November 20, 2005
-
SUNDAY GOOD NEWS
Out of nowhere last Thursday, a champion worth rallying behind. And it would have to be out of nowhere, because none of the Big Players has had the scrap to step up and say it. Bring the troops home NOW. Not Hillary Clinton, most likely Democratic candidate for President next time around, not John Kerry, candidate last time around. Surprisingly, it was the
vice-presidential candidate, John Edwards, who ran an article in the Washington Post last Sunday who kind of started the ball rolling when at least he announced he was mistaken to vote to go to war in Iraq. But the big hoo-ha happened on Thursday, when Representative John
Murtha, Democrat from Pennsylvania, decorated ex-Marine Vietnam and Korean War veteran stunned everybody by calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, giving all the reasons we’ve been hearing pundits gabble about for weeks now but having the brass to come right out and say let’s quit talking and do something about it. What followed was pandemonium. Before you could say “freakout,” Republican leaders were
accusing Democrats of siding with terrorists. Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) declared: “Murtha and Democratic leaders have adopted a policy of cut and run. They would prefer that the United States surrender to the terrorists who would harm innocent Americans. To add insult to injury, this is done while the president is on foreign soil.” I watched
on C-Span as some Republican got up and called Murtha a “coward”, which apparently is forbidden by House etiquette, and there were loud shouts from angry Democrats in the background. However, what I’m seeing in the aftermath is that nobody who counts is going to step up and really support Murtha’s salvo. It wasn’t a hallucination though – it really did happen. I saw it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears. Just for a moment the invisible elephant in the middle of all our living rooms materialized and could be touched from head to tail and identified. I never heard of this guy before – Murtha. No matter what happens next, today he’s my Sunday Good News.
Deep Thought: “I’ll never forget the time the president came to our town. When I saw
him go by, he looked so much older and sadder than I thought he was. Also, why was he driving an ice cream truck?”
Today I am grateful for: Banks, I think
Guess the Movie: “It’s there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets,
following me, silently, but I can feel it there. It’s me, pursuing myself! I want to escape, to escape from myself! But it’s impossible. I can’t escape, I have to obey it. I have to run, run… endless streets. I want to escape, to get away! And I’m pursued by ghosts. Ghosts of mothers and of those children… they never leave me. They are always there… always, always, always!, except when I do it, when I… Then I can’t remember anything. And afterwards I see those posters and read what I’ve done, and read, and read… did I do that? But I can’t remember anything about it! But who will believe me? Who knows what it’s like to be me? How I’m forced to act… how I must, must… don’t want to, must! Don’t want to, but must! And then a voice screams! I can’t bear to hear it! I can’t go on! I can’t… I can’t…” Answer: M, 1931.
Winner: sherab_zangmo.
Uproar in House as Parties Clash on Iraq Pullout
by Eric Schmitt
WASHINGTON – Republicans and Democrats shouted, howled and slung insults on the
House floor on Friday as a debate over whether to withdraw American troops from Iraq descended into a fury over President Bush’s handling of the war and a leading Democrat’s call to bring the troops home. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 7:32 pm
+ = Stunning fall weather.
- = But cold, damn cold.
Comments (14)
He is indeed the good news!
It would seem he has rattled thier cage.( his fellow politicians )..and even dangled some keys in front of them…we shall see….. Peace
I was amazed when I heard what Murtha had done. After reading up on his background I was even more impressed with this decorated war hero standing up and and publicly calling for withdrawal of the troops.
Truth be told I don’t know what we should do. I have a friend who has a husband right there in the midst of it and he said it would be disasterous for the Iraqis for us to up and leave now.
I think its a mess that Bush has pulled us into and I’m not sure that there can be a good outcome.
What a frenzy they all got themselves in!! bout time.
Movie is M. I haven’t watched it though..sounds creepy!
Wow, I’m surprised you got the movie so fast. It’s an old one. “M” is correct!
Murtha’s signal in Washington was far larger then you might realize…
Murtha is an incredible man, isn’t he?
I’ve heard a few people who have served over there say that we need to withdraw and that the Iraqi’s are tribal people who want to govern themselves according to their customs. These are foot soliders who say that. If they can see it why can’t our government?
murtha is a fairly understated guy but also well respected. the white house and their little yes men sickened me with their comments. his home folks applaud him for standing up. after all, it’s getting to be a frequent report on the news that someone in murtha’s district has been killed or injured in the war.
Murtha’s my hero as well. But I read the article you linked. 403-3 against the motion to withdraw our troops? Omigod, we’re worse off than I thought. Will there ever be sanity in Washington?
Murta may not have won the day, but he started a spark that the people heard. There is hope.
Just stopped by to say hello. Interesting article. I had heard the news but didn’t manage to get all the details. Good for him. It’s about time someone admitted it just might have been a mistake
I’m glad he had the balls. Though they’re completely misconstruing what he’s said. The clips buzzing around is that he called for an “immediate withdrawal,” when he called for a plan for immediate withdrawal.
I signed a petition to bring them home over and over. Thank God someone stood up and declared that they would like to see them come home. Judi