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Political, it would seem. Bipartisan, I can imagine.<br>
<br>
*<br>
Our loyal Democrat friends remind me very little of W.C. Fields
(Foe-rever)<br>
and rather much of Jonah's disappointment at the repentance of Nineveh.<br>
<br>
They only repented because they feared the wrath to come,<br>
thus it was a low grade sort of, if not totally ersatz, self-serving
repentance.<br>
<br>
After all, if Tim Johnson was a real convert, he most certainly would
have found some way<br>
to go back in time and reverse those votes he claims to regret.<br>
<br>
What a counterfeit! <br>
<br>
Those who don't learn to rewrite history are bound to repeal it.<br>
<br>
*<br>
<br>
One of my friends is addicted to placebos. <br>
He'd give them up,<br>
but it wouldn't make any difference.<br>
<br>
<br>
On 7/31/2012 8:17 PM, Paul Mueth wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:B8CD0152-2EDA-40CF-94DB-FB3FB672FDFD@yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<div>Anyone hear what the blackmailer had on Timmie and whether the
animus was personal or political?<br>
<br>
Sent from my iPhone 3GS, It doesn't chat!</div>
<div><br>
On Jul 31, 2012, at 12:26 AM, "John W." <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:jbw292002@gmail.com">jbw292002@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Hasn't Tim Johnson announced that he's not running for office
again? Who is Gill's Republican opponent this time around? Seems to
be we should be more concerned about the current race than about the
actions and motivations of a lame duck Representative.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>John Wason</div>
<div><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 7:43 PM, C. G.
Estabrook <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:cge@shout.net" target="_blank">cge@shout.net</a>></span>
wrote:</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Ricky--<br>
<br>
As was true in Vietnam and Nicaragua, when we're trying to marshall
votes against a criminal war, it's a bit ridiculous not to accept them
if we can't convince ourselves that they're *really sincere*...<br>
<br>
In fact, Tim Johnson has said that he was wrong to vote for war in
Afghanistan and in Iraq, and since then he has been a consistent vote
against any more money for war in the Mideast - one of the few in the
House, where 2/3-3/4 continue to support the war. (And remember there
is just one war from Central Asia to Central Africa, in several
"theaters," as Obama says.)<br>
<br>
David Gill on the other hand, even though he now seems to have said
quietly (only on Facebook comments, so far as I know!) that he would
vote as Tim does, has never admitted that he's changed his position,
even though he originally trumpeted his agreement with Conservative
British MP Rory Stewart about how the occupation of Afghanistan should
proceed.<br>
<br>
Obama mendaciously asserts that he's 'winding down' the war(s), when in
fact he's substantially widening and intensifying them - more brutally
and efficiently than Bush did. (I had a piece in last Sunday's
News-Gazette about his real war policy.) Hypocrisy being the tribute
vice pays to virtue, Obama misleads a public, 2/3-3/4 of which think US
troops should be withdrawn.<br>
<br>
My fear is that David will fall into the administration's arms on this
point (see picture) and say he supports Obama's 'withdrawal.' Johnson's
forthright opposition (whatever his secret heart) to voting for any
more money for war in the Mideast will be lost.<br>
<br>
So I hope, if David becomes the Congress member for IL-13, he'll vote
on the war as Tim did, but I'm not convinced he will. To summarize:<br>
<br>
~ Why hasn't he publicly pledged (as Johnson did) to vote against funds
for war in the Middle East?<br>
~ Why hasn't he admitted (as Johnson did) that he's changed his
position on the war (if he has), since he once espoused Rory Stewart's
views?<br>
~ Why hasn't he publicly praised the bipartisan suit by members of
Congress (including Rep. Johnson) against Obama's obvious violation of
the War Powers Act in Libya (an impeachable offense)?<br>
~ Why hasn't he publicly condemned Obama's murders of US citizens and
children (an impeachable offense)?<br>
~ Why hasn't he publicly condemned Obama's illegal drone wars in six
countries (an impeachable offense)?<br>
<br>
Obviously the most important thing the federal government does is kill
people. Many Americans have worked for years to convince their elected
representatives to prevent the mass murder carried out by the Bush
& Obama administrations on the excuse of 9/11. I'd be sorry to
replace one of the few members of Congress who has voted consistently
against it with someone whose position is not so clear.<br>
<br>
Regards, Carl<br>
<br>
PS - I think I can shed some light on the "secret information ... which
justified ... support for [the invasion of Iraq]" in 2003.<br>
<br>
As the Green party candidate, I ran against Tim for Congress in 2002. I
told him at the time, quite publicly, that he shouldn't vote for the
invasion of Iraq - but he refused to take a position on the matter. I
met with him and his people just after the election (which I lost) and
told them in even more detail why the the invasion was both a crime and
a blunder.<br>
<br>
A short time later, the White House invited in a number of members of
Congress, including Tim, to give them "secret information" that the WH
said sealed the case for war. They told them (I think but cannot prove)
the Niger yellow-cake story, the made-up CIA yarn about how Saddam
Hussein was seeking materials for a nuclear bomb from Africa. That was
the story that eventually led to Amb. Joseph Wilson's revelation of its
falsity, CIA agent Valerie Plame's outing, and the conviction of
Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby. But it served its purpose with a
number of wavering Congressmembers, and we were able to go back the
traditional American pastime of slaughtering Iraqi men women, and
children. (Remember Clinton was responsible for a death of about a
million of them.)</blockquote>
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