Check this out:--
1. George Bush's ratings fall to scary [for him] levels: http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/05/24/bush.poll/index.html
2. His government's been bashed for 3 months straight (a commission looking into 9/11 and what went wrong; abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib; iraq war going wrong--very wrong!; US fuel prices rising; Invesment in housing going down [read--not good for economy] etc etc... basically, lots of failures from his government's side]
3. His opponent in the election catching up and beating him in the polls
4. People not resonating with his "vote for me, i'm the man message!"

what does the Government do in response?
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=1898105&nav=15MVNSrv AND http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/27/terror.threat/index.html

That's right! scare people to be under your control. the 'weird' thing is...
a. the US is not raising the "terror alert" by the very system that it created, even though it's saying there could be a big strike against the country.
b. the say they got info from 'credible sources' but it is not specific enough to warrant a raised state of alertness. so why make a big media splash about it? {dumi-we're making a big splash about it because we can!}

Talk about the convenience use of fear to control people, even in the world's most advanced "democracy!" is psychological fear (which the US government uses) better than the physical fear brutal governments use in other countries...?

i was so tired of the blue background! dark, gloomy! totally not me. i hadn't changed it since i joined way back when ... i like the brighter colors! it's more dumi :D

Either i live in a different reality, or i'm missing something here. People have been tortured in Iraq by US army staff. The United States is therefore responsible. the Commander in Chief has apologized and issued statements. the Minister of Defense has done just that, gone before Congressional committees on the Defense. Newspapers are printing articles and pictures of the abuse and TV talks shows are, well, talking about this abuse.

But what are we, normal people, living in the US, doing about this? what are WE doing to show our outrage!? All of us, Americans or not. i'm outraged that there is no outrage on the streets, that there is not a wave of demonstrations, that those in charge are not being held to a greater degree of accountability.

This torture in Iraq should say a lot about the current US Administration
-Arrogance [they were told about this from a long time ago, but knew better, as is always the case. no one who thinks differently to them can advise them]
-Unaccountability [no one is really being held accountable for this. sure, put the soldiers on trial. but i am sure the rot goes way above their line. and who is responsible for setting the culture within the government? the top dogs. Is the government above the law? US law and International law?]
-Indifferent [do they really care about the impact of these actions, or the messages this sends, aside from the messages that could cost their electibility or their jobs?]
-Undemocratic [democracy is more than just votes. it's also about values. you have to promote and defend democratic values with all the fervor you put into a campaign for votes. i don't think that this is happening.]

it's our responsibility as global citizens to organize against such aggression. to ensure that people are informed and involved in creating a better world. in improving the lot of the planet, in defending human rights, in promoting liberty and democratic integrity!

See http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444

http://antiwar.com/

The photos on the following websites are incredible--as in, unbelievable! i hope it helps to bring awareness of the gross injustices humanity fosters. War seldom, if ever, leads to justice!

http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444

http://antiwar.com/