Fitz!

twolf—how do you do it?

Great choice for Book Salon, Jane.

Scarecrow @
3

Great choice for Book Salon, Jane.

Cliff actually suggested it. I thought it would be perfect for a holiday book salon.

No doubt it’ll drive the wingers crazy, but what can I say, it’s a short trip.

I’m glad somebody has written a book about Marla. Another one of her many activities was an attempt to create a way to accurately count Iraqi casualties. She was getting close to starting a pilot project when she perished.

As some here know, I’ve devoted a lot of attention to Rachel Corrie since 2003. Marla Ruzicka was and is every bit as important as Rachel Corrie.

Esten!

Marla!
Rachel!

Wingnuts like to talk about bringing liberty and freedom to Iraq and Afghanistan, but when someone actually, like, goes there and tries to help the people it drives the wingnuts batty.

Jane Hamsher @ 4

Scarecrow @
3

Great choice for Book Salon, Jane.

Cliff actually suggested it. I thought it would be perfect for a holiday book salon.

No doubt it’ll drive the wingers crazy, but what can I say, it’s a short trip.

Bo doubt that all we’ll here from the wingers is “are we there yet, are we there yet?”

Echoing the good words about Marla. I’ve read many good things about her. The world is suffering in the loss of her.

After Marla Ruzicka died, I started checking Ann Coulter’s columns and Michelle Malkin’s site, and the sites of a few other wingnut harpies, to see how long it would take ANY of them to honor Marla. I’m still waiting.

Ed*ard Teller @ 9

After Marla Ruzicka died, I started checking Ann Coulter’s columns and Michelle Malkin’s site, and the sites of a few other wingnut harpies, to see how long it would take ANY of them to honor Marla. I’m still waiting.

that’s because you refused AC’s offer of breath mints:

“Liberals are like people with stale breath talking into your face at a party. You try backing away from them or offering them gum, but then they just start whimpering. They’ve been using the exact same talking points about how we’re losing in Iraq since before we invaded.

“It seems they’ve finally succeeded in exhausting Americans and, thereby, handing a victory to al-Qaida.” — Ann Coulter, whose argument on the war now essentially seems to be damning liberals — she refers to them as “al-Qaida in America” — for being, well, so damn right about the war.

Marla was a true secular saint - what a great choice for Christmas Eve. She died on the damned road to the Baghdad airport. I’ve been in mourning for her for a long time.

From a column by Bob Herbert, The agony of war

This stunning lack of interest in the toll the war has taken on civilians is one of the reasons Ms. Ruzicka, who was just 28 when she died, felt compelled to try to personally document as much of the suffering as she could. At times she would go from door to door in the most dangerous areas, taking down information about civilians who had been killed or wounded. She believed fiercely that Americans needed to know about the terrible pain the war was inflicting, and that we had an obligation to do everything possible to mitigate it.

Her ultimate goal, which Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is pursuing, was to establish a U.S. government office, perhaps in the State Department, to document the civilian casualties of American military operations. That information would then be publicly reported. Compensation would be provided for victims and their families, and the data would be studied in an effort to minimize civilian casualties in future operations.

War is always about sorrow and the deepest suffering. Nitwits try to dress it up in the finery of half-baked rationalizations, but the reality is always wanton bloodshed, rotting flesh and the lifelong trauma of those who are physically or psychically maimed.

More than 600 people attended Ms. Ruzicka’s funeral on Saturday in her hometown of Lakeport, Calif. Among them was Bobby Muller, chairman of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. A former Marine lieutenant, he knows something about the agony of war. His spinal cord was severed when he was shot in the back in Vietnam.

He told the mourners: “Marla demonstrated that an individual can make a profound difference in this world. Her life was dedicated to innocent victims of conflict, exactly what she ended up being.”

By sharing Firedoglake with a smart, caring host like Cliff, and the author, Jennifer Abrahamson, of a wonderful and important book about such a remarkable person such as Marla Ruzicka, you have given your readers, and Jennifer’s, a wonderful holiday gift.

Thanks Cliff and Jennifer. Perfect timing.

I know we’re not supposed to go OT during book salon, but maybe I’ll be forgiven this once…

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Solstice, Meaningful Kwanzaa, and just all the best wishes I can come up with for everyone. Here’s your present: (open it with the sound on…)

http://www.peacecandy.com/gwbush/dishonestdubya/

Ah, it’s true. The joy of the holidays IS in the giving!

Jane Hamsher @ 4

Scarecrow @
3

Great choice for Book Salon, Jane.

Cliff actually suggested it. I thought it would be perfect for a holiday book salon.

No doubt it’ll drive the wingers crazy, but what can I say, it’s a short trip.

707!

