brian at his side, Arredondo held up a large photograph of his two sons as Rep. Marty Meehan thanked him for his son's sacrifice.

He held up his protest sign minutes later, as he left the building.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf, who issued the citizenship oath, asked the applicants to stand as he called the names of each of their home countries. Once they all were standing, the oath of allegiance was administered. The applicants erupted in cheers and waved tiny American flags when Wolf declared them citizens.

"You're coming here has sent us each a message," Wolf said. "You remind us that despite its imperfections, the United States remains special to people throughout the world. We thank you for delivering this message."

Carlos Arredondo Getting His Citizenship

Congratulations my friend Carlos. Your dream is coming true. You are an asset to our country.

Gold Star Father Becomes US Citizen on 12/12/06

Five and one half years after application for citizenship

People United for Peace

Boston, Massachusetts - Carlos Arredondo of Roslindale, MA on Friday, December 1, 2006, learned that he would be granted his US citizenship on 12/12/06 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Previously denied his application for citizenship, he did not ascertain the reason via the appeal process at that time. Arredondo first entered the United States via the Mexico -- Arizona border in January of 1980. He last filed for citizenship in March of 2001.

Known for his very public grief response, Arredondo learned that Lcpl. Alexander Arredondo, USMC was killed in action on August 25, 2004, his 44th birthday. When informed of his son's death, he set fire to a US Marine van and himself. No charges were filed against him. Following physical recuperation from burns sustained on 26% of his body; Arredondo apologized in person to the USMC Casualty Assistance Team.

In July of 2006, Arredondo traveled to Camp Pendleton, California to meet with twenty Marines who had served with his son in Iraq. He was provided an original of the bronze star commendation that Alex received for valor. Together Marines and father shared memories of Alex, discussed how Alex was killed and mourned their great loss.

Since Alex's death, Arredondo has reached out to others who have lost their military family members. He has spoken publicly in English and Spanish on the topics of PTSD impacting military families and the story of Alex's life and death. He is a volunteer for the West Roxbury Veteran's Administration hospital where he has met troops and their families and the American Red Cross disaster response team. He previously volunteered for the Boston Shelter for Homeless Veterans.

Carlos Arredondo is married to Mélida Arredondo and has one surviving son, Brian Luis Arredondo. Prior to Alex's death, he had requested as part of his citizenship application to change his formal name to Alexander Brian Arredondo in honor of his two sons who he refers to as his "American Dream."

He is co-founder of People United for Peace, A Gold Star Family Project, a member of Gold Star Families Speak Out and Gold Star Families for Peace. He and his wife have established two memorial scholarships in Alex's name at the Blue Hills Regional Technical High School located in Canton and Sacred Heart School located in Roslindale.

Sharon Hughes and her followers on the other side of the divide

December 6, 2006 UPDATE: (to a post from last April)

It came to my attention Sharon Hughes has added this post to her website under unbelievable quotes and linked this page to your site below. I guess she didn't like what I had to say about her views on killing so many people because you’re afraid of them. OR you "think" they were the ones who did a crime on nine eleven.

Sharon, where's the plane?

You have bought the story hook, line and sinker. I'm glad your sinker isn't big enough to bring our country lower than it has already fallen. Our last elections proved that. But still, there are the people who listen to your station and believe you. People who are so selfish, so power hungry, people living is so much fear that you have to kill because you think this action of death is protecting you.

I had to shake my head when I looked at your poll results on your website. I used to think we were all the same. We all wanted the best for all our neighbors. Years ago I found out about your kind and started this blog Divided We Stand. Just like the skin heads that are so full of hate they want to kill anyone who doesn't have white skin. I don't have to like them but I understand their right to exist. It doesn't mean I agree with them or wish they weren’t that way, but they are. Your 31% is here and we have to live with you. And I've learned, you will never change. Just like the skin heads.

I only wish others actions wouldn't have reactions to me and my children. But their actions will have reactions on us in our future.

My hope is in speaking to the people who cross my path and asking them if they vote. When we start talking about our countries actions I hear the same things I feel. We only have 30% vote in most of our elections. Imagine if everyone voted and we the people did take control of our country, we would have never done the things we have done in the past few years. Kill so many people while taking our own freedoms away at home. People are waking up, we are speaking to one another. We will not let Sharons 31% (which would be smaller if people did get involved) take our country to places we should not be...torture.

May peace be - inside all of us,
Cindy

*********************************************
original post

The truth is coming out. Some people refuse to see the truth just like they refuse to accept the knowledge that 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq.

War in Iraq - Who Is Telling the Truth? By Sharon Hughes

The American people have heard so many conflicting stories about the attitudes of the Iraqi people towards America, as well as our soliders' attitudes about the war effort, that reporting such stories has become a battleground in and of itself.

There is no doubt that negative feedback about the war is emphasized by the mainstream media which, while accusing legislators of politicizing the war, in fact are as guilty, if not more, of doing the same. Case in point: Cindy Sheehan. Who would argue that the air and print time given to this anti- war poster-mom of the left wasn't exhaustive? Yet hardly a mention has been given to the Blue Star Moms and others who have also lost sons in the war, and have something to say, but from a different point of view than Sheehan. Let's not forget, the media made Cindy Sheehan.

The headlines of major print media, especially online where articles are grouped by topic, could be enough to make the less informed think we are losing the war, that the effort and sacrifice paid already by our troops have been in vain. However, when you read the stories themselves, very often there's little substance to support the headline accusations, once you get past the spin.

That's why I like to read and hear it from the Iraqi people, our soldiers, and others who are not interested in politicizing the war.

I had to write her a letter:
(hey, she asked for it. Send yours Contact: sharon@changingworldviews.com )

Please tell me what 9/11 had to do with Iraq? NOTHING

Our BRAVE YOUNG HERO'S are being used as PAWNS for the love of power and money. I support the troops. I support them so much I want to save their lives by bringing them home.

Oh, I know I'll get a ton of mail for saying these things from those who disagree. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that the vast majority of Americans wish there was no such thing as war, but understand the consequences of not standing up to the bullies of the world. If you can say anything about America, you can say this...we will not be beaten in the school yard of the world.

