Kelly Kelly, there is a website called Politico.com which tracks voting records, money from lobbyists to candidates, and tracks what issues lobbyists are putting forward to congress people. Has many links to many sites. I go mainly for voting records and whose paying the tabs.

an academic (local to me here in ann arbor) is professor of medieval islamic history (did i get his title right?) juan cole. his blog is www.juancole.com . another good news source is a sort of clipping service at www.commondreams.org (for those not sure, the city means he teaches at the university of michigan.)

Suzanne- Iraq has $14 trillion in oil reserves and that’s why we are there. Exxon is the biggest company on Earth, Haliburton is the biggest oil services company, they all, Cheney included as the recent CEO of Haliburton, are making profits on this invasion as have never been seen. The oil men running the administration planned this LONG before 911 in the PNAC signed by all of them and it reads as a blueprint for exactly what has occurred. The Caspian Sea that has 33% more oil in it than the Alaska Reserves. http://www.caspianstudies.com/basicinfo/caspian%20history.htm We have puppets in nearly all of the countries ringing the sea. Pakistan, Kazakitstan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Afghanistan. Iran is next. If Bush Inc can’t foment revolution within the country to take out President Ahmadinejah. Ever see “Syriana” with George Clooney. It’s based on a former CIA operative, Bob Baer’s, true story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syriana A great deipiction of the cold-blooded way we do things. Americans, Iranians, Iraqis, the victims of 911 and their survivors, US troops…nothing matters to Bush Inc. Everything is a cost of doing business. Peek Oil is running out and they are GOING to get control of that oil. And while it’s true that Iraqis suffered under a stupid and dangerous despot—as we have the past 7 years—you have to be extremely well versed in the chessboard politics of the Caspian Sea region to comprehend the complexities and lies beneath our ostensible ‘policies.’ The US, France and Russia (allies of Iran) all desire geopolitical control. This has been a long time problem that goes back to British occupation of Iran (formerly Persia and renamed by the British) and Iraq. Iraq was the cradle of civilization, it had an amazing and very literate culture. The universities, even under Saddam were vibrant places and women could work in professions with equal pay. The Fox News/Rush Limbaugh tactic of blaming the victims that have had their lives, jobs, economy and culture pulverized, their environment poisoned with US depleted uranium, a WMD with a shelf life of 4.5 billion years—is preposterous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLsZOjWPaRA Two days before the illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq Oprah did a show. What Americans don’t know that the rest of the world never forgets is what our government/military does around the world with impunity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydqjlSs_dds&feature=related Iraq had two-thirds the population of California in about two-thirds the square miles of California. They were brutally attacked by Shock and Awe perpetrated on a defenseless nation by the largest, most powerful and technologically advanced country that has ever existed. Our paid mercenaries like Blackwater brutally shoot down in cold blood anything that moves. We are using other freelance mercenaries with resumes from the most brutal actions undertaken on Earth. Homes are broken into, belongings stolen, women and girls raped, husbands and sons shot to death in cold blood. Over one million Iraqis have been killed. That is equivalent to 12+ Million Americans dead in a brutal occupation. Imagine one million Californians killed in an illegal invasion and occupation. 2.3 Million Iraqis have been displaced. That would compare to 36 Million American’s being displaced. We all saw the cultural disruption of New Orleans…how would we feel with electricity one hour a day, little food, no job, perhaps loved ones dead, our homes and businesses destroyed, our environment polluted with DU ensuring cancer. The war planes and helicopters overhead, the bursting in at the door by military whenever they choose. No law but the law of the gun and the moment. Bombs going off in markets blamed on factions within Iraq. And many probably set by Department of Defense P-2s. Despite their rhetoric they want and foment a fractious, scared to death population to control and distract and disenfranchise as they steal everything. Reverse the situation. Use your imagination. How would you feel? How do you ‘help yourself’ after five years of unthinkable hell? People on this site are very worried about the economy and the quality of their lives disappearing, and rightfully so, we have endured nothing, NOTHING compared to the poor innocent Iraqis who have been invaded and occupied many times during history. No invader has ever been able to remain, and our brave well-intentioned troops are just tools of administration goals. The US has build the largest Embassy there in the world and permanent bases. Do you really believe the propaganda that the Iraqis are not “standing up?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naWeryVJpQA

Suzanne, Crocker seemed mousy to me, but I don’t know if he was dumb or the questions they asked were dumb. Like they really hadn’t followed what was going on - or they just listened to media - rather than did their own research.

Suzanne C. and Frances….There was a truly GREAT man in Iraq in charge of the UN Mission. Sergio Viera del Mello. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sérgio_Vieira_de_Mello He had two Phds from the Sorbonne, was from a very rich family but put himself into dangerous mission always to help the people. He spoke 5-6 languages. Unfortunately I do not have time to write this fully or well. But the idea that he was killed by the blast of insurgents is one I do not buy. He was someone who stood against Paul Bremer and the US and was a heroic voice for justice and reason and that could not be allowed. He did not want to go on this mission, he needed a rest, and everyone knew he was being groomed to take over Kofi Anan’s place. The Bush administration could never have anyone as noble, intelligent and urbane in such stark contrast to them. Sergio would have been a light at the top of the world.