Navy to vet: Buy your own Purple Heart

Seventy-five-year-old Nyles Reed, a Korean War veteran, was sent a form letter from Navy Personnel Command saying that he was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he received during that war, but instead of sending him the medal, he got a certificate and a letter telling him they were out of stock and that he could buy the medal himself.

"I can imagine, of course, with what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's a big shortage," Reed said. "At least, I would imagine so."

The form letter from the Navy Personnel Command told Reed he could wait 90 days and resubmit an application, or buy his own medal.

After waiting 55 years, however, Reed decided to pay $42 for his own Purple Heart and accompanying ribbon -- plus state sales taxes -- at a military surplus store.

Read the rest of this post...

McCain confirms Rove oversaw Iraq strategy

Karl Rove made the rounds of the Sunday shows. Basically the same old spin and blatant lies from Bush's brain. More interesting was McCain's analysis of Rove, which he made on "Face the Nation":

Senator John McCain of Arizona, a Republican presidential candidate who followed Mr. Rove on “Face the Nation,” said that history would decide whether Mr. Rove had been “good or bad for American politics,” and that the assessment would depend largely on the outcome of the Iraq war.

Get that? The judgment of Rove's role in politics depends on Iraq. That's because Rove was key to Bush's Iraq strategy. And, that's because for Bush, Iraq has been all about politics and public relations. McCain confirmed it today -- and he should know. The Senator from Arizona fully supports the Bush/Rove "stay the course" in Iraq strategy.

Just last month, Rove was in high level meetings discussing the next political move. Rove is the one that kept telling the media that Bush was going to give another speech on Iraq that would change everything. He used that one a couple times -- and the media dutifully fell for it every time -- as Rove knew they would.

Actually, despite what McCain said, we don't have to wait for history to judge. Iraq is a failure. Bush's presidency is a failure. And, Karl Rove is the political mastermind behind both abysmal failures. A lot of people died because of Rove's political strategy. That's sick and disgusting. Read the rest of this post...

National Black Justice Coalition launches NBJC-TV

Many of you may have not heard of the National Black Justice Coalition. It's an organization that's working hard to counter the bigotry being fomented by the misguided, and oftentimes delusional rants of ministers and community leaders in the black community. It's a challenge to say the least when you have nonsense like this being promoted:

In addition to the damage that gay marriage does to the black family structure that is already under stress, legalization of gay marriage has the potential of endangering the next generation.
-- Bishop Harry Jackson, in a March 12 Town Hall column, " Black Gays Aggressively Enlist in the Culture War"

You got blood vessels and membranes in your behind. And if you put something unnatural in there, it breaks them all up. No wonder your behind is bleeding. It's destroying us. Can't make no connection with a screw and another screw. The Bible says God made them male and female. The Hebrew word Negade, which means complimentary nature - there is something unique to man and unique to woman and it takes those two things to compliment each other. You can't make a connection with two screws. It takes a screw and a nut! (shouting)..."
-- pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church in D.C. (and former mayoral candidate) Rev. Willie Wilson during a recorded sermon (there was applause from the pews).

An even more important goal of the NBJC is to empower the black LGBT community and work with allies to address myriad issues, such as health care, including HIV/AIDS policy and education.

The National Black Justice Coalition envisions a world where all people are fully empowered to participate safely, openly, and honestly in family, faith and community, regardless of race, gender-identity or sexual orientation.

Read more here, or watch the NBJC-TV video below.

The NBJC's 2nd Leadership Conference & 3rd Annual Black Church Summit will be held April 24-26, 2008, with a plan to advance the cause of LGBT rights as the 2008 election nears, and there will be yet another push to co-opt community leaders by the bigoted evangelical right.

The NBJC also teamed with the Human Rights Campaign and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights to produce this ad (click to enlarge), which appeared in Roll Call and USA Today in response to conservative black clergy.

Related:
* Pro-LGBT black clergy ad counters misinformation on hate crimes legislation
* Reporting from the NBJC Second Annual Black Church Summit. Read the rest of this post...

Iraq Debate at the Iowa State Fair

I just got back from Iowa.

I spent a full day last week at the Iowa State Fair which, if you haven’t been, is worth a trip. There is a reason it is on the list of 1001 places to see before you die. The mix of carnival, food, music, games and politicians is very Americana. They have a very good affection for foods on a stick. They also are pretty P.O’d about the war.

I met up with the Iowa Iraq Summer team at 9 AM. Last week two of these folks were invited to dinner with Sen. Chuck Grassley after spending a day tailing him with video cameras.

The first two hours today were spent on WHO radio statewide with radio host Jan Mickelson who is the Rush Limbaugh of Iowa as best I can tell. (Listen here) I was joined by Sus Dinsdale—mother of a two-tour Marine Iraq veteran—who is the Iraq Summer director for Iowa. (We ran into Iraq Summer target Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) after the show but he wasn’t in a chatty mood.)

After the radio show we met up with a reporter in the RV camper Sue had positioned off the fairgrounds to distribute signs and stickers. The RV was plastered with signs and stickers. It also showcased the “Support The Troops, End the War” blimp rented for the fair.

After swapping some Iraq Summer stories with the organizers, we returned to the Fair where John McCain and Bill Richardson were about to make appearances. McCain zoomed up to the stage, spoke for one minute and then left. He was trying to get out of the sun as quickly as possible —- mumbling oddly every few minutes about the sunlight. (The NYT Caucus blog caught it too.)