Maybe you will get a lot of mail because your on the wrong side of the truth. The majority of Americans know this so called war is wrong and we don't want the torture that goes along with it. We don't like our freedom taken away by setting up free speach zones, spying on people that disagree while our military think they are fighting to peserve our freedom at home. The school yard bullies of the world reside in the White House. Our actions have reactions. You can't bully other humans like yourself without breeding so much hate in them they want to fight you back...and BOOM, we're all gone. Killing begets more killing...when will your kind ever learn?

Stop spreading and living in fear, for all our sake.

May PEACE be inside all of us
Cindy

Our Actions Have Reactions

I fear the hate that we breed,
In my childrens future we will bleed.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Iraqi Kid Runs For Water

We can be brave, We MUST be BRAVE and do the right thing

I read a letter last night and an article this morning. The letter was from Michael Moore. You know, the white fat man who all the neocons hate and will brush off this letter as being from the extreme left...whatever.

Michael put a tear in my eye. If only...we would be brave and do the right thing. We need to leave Iraq and leave NOW. We've been saying this for years. It needs to happen to start to restore some respect for ourselves.
Michael wrote:

This is what we demand:

1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.

2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.

You really need to read the whole letter. We need to stop the madness we created ourselves. If people would have only known history this would have never happened. We go about our day in our own selfish ways. If "we the people" only knew that all the people in the white house are the same people that put the leader of Iraq in power we would have never invaded their country.

THEN, this morning I read an article about a family of a fallen Marine. I feel so very sorry for this family and so many other families who have to live without the person they adore. I think of them each and every event, thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays. They shouldn't be without the person they adore for the foolish mistakes the men in the white house have made. We have caused so much death for the wealth and power of a few.

He says he places his faith in the president and the Pentagon. He also scoffs at suggestions that this month’s election proved a mandate for troop withdrawals.

“I think the majority of Americans are behind the war,” he says. “I mean, you have a choice — you’re going to fight over here or over there — and I’d rather we be fighting over there.

“We’ve already seen evidence of terrorists’ willingness to fight over here,” he says.

You know what I feel sorry for the most? The family whom this article was written about believes the lies that are told to them. I really wish they would open up their heart to the truth. The truth is we will never be fighting the Iraq people over here in our streets if we leave NOW. We are killing ourselves in our own streets. We are so violent. If they did come to our streets and fight us here (which they won't), don't you think we have enough guns in every household here to protect ourselves? The truth is we are free and our freedom has eroded away from our own government - not from Iraq.

It is time to leave Iraq NOW! It's time to stop letting "the few" make their blood money off of their "war". It's time to stop pulling the wool over our fellow citizens eyes so "the few" can make their money. The truth shall set us free....

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

Happy Thanksgiving from the Arredondo's

Life is precious. We must, for ourselves, enjoy each and every moment given to us. Only we are responsible for our own happiness or sadness. Events and other people influence us but it is up to us to make the decision for ourselves to be happy. To make good choices so that when we do take our last breath and remember our life we can say with a smile - Life was good, Life is precious...

There are so many people who had empty chairs yesterday.

Life is precious,
May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

The Empty Chair' ...by Melida Arredondo

I see ghosts these days of little boys who loved to eat, jump and be mischievous. I never berated them, my two stepsons. Some have said I was too permissive. Their Dad was the one who scolded. I'm sure he and his brother were scolded that way when he was raised by only his Mother. I, as stepma, had to create my own role in these two children's lives. I enjoyed their antics. They both were so athletic and intelligent and comical. I would sit and watch them silently, only yelling if they were about to do something dangerous (jumping from trees or out of windows come to mind).

Both kids loved to eat! Alex could be counted on to eat anything and everything placed on a plate. Brian was pickier. He didn't eat salad until he was 15 (sure when he was little, an occasional veggie would pass his lips). Yet, both boys and father agreed on Thanksgiving. They enjoyed my cooking up the turkey, stuffing, the green beans with onion, corn bread, fresh rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie, banana cream pie, etc.

When Brian turned 12 and Alex was 15, Carlos and I had moved to a new home. We didn't have much furniture. So we had that Thanksgiving sitting Japanese style on cushions on the floor with a large coffee table where all the food was served. I have a picture of that day and remember every moment as precious: the cooking, the laughing, the talking, the eating. I looked at Brian at one point and noticed he was drowsy. I leaned over to Alex and said "Look, he's gonna need a nap." Alex responded, "Nah, turkey doesn't do that to him." I smiled at Alex and just waited. Not even ten minutes later, Brian was asleep in his bunk bed. He slept a few hours. I remember Alex being sssooooooo surprised that I had known that would happen with Brian. I know I did not birth those two young males, but I could and can read them both like a book. Maybe that comes from having a uterus or ESP or simply out of the pure form of love I have had for Alex and Brian.

Alex returned stateside from Iraq for Thanksgiving of 2003. He didn't make it back to Boston for turkey. However, I decided to take in co-workers whose families were in other parts of the country, some local friends and prepare a nice meal for all of us. Brian, Carlos, Carlos' Mom and our dogs, of course, were there as well. Just as we were about to sit down, the phone rang. We all rushed for it but, I got it! It was Alex calling to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving! For me, it was a blessing! He had come home alive! That, Brian, my family and my friends made that a truly wonderful day! Also, after the meal we had some wine and all learned how to play Texas Hold Em poker. Even Brian learned and won quite a few hands.

Alex was killed in August of 2004. For Thanksgiving that year, Carlos and I served turkey to homeless vets and the local veterans shelter. Several were from Iraq. Brian had not communicated with his Dad or me since the day Alex was laid to rest on September 3rd and was with his Mom in Maine. In 2005, Carlos and I were in Florida handling hurricane and tenant damage that had occurred that October on the home we so hoped to keep to return to one day. A friend invited us out to a restaurant. We went. Brian did call us that day which was the high point.

