Right now I am working with the National Indian Child Welfare Association, and advocacy and training organiztion that seeks to improve the quality of social service delivery in Indian country [disclaimer: I am not speaking on their behalf, not or ever]. A co-worker sent me this this morning. The GOP plan--brilliantly described by Republican operative Grover Nordquist--to "shrink the government fown small enough to drown in a bathtub" now extends as far as scrapping years and years of cooperation between the federal government and Indian nations.
Not that one should be shocked to see Congress voting to throw out a treaty that the US has signed, but some treaties are a little older than others, and a little more meaningful. If you are not educated about ICWA (and I certainly wasn't before working here), try googling it. Nopt only has this piece of legislation improved countless lives on the reservations, it has also directly led to innovations in cross-cultural social work (such as extended-family placement and other community-oreiented methodlogies) that have benefitted needy kids all over the US and Canada.
Don't let the GOP--in the spirit of Andrew Jackson--destroy one of the hallmarks of the New Deal era.
[the dates in the linked page are a little wacky, but the hearings are going on now. They had been moved back]
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
On this page, the numbers from the now-infamous Newsweek poll from last week are juxtaposed with the numbers from an online poll, which is still active, asking the same questions. The numbers are quickly stacking up in the skeptics' corner.
Enter the FBI
Newsweek/MSNBC is reporting that the FBI has launched an investigation into the forged Niger/Iraq intelligence, largely due to the insistence of Sen. Jay Rockefeller. The investigation only officially began today, but is already said to have collected damaging and insightful links and data, such as:
The disputed documents were first provided to Italian intelligence services in late 2001, and information about them was then passed along to allied intelligence agencies, including Britain’s MI6 and the CIA.
But the documents themselves didn’t come into the possession of the U.S. government until nearly a year later, in October 2002, sources said, when a foreign individual—described by one source as a journalist—turned them over to the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The motivations of the foreign journalist are unclear but one U.S. intelligence official says he “may have been looking for money”—either for himself or a source who provided the material to him. (The sources did not disclose the identify of the journalist.)
It is so transparent--when one has the access and resources of the FBI--as to only require a few hours of inquiry that this intelligence entered American hands through the most dubious of processes. These findings match eerily with the administration's previously prefered model of getting Ahmed Chalabi and his never-ending parade of "knowledgable" dissidents to tell them what they wanted to hear, it's just that in this instance, they had to seek a little outside assistance as well.
The FBI inquiry is only the first step in the process of erasing the stain that this war has left on our institutions of national security, but if these early leaks are any indication, it's a big step nonetheless.
Newsweek/MSNBC is reporting that the FBI has launched an investigation into the forged Niger/Iraq intelligence, largely due to the insistence of Sen. Jay Rockefeller. The investigation only officially began today, but is already said to have collected damaging and insightful links and data, such as:
The disputed documents were first provided to Italian intelligence services in late 2001, and information about them was then passed along to allied intelligence agencies, including Britain’s MI6 and the CIA.
But the documents themselves didn’t come into the possession of the U.S. government until nearly a year later, in October 2002, sources said, when a foreign individual—described by one source as a journalist—turned them over to the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The motivations of the foreign journalist are unclear but one U.S. intelligence official says he “may have been looking for money”—either for himself or a source who provided the material to him. (The sources did not disclose the identify of the journalist.)
It is so transparent--when one has the access and resources of the FBI--as to only require a few hours of inquiry that this intelligence entered American hands through the most dubious of processes. These findings match eerily with the administration's previously prefered model of getting Ahmed Chalabi and his never-ending parade of "knowledgable" dissidents to tell them what they wanted to hear, it's just that in this instance, they had to seek a little outside assistance as well.
The FBI inquiry is only the first step in the process of erasing the stain that this war has left on our institutions of national security, but if these early leaks are any indication, it's a big step nonetheless.
The MoveOn petition has garnered more than 380,000 signatures at this point, and the Senate is poised to act soon--either today or tomorrow--in deciding whether to launch an independent investigation. It is imperative that all concerned voters call their Senators as soon as possible. You can find their number by clicking here or calling:
Useful Phone Numbers for Accessibility Options
Phone numbers for Senators’ offices, both voice and TTY are available by calling the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 (voice) or 202-224-3091 (tty)
The Congressional Special Services Office: 202-224-4048 (voice) or 202-224-4049 (tty)
The Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339 (voice/tty)
The Washington DC Relay Service: 202-855-1000 (voice) 202-855-1234 (tty)
My Senators (from Oregon) can be reached here:
Senator Ron Wyden
DC Phone: 202-224-5244
Senator Gordon H. Smith
DC Phone: 202-224-3753
I'll be calling them both today at lunch. With MoveOn, we are now able to stay ahead of the legislature. If our voices are heard clearly, then the rest of the world of politics will know that online civil society has emerged. That might kill the "if it's so cutting edge, how come only the progressives are doing it?" rhetoric, one would hope.
Useful Phone Numbers for Accessibility Options
Phone numbers for Senators’ offices, both voice and TTY are available by calling the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 (voice) or 202-224-3091 (tty)
The Congressional Special Services Office: 202-224-4048 (voice) or 202-224-4049 (tty)
The Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339 (voice/tty)
The Washington DC Relay Service: 202-855-1000 (voice) 202-855-1234 (tty)
My Senators (from Oregon) can be reached here:
Senator Ron Wyden
DC Phone: 202-224-5244
Senator Gordon H. Smith
DC Phone: 202-224-3753
I'll be calling them both today at lunch. With MoveOn, we are now able to stay ahead of the legislature. If our voices are heard clearly, then the rest of the world of politics will know that online civil society has emerged. That might kill the "if it's so cutting edge, how come only the progressives are doing it?" rhetoric, one would hope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)