On my way out of the Fair, McCain went zooming past me again (veering to use the shade of the concession booths) so fast that one woman said to her husband, “Oh, honey. That’s John McCain.” Her husband replied, “Yeah, but we didn’t miss anything.” She responded, “Yeah, not much.”

Iowa was a great cross-section of what’s going on around the country. The public is pissed-off. The politicians aren’t listening. And Iowans are some of the best people to speak truth to power about this.

One of my favorite videos of the summer is from a southern Iowa townhall with Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) where a woman puts him on the hot seat. Grassley is visibly uncomfortable.



That’s all about Iowa for now. Oh yes, I did eat a pork-chop on a stick and I saw the butter cow.

-Tom Matzzie Read the rest of this post...

Poll: New Jersey voters say make marriage equality the law

This post dovetails nicely with Terrance's "Civil Unions: Achievable, Not Equal."

The Garden State legislature, ordered by its high court to either allow gays and lesbians full marriage rights or create civil unions chose the latter, hoping that separate and equal would work. As we know, that hasn't been the case. A new Zogby poll shows that most New Jersey voters are sure that heterosexual marriage will survive if the civil institution is opened to gay and lesbian couples -- and they are ready for that change. From Garden State Equality:

* By 63% to 31%, New Jersey voters say they'd be fine with the state legislature upgrading civil unions to marriage equality.

* By 72% to 21%, New Jersey voters say state legislators would be in no electoral danger if they enacted marriage equality.

* By 61% to 29%, New Jersey voters say they expect the state to enact marriage equality within just a couple of years.

Zogby asked the baseline question - do you favor marriage equality versus civil unions - in two ways. Results are 48% to 45% for marriage equality in one question, 48% to 30% in another.

And a significant 35% of respondents said they would be less likely to do business with a company that denies equal benefits to gay employees. 20% said "much less likely."

What will Rudy Giuliani say about this, considering he thinks New Hampshire has "gone too far" with civil unions? What if "the people" decide to tell their lawmakers to upgrade those CUs to marriage -- is that going too far as well?

One portion of Defense of Marriage Act (the one Hillary Clinton supports retaining), ensures that when you cross state lines, a same-sex marriage could be, depending on what state you're in: 1) null and void, 2) a domestic partnership, or 3) a civil union, with varying rights and responsibilities (or lack thereof).


From Blue Jersey's "Think Equal" campaign.

Related:
* NJ companies stiff couples with civil unions

* Civil unions: more on less Read the rest of this post...

The GOP moral values parade continues

Ah, it's a bumper crop of new entries for the conservative family values monitor.

Case #1: Minnesota State Rep Mark Olsen. The co-sponsor of a (failed) state marriage amendment to ban gays and lesbians from marrying was convicted by a jury for domestic assault. Olsen cried before news cameras last year when he was charged -- he allegedly shoved his wife to the ground several times. He was not sent to the pokey; he received two years probation and must pay fines and court costs. Bonus points: his campaign literature boasts his support for "tougher penalties for crime" and "holding legislators accountable for unethical/illegal activities." Avidor at Dump Mark Olsen has courthouse video.

Case #2: Angelo Cappelli. In St. Petersburg, Florida, he was hailed as a rising GOP star, with an uncanny ability to raise funds, a hot banking job, lots of friends in the local Republican party and he made it a close race for a seat in House District 52. Unfortunately, Angelo's got a little problem.

After a six-week investigation, police arrested Cappelli on Wednesday morning at his lawyer's office on Central Avenue. He faces grand theft and perjury charges, according to St. Petersburg authorities.

Cappelli, 37, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the trust of a deceased bank client. By Wednesday evening, Cappelli was out of jail on $55,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment.

Case #3: Lewis County (Washington State) prosecutor Liam Michael Golden. As reader Paul Barwick noted, "another Republican can't keep it in his pants."

The tomcatting of the elected prosecutor in this conservative rural town has jeopardized as many as four cases brought by his office and prompted a complaint to the state bar association.

Liam Michael Golden, a Republican who ran unopposed for Lewis County prosecutor last November, is facing allegations that he did not properly disclose past sexual relationships with the mother of a victim in one case and the mother of a defendant in another. His office also charged someone with cyberstalking a woman Golden had slept with, though Golden recently turned that case over to a prosecutor from neighboring Thurston County.

Read the rest of this post...

Reminder, AMERICAblog coffee/drinks get together in Paris, today at 630pm

630pm tonight, Sunday August 19th. Just a casual get together at my friend Marcus' art studio. I'll be there.

152, rue Saint Maur, 75011 Paris - Metro Goncourt
code: A4590, premier escalier à gauche, premier étage à droite (entry code is A4590, enter then take the stairs on the left to the first floor, the door is on the right (in France, the FIRST floor is the American SECOND floor, i.e., one flight up from the ground floor))
tél : 01 49 29 08 94. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday morning talk show lineup

Here's the rundown -- Turdblossom's on three of them. I wonder if anyone will ask the "architect" about his "accomplishments" as the head of the Katrina reconstruction project. We all know how that turned out.

FOX NEWS SUNDAY, 9 a.m.: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove.

THIS WEEK (ABC), 10 a.m.: Democratic presidential debate in Iowa.

NEWSMAKERS (C-SPAN), 10 a.m.: Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.).

FACE THE NATION (CBS), 10:30 a.m.: Rove.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC), 10:30 a.m.: Rove.

LATE EDITION (CNN), 11 a.m.: Sens. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) and Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.), Cato Institute senior fellow Stephen Moore and Iraqi parliament member Mahmoud Othman.

Folks -- start a list in the comments of Karl's real "legacy" that he should be asked about on these shows. Read the rest of this post...