This year, Carlos and I will go to a friend's house who is a member of the Massachusetts chapter of Military Families Speak Out. Sarah and Bob Fuhro have been very supportive of Carlos and my activism. They've watched our dogs for us when we have traveled and that has meant a lot. About 30 people are expected. Sarah and Bob's son has returned from Iraq. He will be there tomorrow. I know I will greet him with love and hugs and tears in my eyes.

I will bring a picture of Alex, my favorite of him smiling ear to ear. I will look for a chair near the food and place the chair there. I will then go about my day with new friends, Carlos and, hopefully, Brian. I know I will look at Alex's picture feeling the comfort of remembering the memories I have written of here. I will wish that I could get one of his bear hugs so wonderful where he would lift me right up off the ground. I will enjoy my meal remembering how much he wanted us all to have the best that life could give us. I will thank God that I continue to have Alex as my stepson in my heart and Carlos and Brian here at my side.

Melida Arredondo is the stepmother of Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, killed in Iraq, Aug. 25, 2004.

Comments to my old blog and why we are divided in this country

You know, every once in a while I get someone leaving a comment on my blog. Today someone left a comment on my old blog in a post from over a year ago. Thursday, May 5, 2005

Please Send A Letter

This person is the other side of the spectrum from me and why we are divided. This person has put religion in place of God in their lives. I don't think that one person is any better than the next person. I believe in treating the people who cross my path all the same. I do to others as I wish to be treated. I don't treat others as they treat me. I try to be the better person. I don't take revenge on someone because they do something to me I don't like.

I believe that human life is precious and you don't use other people to gain wealth and/or power. I don't believe our president should use our brave hero's who would give their lives for our country; our president shouldn't send our troops to kill other people unless there’s a damn good reason. I don't believe in torturing other people because you think they are a threat to you. I don't believe in taking away a persons rights in a court of law because you believe they are a threat to you. I don't believe in letting the corporations get away with what they will to the citizens whom the country belongs to. We all knew the gas prices would go up after the election and they have. We are puppets who have to play the game those in power have set up for us. We have no choice but to play the game to survive in today’s society.

What's wrong with our country is some people let religion control who they are instead of really having God in their hearts. God wouldn't end the world in a rapture. God loves all humans, all races, all souls. God wouldn't hate someone because of their sexuality, the color of their skin or if they speak English or not. If we could only stop thinking we are better than the next person, stop trying to create fear in other people who we live on this planet with...If only then will we not be so divided and come together for the better of all humans.

I don't know if this person but I can tell you they will never change. The people who support the actions of this president at this point will never change. 31% of our country will live in fear and hate other people. Nothing will change these people until the government comes after their family members to make them fight in a war. Or until they are thrown in jail without any rights and all the property they own is taken away in eminent domain. At least the rest of the country is waking up. This 31% will never change.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy


This entry has 1 comments:

All y'all are lunatics and traitors. 200 years ago, many of you would have been shot or hung as such. I feel badly that Cindy, as well as more than 1000 others, has lost a loved one in Irag. I feel a lot worse knowing that she has reduced her son from being a hero who voluntarily gave his life for his country to her level of sniveling cowardice. The number of those who proudly displayed their colors on Veterans Day shows you are in a minority, still.
You really need a come to Jesus. If you aren't a bible read Christian, you probably won't undersand why I say this. If you have read the number one best selling book in America, you will know why we are in Iraq and the turmoil preceeding the Rapture.
In answer to your question of what happened to our country, it is the continued removal of God from our lives. You can look back to the 60's through present at statistics on crime and behaviorism and see a direct correlation of social and economic disintegrtion as we (as a nation) get further from God. Our only hope of reunification, as a nation, is the revival of spirit and dedication of ourselves to the service of God through Jesus Christ.
Comment from achinarnie - 11/22/06 3:05 PM

Bad Feelings - Not About Politics But Humans

I wrote this September 2005. Since last week I have a little more faith that we will come together as citizens of this country to make it a better place for all of us to live. All the death we have caused by our actions are soul killing to me. I can only hope we will rise up to being better humans than we have been in the past. I can only hope....

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

I didn't know much about GWB before 2000 just like I didn't know much about Kerry before 2004. I found out who they were.

I did something I never did before in 2000. I put an AL Gore sign in my yard because I had a really bad feeling about GWB...who I didn't know, just had this really bad feeling in the pit of my soul. I've always voted, never got involved in any campaigns. Court's decided who would be our president. I thought that was my bad feeling.

9/11 happened. I thought, this was my bad feeling. I found out that GWB admin. knew, had a memo, this was going to happen. This had to have been my bad feeling...They let it happen. So I perceive.

Something happened which I didn't see our country, the USofA, America doing. We declared war on another country. I never thought there was any good reason to go to "war" with Iraq. Living in my own little world I thought we were the "good country" and would never do such a thing. With all the death, and for what?!?, in Iraq - I thought...this is my something bad. It's what I perceive.

Katrina blew through my state last weekend killing 11 before she decided to strengthen and hit the gulf. I waited and watched for day, people dying, people waiting for help. No help came. I have heard so many stories where FEMA didn't let the supplies in the area. So many stories about help being promised but help never came. Every thing I have seen so far and everything I know about living in hurricane area's....the state did it's job, the feds did not. It's what I perceive. I thought...this is my bad feeling...the bad feeling that sat in the pit of my soul from this man who I didn't know, GWB and his friends.

I still have the bad feeling more will come...wish I didn't.

I don't judge by ones words. Words come so easy to people. I judge by one's actions. Actions prove the true colors of oneself. Many talk the talk, few walk the walk. Walking the walk to better ourselves as humans.

It's not about politics, It's about humanity. Doing good for all...

