Not completely related - but to do with Iraq and the US Military and came out Feb 8 - if all three opposition parties support Chow's motion, it will pass even though the Prime Minister and his party are dead set against it:

The courage to resist: war resisters fight to stay

... On November 15, 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected hearing the deportation appeal by Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, both of whom had first been rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board in 2005. War resisters, such as Hinzman and Hughey and others, are currently facing the risk of deportation.

On the political front, with the help of NDP MP Olivia Chow, the war resisters' case was brought to the federal Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. On December 6, 2007, the Committee voted seven to four in favour of allowing war resisters refugee status and to immediately halt all deportations.

The motion sets the political stage to allow "…conscientious objectors and their immediate family members (partners and dependents) who have refused or left military service related to a war not sanctioned by the United Nations" sanctuary in Canada in the future. The issue is now up for a full three-hour debate before the complete House of Commons.

The War Resisters Support Campaign expects that a united opposition could be the majority force to get the motion passed.

With the ghost of Trudeau pirouetting above them, many are expecting the Liberals to support the motion as well, although party leader Stephane Dion has yet to make a formal statement.

http://rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml?sh_itm=7ffbbb1e9c814aa4dc9c09e2ef704a6b&rXn=1&

If it serves to keep the country destabilized than it's on the table for the White House. Once we got all the oil then we'll leave.
Hoa binh

The point here, most relevant to U.S. presidential politics, is that the "surge" played a minor role in reducing violence in Iraq. "The ICG said the drop was mainly due to [anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's] August 29 declaration of a six-month ceasefire."

Bush was born on third and thought he hit a triple.

The Mahdi militia is lying low and Bush calls the surge a success.

Violent radicals come into Iraq from Saudi Arabia and Bush blames Iran.

Petraus secures Mosul ands now it is largely destroyed and chaotic.

It truely is an upside down world we are living in.

Moqtada al-Sadr is smart enough to know that the Yanks can't maintain their surge indefinitely. When the US military has to retrench due to logistical realities, he will make his move. He wants to be the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iraq-Nam, and we helped him do it.

ICG - another George Soros funded crew - grain of salt rule in effect.

It's like Napoleon in Egypt. He scares off the chiefs at first with huge western military style force--it freaks 'em out because they fight bandit style.

Then they retreat. And then harass. And then they come asking for favor. And they laugh.

Then the western guy finally leaves, his forces distraught and in disarray and they vie for power.

One million dead...so they're no longer part of the equation.

Two million left the country...so they're no longer part of the equation.

Two million more have left their homes and moved to neighborhoods of the same religious affiliation...so they're no longer part of the equation.

And they wonder why violence is down???

This is success??

HUH? SHORT SIGHTED? More like DIM-WITTED! We are Shi'i, reformists and organizers as well? a list of duties in his job description!
We have to get gone. too much death, too many lives never the same, which in turn affects others... The numbers are to infinity, i suppose....
Bring them home, everyone needs to be alive without a life, though...freaking sad, tragic, they are shameless.

If everyone thinks we should be out of Iraq, why wasn't Ron Paul the nominee?

Where are the priorities here? Is it the stock market or American lives? What about human lives in general?

What is wrong with the voters? Are they so sophisticated that the leader of this country needs to be a war hero, a GQ look-alike, or a man of the cloth in order to get the vote?

What idiocy.

@g l tirebiter
What do you have against George Soros?

Bush and his administration are known to have told 935 lies about Iraq to try to justify the illegal attack and occupation of the country.

Why aren't they held accountable? Why is the U.S. military still in Iraq? When a wrong has been committed, isn't it supposed to be rectified and the wrong-doing immediately stopped?

The U.S. continues to drop bombs on civilians; therefore, the U.S. sponsors terrorism along with Israel.

WTF - nuttin' personal - I've never met the chap.

However, he's got a clear agenda and is more than happy to spread his millions around with various activist groups to push that agenda.