Sorry if my 707 was not in harmony with this thread. But I did think what Jane said was funny.

Media want documents in CIA leak case

Two news organizations are asking a federal judge to unseal documents in the CIA leak case, arguing that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald never needed the testimony of reporters because he knew the source of the leak all along.

The Associated Press and Dow Jones, in court papers filed this week, asked for the release of the sworn statements Fitzgerald gave to justify subpoenas for New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper.

Fitzgerald wanted the reporters help in his investigation of the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

twolf1 @ 17

Media want documents in CIA leak case

Two news organizations are asking a federal judge to unseal documents in the CIA leak case, arguing that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald never needed the testimony of reporters because he knew the source of the leak all along.

The Associated Press and Dow Jones, in court papers filed this week, asked for the release of the sworn statements Fitzgerald gave to justify subpoenas for New York Times reporter Judith Miller and Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper.

Fitzgerald wanted the reporters help in his investigation of the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

Let them wait until the trial…
The WSJ is a capitalist tool!
Jack

Marla Ruzicka, Rachel Corrie, Megan McClung, Anwar Al-Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, Bobby Kennedy. These people belong to the ages.

neurophius @ 16

Sorry if my 707 was not in harmony with this thread.

give your 707 a breath mint and we’ll be even

Thanks, Jane, for another great addition to the Book Salon!

And to you and all the wonderful Firepups –

Don’t know how much I’ll be able to join in during the next few days, as we’ll have Mr. K8’s brother here — someone we only get to see once a year — and tho unable to stay on my feet much, we want everything to be welcoming for our special guest. We start the decorating tonight.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t pop in now to tell you how much you all will be in my heart this Christmas. I’m so grateful for this community — for the amazing hard work of our Ladies of the Lake, all the fabulous front page posters, and every one of you terrific commenters.

When I look at the glow of our tree (which goes up tomorrow!) and the star on top, and make a silent prayer for all who mean something special to me, and for all those in the world who love justice and truth and long for peace — you all will be there, held warmly and in hope for blessings to come.

Feeling the need to have a cry just a few minutes ago for all those who suffer this year (and having that cry stuck deep down, frozen, unable to be released) I went to youtube to play the one Christmas song which is always guaranteed to let my personal floodgates lose — in a good, cathartic way!

So I thought I’d share this link, for anyone else here who loves this haunting sound of Christmas longing and love –

The Pretenders:
2000 Miles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Inma6Xz_PvM

It’s a very, very nice live acoustic version which I hadn’t heard before.

Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!

Great choice.

OT: this has probably already been noted. how are the freepers going to spin this one?

Documentary: US Kept French From Taking Out bin Laden

Remarkable if true:

A documentary says French special forces had Osama bin Laden in their sights twice about three years ago but their U.S. superiors never ordered them to fire. . . . The documentary, due to air next year and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, says the troops could have killed the al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan but the order to shoot never came, possibly because it took too long to request it. “In 2003 and 2004 we had bin Laden in our sights. The sniper said ‘I have bin Laden’,” an anonymous French soldier is quoted as saying.

Mrs.K8: Merry Christmas and thanks for the link. Here’s mine, A men’s choral group from SF, Chanticleer: Ave Maria:

I might not get another chance before the big day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.

Jamie McIntire on CNN says Gates received mixed signals from U.S. personnel in Iraq on the advisability of escalation. Says Gates has not made up his mind.

OT - Tis the season for year end roundups:

Most outrageous [WINGNUT] comments of 2006 ~ http://mediamatters.org/items/200612220013

Mrs. K8:
The Pretenders: 2000 Miles

beautiful. thanks. always loved that song.

neurophius @ 26

Jamie McIntire on CNN says Gates received mixed signals from U.S. personnel in Iraq on the advisability of escalation. Says Gates has not made up his mind.

The “mixed signals” was a set up. All the generals are skeptical, but someone set up a lunch for Gates with a hand-picked group of troops, who all wanted reinforcements.

new thread

Scarecrow @ 24

Mrs.K8: Merry Christmas and thanks for the link. Here’s mine, A men’s choral group from SF, Chanticleer: Ave Maria:

I love the Ave Maria. My late mother loved it too. May the Holy Mother smile upon you. Merry Christmas.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 31

Scarecrow @ 24

Mrs.K8: Merry Christmas and thanks for the link. Here’s mine, A men’s choral group from SF, Chanticleer: Ave Maria:

I love the Ave Maria. My late mother loved it too. May the Holy Mother smile upon you. Merry Christmas.

There was a parallel effort to count the dead and wounded after the Beslan school bombing in Russia. They wanted the names and the numbers to be recorded.

It’s going to be a mighty long list of dead and wounded Iraqis.

Yay beacon of freedom.