Sit Down For Change Stand Up For PEACE

Protests at White House Aim to Prevent War on Iran

Protests at White House Aim to Prevent War on Iran, End War on Iraq, and Reverse Stolen Elections (Should There Be Any)

For Immediate Release November 3, 2006

Cindy Sheehan has called for a protest at the White House from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, from November 6-9. The protest is in opposition to the war in Iraq and the possible war in Iran, but will develop into a protest of stolen elections should evidence of election fraud emerge.
More information: http://www.gsfp.org

On the evening of November 7, citizens will turn Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House into a Blue Revolution, one of many events around the country. Crowds dressed in blue will be holding vigils outside election offices to demand an accurate counting of votes in at least these locations: AZ-Maricopa, AZ-Yavapai, CA-Kern, CA-Orange, CA-Santa Barbara, CA-San Luis Obispo, CO-Adams, DC-District of Columbia, IN-La Porte, IN-Lake, IN-Porter, MD-Baltimore, MD-Howard, MN-Waseca, MO-St. Louis, OR-Washington, NY-Onondaga, TX-Lamar, WA-Clark, WA-King.
More information: http://www.bluerevolution.us

At 11:00 a.m. on November 8, Sheehan will lead the delivery to the White House of huge stacks of signatures and comments from the 75,000 Americans who have signed a petition opposing an attack on Iran. Sheehan and others are prepared to risk arrest if the White House will not accept the petition.
More information: http://www.dontattackiran.org

Sheehan has written about her reasons for this effort here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14990

She has spoken about it in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhzF5J94VRE

Hats off to Greg Palast for " I WANT TO HURT SOMEBODY"

May peace be inside all of us. It's the only way we will survive as people on this planet. Someone has to be the better person and say enough. When will we understand our actions have reactions. Thats why I say...
May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy


I WANT TO HURT SOMEBODY
by Greg Palast
Thursday, November 2, 2006 for The Guardian (London)

It was pure war-nography. The front page of the New York Times today splashed a four-column-wide close-up of a blood-covered bullet in the blood-soaked hands of an army medic who'd retrieved it from the brain of Lance Cpl. Colin Smith.

There was a 40 column-inch profile of the medic. There were photos of the platoon, guns over shoulders, praying for the fallen buddy. The Times is careful not to ruin the heroic mood, so there is no photograph of pieces of corporal Smith's shattered head. Instead, there's an old, smiling photo of the wounded soldier.

The reporter, undoubtedly wearing the Kevlar armor of the troop in which he's "embedded," quotes at length the thoughts of the military medic: "I would like to say that I am a good man. But seeing this now, what happened to Smith, I want to hurt people. You know what I mean?"

The reporter does not bother -- or dare -- to record a single word from any Iraqi in the town of Karma where Smith's platoon was, "performing a hard hit on a house."

I don't know what a "hard hit" is. But I don't think I'd want one "performed" on my home. Maybe Iraqis feel the way I do.

We won't know. The only Iraqi noted by the reporter was, "a woman [who] walked calmly between the sniper and the marines."

The Times reporter informs us that Lance Cpl. Smith, "said a prayer today," before he charged into the village. We're told that Smith had, "the cutest little blond girlfriend" and "his dad was his hero." Did the calm woman also say her prayers today? Is her dad her hero, too? We don't know. No one asks.

The reporter and his photographer did visit a home in the neighborhood -- but only after the "hit" force kicked in the door. I suppose that's an improvement over the typical level of reporting we get. In dispatches home by the few US journalists who brave beyond the Green Zone, Iraqis are little more than dark shapes glimpsed through the slots of a speeding Humvee.

Last month there was a big hoo-ha over the statistical accuracy of a Johns Hopkins University study estimating that 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of this war.

I doubt the Iraqi who fired that bullet into Lance Cpl. Smith read the Hopkins study. Iraqis don't need a professor of statistics to tell them what happens in a "hard hit" on a house. Of civilians killed by the US forces the Hopkins team found 46% are younger than fifteen years old.

I grieve for Lance Cpl. Smith and I can't know for certain what moved the sniper to pick up a gun and shoot him. However, I've no doubt that, like the Marines who said prayers before they invaded the homes of the terrified residents of Karma, the sniper also said a prayer before he loaded the 7.62mm shell into his carbine.

And if we asked, I'm sure the sniper would tell us, "I am a good man, but seeing what happened, I want to hurt people."

*******

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "Armed Madhouse" Go to

www.gregpalast.com.

Carlos Arredondo visits Boca Raton Florida to talk about his son Alex who died in Iraq

Boca Peace Corner
with Carlos Arredondo Interview
10/28/2006

View here if link doesn't work below

Count the Vote in Broward County on Election Night

BEDTIME FOR DEMOCRACY

Are you disgusted by…
Malfunctioning Machines?
Votes that Go Who-Knows-Where?
No Ability to Vote on 'Troops Out Now'?
"Voting While Black"?
Human Needs Not on the Ballot? Purges of Ex-Felons from the Voter Rolls?
The Escalating Erosion of Our Civil Liberties?
Who Owns the Voting Machine Companies?
Politicians Who Only Listen to the Rich? Time to Hit the Sack?
Or... Time to Hit the Streets?!

Join us for a
Post-Polling Protest!

Election Night

Tuesday, Nov. 7th
7:00pm-???

Broward Election Warehouse
529 SW 2nd Ave.

Fort Lauderdale (2 blocks west of Andrews Ave, south of the river) Please bring signs visible for TV news cameras!

Initiated by Broward AntiWar Coalition
954-770-7769 / antiwarbroward@yahoo.com

Peace Events with the Arredondo's - Getting the vote out in South Florida

The Peace Speaking Tour

Carlos and Melida Arredondo: Gold Star Families Speak Out

Camilo Mejia: Iraq Veterans Against The War

Peter Laufer: Author- Mission Rejected: US Soldiers Who Say No To Iraq

Friday October 27^th 8:00-10:00pm

Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant

819 5th Street, Miami Beach.