Listen - I'll make you a deal.

I stop asserting that Soros funded groups are simply mouthpeices for his agenda if you (i.e. the corporate "you" on CommonDreams) stop asserting that scientists who question the work of global climate change alarmists are mouthpieces of the oil companies.

The name of this site is 'Common Dreams'...

I am making a motion that we rename it "Common Nightmares', or perhaps 'Bad Dreams & Worse News'.

By collecting all these exposes in one place, I think it makes many of us feel hopeless if not suicidal.

It's not as if these authors offer up proposals for positive action: We can either contribute to this cause, sign yet another petition, or fall on our swords!

At least when John Edwards was campaigning, he was organizing community actions and actively seeking to bring a bit of optimism into the room rather then more gloom and doom.

ddell asks "If everyone thinks we should be out of Iraq, why wasn't Ron Paul the nominee?"

Well, maybe it is the other stuff he preaches that frighten us to death. Stuff like expanded personal freedom, limited Government, non-intervention in other countries' internal affairs and sound money.

What gives? This guy is beginning to sound like the Aflac Duck.

I often hear people criticize the public schools- I say them Government schools have done their job!

The burden true liberals have to carry is akin to that of a torch carrying Olympic runner-as in ancient Greece, not the modern day prosodies. We keep the light moving, in the dark, the rain, the snows and the loneliness and pathos. We were preceded by the experience of Jeremiah, the ancient prophet who stood outside the gates of the city, rebuking the residents for having lost their vision of justice and truth in their daily lives.

Carrying the torch, exclaiming for justice, stating our woes without whining, these are our duties and if the draught of the cup is bitter, more bitter still is a life lived where we kept quiet, and died in shame, to have never struggled against evil.

Bravo, Thaddeus.

xntrk, nightmares are what this administration has imposed on us and the world. Should we stick our heads in the sand and ignore what's going on and live in our own little bubble and pretend everything is okay?

I read Common Dreams to keep up with what's happening. I prefer the truth to fantasy so I continue to read. If the news is disturbing, so be it.

They keep telling us the 'Surge is working' while almost every day there are 4 to 5 service men killed from roadside bombs????? I don't entirely buy the governments tales. It doesn't seem to me like a civil war burns itself out that quickly. There might be a lull in it and it flare up again at a later date. I am certain there is a lot American's just aren't hearing about because it's an election year. If the truth be told the Republican's will never get reelected!

It is dangerous to arm the Sunni militias in an effort to combat Al Qaida. Once they are done there, they can easily turn their new arms and training on Shi'ite and U.S. Military personnel.

When Iraq was fighting Iran in the 80s, we backed Saddam. After that war Saddam became our enemy. Why create long term future wars with short sighted policy in the near term?

Lillulu and Thadeus: I wasn't advocating sticking my head in the sand or ignoring the multitude of problems facing our world.

I simply was asking for a little truth in advertising: the onslaught of news and articles appearing here is a lot of things, but 'Common Dreams' doesn't describe it at all.

Also, abandoning optimism leads to apathy on the part of the public. Motivating people to act is much easier if people believe they can make a difference. That is why I mentioned the Edward's Campaign: he didn't go home to sulk, he picked up a hammer and got to work.

Michael Moore is another activist who promotes social improvement by involving us in his many projects if only as veiwers. He uses humor and hope to keep slogging thru the swamp of modern society.

Jeremiah and Cassandra were right with their messages of doom and gloom, but what did they really change? At least Noah built and ark...

People, if you dont like it here please do all us smart people a favor and leave the country or just roll over and die, cause thats all your good at. Once you see how good you all have it here you wont be so fast to criticize our government and how we help other countries.

There is an online petition asking the DNC to choose the candidate with the most votes and delegates rather than take the chance on a secret backroom deal.

Please sign the petition and pass it on to your friends.

Petition http://www.petitiononline.com/Superdel/petition.html