Contact Linda at 305-801-0245

Sunday October 29^th 12:00-5:00pm

St. Maurice Catholic Church

2851 Stirling Road, Dania.

Contact Ray at 754-423-0051

Monday October 30^th 7:00-9:00pm

�Freedom From Fear� Event

Friends Meeting House

823 North A Street, Lake Worth

Contact Pete at 954-937-1706

Tuesday October 31^st 7:00-9:00pm

Church Of The Palms

1960 N. Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach.

Contact Jim at 954-770-7769

Friday November 3^rd 8:00-10:00pm

VeyeYo

28 N.E. 54^th Street, Miami. (Little Haiti)

Contact Jack at 305-582-4846

Saturday November 4^th 8:00-10:00pm

Radio Miami

3009 N.W. 7^th Street. Miami.

Contact Lori at 954-401-1768

DONATIONS GREATLY APPRECIATED

Directions

Directions to Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant (Miami Beach): I-95 to the I 395 exit. Follow signs to the beach. Come over the McArthur Causeway to 5^th Street. Tap Tap is on the left. Metered parking is available- public parking garage on 5^th and Collins. Do not park in resident parking spots.

Directions to St. Maurice Catholic Church (Dania): I-95 to Stirling Road exit- go west 1 mile to Lake Shore Drive. St. Maurice is on the N.E. corner of Stirling and Lake Shore Drive. Parking is available on the church complex.

Directions to Friends Meeting House (Lake Worth): I-95 take the 10^th Avenue N Exit 64. Keep right at the fork to enter onto 10^th Avenue North. Turn right onto North A Street. The Meeting House is on the right with parking in the rear.

Directions to Church Of The Palms (Delray Beach): I-95 to Atlantic Avenue exit-go east to Swinton Avenue. Turn left on Swinton and go north. The church is on the left- on the corner of 22^nd Street and Swinton. Parking is available in the lot.

Directions to VeyeYo (Miami/ Little Haiti): I-95 Exit 6A. Go East on N.W. 62^nd Street (Martin Luther King Boulevard).Turn right (south) onto N. Miami Avenue. Turn left (east) onto N.E. 54^th Street. Parking is available on the street.

Directions to Radio Miami: I-95 take 836 West to 27^th Avenue South- make right-turn on NW 7^th Street (second right) continue for 3 blocks.

I'm a terrorist according to the Bush Admin. because I'm against their PNAC war

I know my phones and my mothers phones were tapped for almost 8 months last year. When your phone clicks all the time and the phone company tells you there is nothing wrong with your line - and then all the sudden it stops. I am very outspoken about this war the PNAC has started to make themselves rich and rulers of the world. I'm just wondering when they will round us all up and put us in their prisons they are building all over the place. I will never give up on fighting for human life. No one person is better than the next. We're all the same...we are human beings not animals but you couldn't tell by all the death we cause for our so called protection.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

From ACLU Online Oct 20, 2006 E-Mailing:

New Documents Detail Military Surveillance of Peace Activists

This month the ACLU released new details about military surveillance of Americans opposed to the Iraq war, including Quakers and student groups. The documents show that the Pentagon was keeping tabs on non-violent protesters, amassing information and storing it in a military anti-terrorism database.

The documents were produced in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU after evidence surfaced that the Pentagon was secretly conducting surveillance of protest activities, anti-war organizations and groups opposed to military recruitment policies. The Pentagon shared the information with other government agencies through the Threat and Local Observation Notice database.

Among the documents are reports on protest activities across the country organized or supported by the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker peace group. One document, which is labeled "potential terrorist activity," lists events such as a "Stop the War NOW!" rally in Akron, Ohio on March 19, 2005. The source noted that the rally "will have a March and Reading of Names of War Dead" and that marchers would pass a military recruitment station and the local FBI office along the way.

"When information about non-violent protest activity is included in a military anti-terrorism database, all Americans should be concerned about the unchecked authority this administration has seized in the name of fighting terrorism," said ACLU attorney Ben Wizner.

For more information on government surveillance of Americans, go to: www.aclu.org/spyfiles.

***********************************************

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/201006Pentagon.htm

Pentagon Monitoring Peace Activists' E-Mails

Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive. | October 19 2006

More information keeps coming out, thanks to the ACLU, about the Bush Administration's equation of protest with terrorism -- and the snooping it then engages in.

Homeland Security is monitoring peace groups and even peering at their e-mails. "This information is being provided only to alert commanders and staff to potential terrorist activity or apprise them of other force protection issues."

It then shares that information with Joint Terrorism Task Forces, which include the FBI and state and local law enforcement, as well as with the Pentagon's notorious Talon (Threat and Local Observation Notice) program.

For instance, an April 12, 2005, Talon document, just released by the ACLU, shows that the Pentagon was concerned about "suspicious activity" at an upcoming event sponsored by the Broward Anti-War Coalition in Florida.

This peace group, according to the document, was planning -- hold your breath here -- "guerrilla theater and other forms of subversive propaganda" at the Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show.

The source of the information was the Miami-Dade Police Department, and members of Army Recruiting and the Miami Joint Terrorism Task Force were briefed on it, the document states.

Another Talon document, dated March 1, 2005, released by the ACLU, reveals that Homeland Security agents are monitoring e-mails of such scary groups as the Quakers.

"The source received an e-mail on 25 Feb 05, subject: upcoming peace/anti-war events. The e-mail was from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Northeast Ohio," the document states. And that source is identified as "a special agent of the Federal Protective Service, US Department of Homeland Security." The document adds, "Source is reliable."

The Joint Terrorism Task Force of Dayton, Ohio, was briefed on this one.

The planned activity of the Quakers that so concerned the Pentagon, Homeland Security, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force was this: "On 19 Mar 05, there will be a 'Stop the War NOW!' rally in commemoration of the second anniversary of the U.S. Invasion/Occupation of Iraq. The Akron rally will have a march and reading of names of war dead. ... The Akron march begins at noon and goes past a local military recruiting station and the FBI office. The march will end at the Federal Building in Akron, for a rally, followed by reading of names of U.S. and Iraqi war dead."

A third Talon document, dated March 7, 2005, also relies on an e-mail from the Quakers. "Source received an e-mail from the American Friends Service Committee" about "actions at military recruitment offices with the goals to include: raising awareness, education, visibility." The source is again identified as "a special agent of the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Source is reliable."

All three Talon documents state at the top: "This information is being provided only to alert commanders and staff to potential terrorist activity or apprise them of other force protection issues."

"Potential terrorist activity." Isn't that delightful?

Word to the wise: If you're a peace activist, the government may be watching you and reading your e-mails.

Something just to keep in mind.

What Floridians should know about Charlie Crist

Voting for Crist is like voting for Jeb.

I have lived in Florida all my life. In all my years I've never heard so many people say they have to move because they can't afford to live here anymore. Our property taxes went up from $1200 a few years ago to $3000 last year and now $5000, for the year. Our homeowners insurance have also gone up to $5000 for the year.

Things have sucked in Florida since Jeb Bush took office. They have really gotten bad with his brother in the White House.

Here are a few articles about Charlie Crist. My vote is for Davis/Jones. I no longer trust anyone with an R at the end of their names.

May peace be inside all of us,
Cindy

What Floridians should know about Charlie Crist

By Wayne Madsen

Online Journal Contributing Writer

(

WMR) WMR's intrepid sources in Florida report on some details about GOP gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Charlie Crist, or should we say Charlie Christodoulos. Crist's father, Charlie, Sr., legally shortened the family's name in 1949, according to court records in Pinellas County, Florida. The elder Crist's father emigrated from Cyprus to the United States in 1912. We have also discovered a bit more about Crist's personal details, much of which have been obscured because of Crist's status as a "law enforcement officer." Under post-Patriot Act laws, personal details on law enforcement officers are blocked by special statutes. WMR received the following article Friday from George Maurer, a Key West Florida radio talk show host. This article contains information that every Florida voter should know before casting their ballot before or on November 7. "At the outset of this message, let me first get something off my chest. I'm a gay man who, never since I realized same more than 30 years ago, has ever denied same, and who served 30 years in the Army/Army Reserve. About Florida congressperson Mark Foley, I've found these past few days particularly troubling, especially so as I'm a progressive Democrat and very troubled about the HYPOCRISY of many of our Republican opposition. Starting at the top, we have AWOL George W. Bush who constantly gives TV speeches in front of and with a picture background of military audiences. AWOL George's only military background was a 6-year obligation with the Texas Air National Guard which he used to get a deferment from going to Vietnam, and from which obligation he was Absent Without Leave (AWOL) for the last couple of years of his tour. This same hypocrite has taken us to mammoth, unjustified, unpaid, prolonged war, killing hundreds of thousands of people. In the last couple of days, he and his hypocritical colleagues have enacted a military detainee bill which broadly defines "enemy combatants" and makes any US citizen or resident subject to same, without right of habeas corpus review, review only by an "enemy combatant review tribunal." They have voted to pay for and construct a 300-mile fence between the US-Mexico 3,000 mile border. Now we have Mark Foley. As an adult, I've never fooled around with underage males, let alone those over whom I've had some degree of power. Now, even the most staunch of Republicans must know about Florida congressperson Mark Foley. But what about Charlie Crist (Jr?), Florida's Republican candidate for Governor? The following appears in the online material of the Insurance Journal, as a 9/16/06 posting of Beverly S. Hill of Tallahassee, Florida: Charles Crist is an 'In The Closet Homosexual.' The fact that he is GAY means nothing. The fact that he is IN THE CLOSET and represents a party that hates GAYS means everything. This kind of hypocrisy is grotesque and cannot be tolerated. I hope we can all help Charlie 'COME OUT' before the election.' Let's take a look at Crist's biography. This perpetually tan (at least from the neck up), handsome, 50-year old bachelor was born on June 24, 1956 in Altoona, PA.. Half Greek origin, half Scots-Irish, his Greek dad, Charles Crist, Sr., M.D., changed the family name in 1949, from Christodoulos, dropping the 'h' and the 'doulos.' The second oldest of four children and the only son, the family moved to Atlanta when young Charlie was 6 weeks old, and where his dad went to medical school. In 1960, then Dr. Crist got a job at Bayfront Medical Center and the family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1966, Dr. Crist won election to the Pinellas County School Board. From 1970-74, presumably, Charlie attended St. Petersburg High School where his dad was football team doctor, and where Crist was said to have played quarterback until 'his playing career was cut short by a knee injury his senior year.' At the Crist home on Snell Isle, Charlie was said to play catch with the boy next door, Felix Fudge, who 'was four years younger.' Apparently, in the fall of 1974, Charlie decided to go to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, because, despite his high school knee injury, he, according to an 8/27/06 St. Petersburg Times' news article, 'hoped to extend his football career at a small university. . . . *** (B)ut he was a walk-on, a bench warmer who played in junior varsity games but never took a snap in a varsity contest.' Of course, Crist's official state bio merely says he "attended Wake Forest University, where he played quarterback. . . ." Now unlike AWOL George W. Bush, there's not a word anywhere that I've seen about Charlie's draft status in 1975 as the war was ending in Vietnam, and the draft as well, and no indication that he served a single day in the military. 'After his sophomore year at Wake Forest, a homesick Crist gave up on football and *** decided to transfer to Florida State University,' presumably in the fall of 1976. After graduating from FSU in June, 1978 (?), Crist apparently, in the fall of 1978, entered Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. In the summer of 1979, Crist, while attending law school in Alabama, entered his one and only brief marriage to a woman, Amanda Morrow. During the 1979 holiday season, Crist's sister Catherine Kennedy said his 'head was down and his shoulders were slumped.' Crist was the one who filed for divorce only some six months after the marriage and it was dissolved on 2/15/80. 'Like Crist, Morrow did not marry again.' In the Miami Herald 8/24/06 commentary 'Naked Politics", 'Bruce' posted 'What's this about Charlie's ex-wife, Amanda Morrow, being a lesbian? Does the press know that she has lived with her partner for years? Is this why Charlie's marriage failed? Is this why Mr. Crist is for Civil Union for gays? Does this mean that their marriage was a sham?' Presumably, Crist graduated from the Alabama law school in June 1981. Crist's reported chronology from 1981 until his 1992 election to the state senate is inexact at best. As far as I can glean it, he twice failed the bar exam before passing it on the third try. While struggling with the bar exam, he apparently 'interned' with the State Attorney's Office (in Pinellas?). (It helps to have a Republican medical doctor daddy.) Presumably in 1982, he got a five-year job as 'general counsel' for the St. Petersburg-based National Association of Professional Baseball Players, the 'controlling body' for minor-league baseball in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Given time off for various months at end during the 5 years, he unsuccessfully ran for the state senate in 1986. Then, supposedly in 1987, he joined his brother-in-law's, J. Emery Wood's, one-man law firm. In 1988, Connie Mack won US Senate election, and Crist worked for a year as Mack's state director. He returned, for a couple of years apparently, to his brother-in-law's law practice, and Charlie was then elected himself to the state senate in 1992 where he served for four years until 1996. In 1997, who knows what he did? In 1998, Crist ran unsuccessfully for US Senate against Bob Graham. In 1999, Jeb Bush appointed him Deputy Director for the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation and he then won election as Florida Education Commissioner where he served from January 2001 to January 2003. From January 2003 to date, Crist won election and has served as Florida's Attorney General. One might sarcastically suggest that a person with an undistinguished academic career, an almost non-existent private sector career, who's tan, handsome and articulate and has a fairly rich Republican daddy, certainly deserves to be on the public dole as Florida's Education Commissioner and Attorney General. Now, of course, Crist is the Republican nominee to be Florida Governor. One should note that, while Education Commissioner in 2001, Crist was reported as condemning a play with a gay theme that 'offended Christians' (see May 2001 newsletter, TransFamily.). For the past year, as Crist's quest to be governor developed, Charlie has supposedly been 'dating' Kathryn 'Katie' Pemble, executive vice-president of the Bank of St. Petersburg. Pemble is 41 years of age, divorced, and has a 7-year old daughter. As to possible marriage with Pemble, Crist says 'I haven't thought about it.' In mid-September, 2006, 'millionaire Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Max Linn ' . . . 'insist(ed) that Charlie Crist is gay" . . . 'on Orlando radio station WFLA-AM 540' . . . to talk show 'host Bud Hedlinger. . . . ' Linn said 'he would 'put my hand on a stack of Bibles' to say Crist is gay.' His sexual preference is not to women. . . . '(See Gadfly in governor's race may have a sharp stinger.) As to Crist's being gay, 'Linn claimed to know this because he and Crist were in the same 1985 class of Leadership St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce program. 'We discussed it,' Linn said. Linn . . . said if Crist were to win, he would be subject to extortion and blackmail. In the next breath, Linn said he would avoid mudslinging but that Crist's personal life is a special case because it's about integrity." WMR has also learned that Crist's fraternity brother at Florida State was Brent Sembler, son of major Bush and Crist financial backer Mel Sembler. Sembler, who served as George W. Bush's ambassador to Italy and Daddy Bush's ambassador to Australia, was the brains behind the founding of SEED, Straight, Inc. and the Drug Free American Foundation (DFAF). Straight and SEED have been accused of abusing teens undergoing drug rehabilitation, including subjecting teens to brainwashing techniques. And what doctor served on the advisory board of SEED and approved of such techniques that subjected underage teens to brainwashing? None other than Dr. Charlie Crist, Sr., the father of the man who seeks to replace Jeb Bush and Governor of Florida. And why has Bernie McCabe, the State Attorney for Pinellas County, never brought charges against SEED, Straight, and DFAF for child abuse? It might have something to do with the fact that McCabe is a campaign contributor to Charlie Crist. It is clear that Crist's candidacy is an attempt to continue the Bush "banana republic" regime in Florida. And that spells big trouble for Democrats in the 2008 presidential election. After all, we should all remember what Jeb Bush and his hand-picked Secretary of State Katherine Harris pulled off in 2000.

****************************************

AG Charlie Crist should remove himself from the investigation of Mark Foley.

AG Charlie Crist should remove himself from the investigation of Mark Foley. Were Crist and Foley really roommates? Were they working together in a coordinated campaign? We need an independent prosecutor to eliminate any appearance of bias. Conservatives are asking the speaker to resign because he kept quiet, allowing Foley to continue looking for more victims. In his letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert Jeb Bush says nothing of the cover-up by Hastert. I understand that personal information about Foley’s victim was published on the web. These children need to be protected from further harm. A guarantee of privacy is needed to get them to come forward and testify. UPDATE: Crist has told the press that he was not a roommate of Foley.

************************************

Commentary - Charlie Crist-Out of Closet On Schiavo Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist, a Republican candidate for governor, seems to have a lot to say now about the Terri Schiavo case.

Where was he last March when he should have performing the duties of his office?

Answer: Hiding because he didn't want any fallout for the case to descend upon his political future until he could be certain which way the winds and polls were blowing in the Schiavo case.

Last week, during an appearance at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Crist said that Gov. Jeb Bush shouldn't have gotten involved in the Schiavo case. Strange position for the Attorney General to take, saying that Gov. Bush shouldn't have made at least the appearance of performing the duties of his office. Bush was statutorily and constitutionally empowered to take the incapacitated woman into protective custody and although he obviously didn't have any real intent to do so because he stupidly called a news conference to announce it, at least be gave the appearance he was trying to do something. That's more than Crist did.

If Crist should unfortunately be elected Governor, when there's a controversial decision to be made, instead of making it, will Crist run and hide in the closet again?

Crist said that government shouldn't be involved in end-of-life decisions. However, Mr. Crist, government---and in particular the attorney general---should be involved in protecting the rights of vulnerable adults and in investigating Medicaid fraud. If you can't perform the duties of as Attorney General, why would the people of Florida ever want you to be their Governor if you only take action if you feel it's politically correct?

As attorney general, Crist is constitutionally charged with protecting the civil rights and liberties of the state's citizens but he did nothing to protect the rights and liberties of Terri Schiavo. He stood idly by and let her be dehydrated to death.

"There are some decisions that ought to be left to God and family", Crist was quoted as saying last week. "Had I been governor, I would not have done the same thing". Good thing you weren't Governor then, and if the voters are smart, you won't be Governor in the future.

Crist consistently stayed out of the Schiavo case although he should have been front and center in the protection of her civil rights. Less than four months after she died a horrific death, Crist had the audacity to call the judges in the Schiavo case "heroes", breaking his silence, saying that he was proud of Pinellas County Court Judge George Greer and U.S. District Court Judge James Whittemore. While he claimed he wasn't endorsing the court rulings against reconnecting Terri's feeding tube which led to her death, others didn't see it that way.

At least Crist's opponent Tom Gallagher had enough courage to take a position, saying that he favored government action to "prevent Terri's starvation". Gallagher said last week that "these kinds of end-of-life matters do not belong in government. But when these kinds of situations come in front of me, I would always err on the side of life. I think that's what you must do when you don't know anything else".

Better than hiding like Crist did while Congress, Gov. Bush, President Bush and the Vatican became involved in the case, pressing to keep Terri Schindler Schiavo alive after Greer and state and federal courts ordered her death because her heavily conflicted husband in name only, Michael Schiavo, said she wouldn't want to be kept alive by a feeding tube. Terri Schiavo sustained incapacitating brain damage in 1990 in still unexplained circumstances. Michael Schiavo said she was in a persistent vegetative state with no chance for recovery, a position her parents disputed. Terri left no living will and her parents said she never would have chosen to die in the matter prescribed for her by the courts and her husband. She died of dehydration on March 31, 2005, 13 days after her feeding tube had been removed.

Crist maintains that he's pro-life.

But you'd never know it. Crist is flip-flopping again.

Last spring Crist said that Gov. Bush wanted to take the lead in the Schiavo case and that the Attorney General's office supported those efforts.

"I don't need to lead where he's (Gov. Bush) is already leading", Crist had said, trying to excuse why he wasn't doing his job. In 1998, in his failed attempt to be U.S. senator, Crist said he was pro-choice.

But now that he's announced that he wants to be Governor, Crist changed his tune and says he's pro-life.

Crist seems to flip-flop a lot on critical issues.

"You try to encourage a culture that respects life but understand that some decisions are up to God and family", Crist says.

And that would include the decision of Mary and Robert Schindler Sr. that their daughter wants to live that they should be the ones caring for her. Michael wasn't "family". He was a husband in name only and a guardian by false application.

The life and death decision should have been made by her family and loved ones, not the mercenary estranged husband and his Hollywood-eyed attorney, George Felos aided and abetted in the judicial homicide by non-partisan Republican good ole boy George Greer.

Crist was and is more afraid concerned for his political future than he was of doing his job. A leopard doesn't change his spots. He'd do the same thing if he were elected Governor, sway whichever way the political wind blew rather than what was best for the people of the state of Floroida.

Charlie Crist seems to talk out of both sides of his mouth. Floridians need a person of good moral character and integrity to lead their state as governor. That individual is not Charlie Crist.

He abandoned Terri Schiavo, he hasn't done his job and in fact, he has been caught red-handed in actually impeding justice in the case and lying to the public.

He blatantly told the public in a televised statement that there had been no complaints of abuse made to the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) a week after a DCF file in the matter was acknowledged in the Schiavo case. He lied to the public.

He said there have been no complaints when there is an envelope containing information about alleged abuse in the Schiavo case which was personally handed to him and which was later returned to the complainant without action---but with Charlie Crist's fingerprints. He cannot honestly say that he was not personally made aware of the alleged abuse, neglect and exploitation of Terri Schiavo. And yet he did nothing.

Is this being pro-life? Is this being honest?

Is this the person you would want to be your state's next Governor?

In one of his newsletters to the public as attorney general, Crist said that "one of the greatest features of our system of democracy is the role government can play in protecting private citizens. Florida's government has a number of safeguards built into it, many of them designed to protect consumers for exploitation".

Those safeguards weren't employed to protect Terri.

Crist didn't protect one of the state's most vulnerable adults from exploitation nor did he take any steps to protect her civil rights.

Maybe it's because Charlie Crist simply doesn't know the law and isn't capable of holding the office of attorney general and certainly not the office of governor. After all, it took him three tries to pass the Florida Bar exam and he seems to have a problem with ethics too, coming under scrutiny of the Florida Elections Commission for allegedly using his office of education commissioner to campaign for the position of attorney general.

The investigation of alleged Medicaid fraud is also within the scope of his AG duties, policing what has become Florida's $12 billion per year Medicaid program.

Despite receiving nearly $600,000 in an insurance settlement and some $750,000 earmarked by a jury to provide rehabilitative services to Terri Schiavo, Michael Schiavo asked Judge George Greer to have Medicaid pay Terri's medical bills. And Greer agreed. Thing is, in that Michael refused to divorce her, how could he own any assets such as he claims he co-owned a house with his concubine and claims in his book that they owned a deli business. Did he declare those assets to Medicaid? If he had assets and was capable of paying for her care, why did he apply to Medicaid and why did Greer allow him to do so. How about it Charlie Crist?

Thing is, Terri Schiavo was placed in a hospice by Michael Schiavo and his lawyer, Felos who was chairman of the board of the hospice at the time. In order to be placed in a hospice legally and for Medicaid to foot the bill, there must be a diagnosis of terminal illness by two doctors and the maximum stay is six months. She was in the hospice for five years.

Why didn't Crist investigate this potential Medicaid fraud? Medicaid fraud can take many forms and cost Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars each year, Crist's own website states. So why didn't his office investigate the Schiavo situation? Oh wait, we know----he was waiting to assess which way the wind blew in terms of political fallout and he determined it was politically advantageous to stay out of the Schiavo case.

In addition to investigating fraud committed by health care providers, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of Crist's AG's office also investigates the abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly, ill and disabled residents of long term care facilities such as nursing homes, facilities for the mentally and physically disabled and assisted care living facilities.

The investigation of corruption in the administration of the Medicaid program is another important responsibility of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the AG's website says.

Protecting the rights of Terri Schiavo, of all the disabled, elderly and all residents of the state isn't just Gov. Bush's job, it's that of Charlie Crist.

And he didn't do it..

If he can't do the job of attorney general, why does he think he should be Governor? 4-23-06