My letter to Senator Mikulski

[MissWaverly]

Senator Mikulski, it's hard to know where to begin when so much is wrong. But
let me comment on the attack in Somalia where 70 nomads were killed by our
gunships (armed helicopters). This was rationalized as an offensive against
terrorists but once again those targeted were simply innocents who paid with
their lives for our faulty intelligence. I heard on Washington Chronicle
that Somalia is so poor that there are no doctors there. So even a
minor wound is fatal because there is no way to stop the bleeding or prevent
gangrene.

This war on terror is an excuse for gunboat diplomacy throughout
the world without oversight of congress. It has destroyed the credibility
of our country in the eyes of the world. You have to step up to the plate
and insure that Bush is not allowed to attack Iranian citizens, innocent
Somalis or anybody else. There are terrorists in 40-60 nations around the
globe, only a fool would imagine that we could actively fight them in every
country where they exist.

We can not continue to rely on the trust and respect
of other nations when we do not respect their borders and the rights of their
citizens. As for Iraq, I heard Condi Rice promise that we would leave if Iraq
devolved into civil war. Another broken promise, once again. I think that
Congress must rein in this executive. The security of our nation
is at stake and waiting for 2 more years for regime change
is not going to work this time.

[Olney Blue]

1. K and R. Good letter to our senator.

[MissWaverly]

2. Thank you, I feel like Bush completely ignored Dem win in 06

it business as usual for the decider, we need our representatives in Congress more than
ever.

:-)

[Olney Blue]

3. Barbara is fairly low-key, but we need her to step up to the plate.

[MissWaverly]

4. well, she was the only one that grilled Michael Hayden

which took a lot of guts, I feel that if she believes that something is in the best interests for us, she will fight for it.

[Olney Blue]

5. Agree. And her voting record for liberal values is impeccable.

[MissWaverly]

6. it so amazing there is a complete dichotomy now in government

between those who actually act as elected officials and those who act like it's their
birthright who believe that they can do whatever they want w/o consent of the American
people. And it's not just Bush, you could also include Cheney, Gonzales, Tom Delay,
Joe Lieberman, Pat Roberts, et al.

[NJCher]

7. thanks for writing that

I hadn't even heard about this. It makes me sick, and I'm going to write my congressional reps about it, too.

How can this government commit such brutal acts in our names? I am so outraged. I didn't think bush could sink any lower than he already has but this shows otherwise.



Cher

[MissWaverly]

8. I am glad that you read my post

One more letter, one more shout out that we are going the wrong way, one more voice for
the weak, the powerless, the have nots. But history is made by everybody not
just the people at the top of the pyramid. We are not winning hearts and minds with
gunships, this is a psychological war-the war on terror and you can't win it with
a heap of weapons.

[MissWaverly]

9. here's the report of the incident from the Guardian

The British aid agency Oxfam today said US and Ethiopian air strikes against the fugitive Islamists in southern Somalia in recent days had mistakenly killed 70 nomadic herdsmen gathering round fires.

"Oxfam is receiving reports from its partner organisations in Somalia that nomadic herdsmen have been mistakenly targeted in recent bombing raids," the aid agency said in a statement.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1989132,00.html

[MissWaverly]

10. More on raid in NY times

Pentagon Sees Move in Somalia as Blueprint
By Mark Mazzetti
Published: January 13, 2007

Pentagon officials said it is still not known whether any senior Qaeda suspects or their allies were killed in the airstrike on Sunday, carried out by an AC-130 gunship. A small team of American Special Operations troops has been to the scene of the airstrike, in a remote stretch near the Kenya border, to collect forensic evidence in the effort to identify the victims.
Some critics of the Pentagon’s aggressive use of Special Operations troops, including some Democratic members of Congress, have argued that using American forces outside of declared combat zones gives the Pentagon too much authority in sovereign nations and blurs the lines between soldiers and spies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/africa/13proxy.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[MissWaverly]

11. More on US Somali raid in Brit papers= Independent

strikes on al-Qa'ida chiefs kill nomads
By Anne Penketh and Steve Bloomfield
Published: 13 January 2007
The herdsmen had gathered with their animals around large fires at night to ward off mosquitoes. But lit up by the flames, they became latest victims of America's war on terror. It was their tragedy to be misidentified in a secret operation by special forces attempting to kill three top al-Qa'ida leaders in south-ern Somalia.

Oxfam yesterday confirmed at least 70 nomads in the Afmadow district near the border with Kenya had been killed. The nomads were bombed at night and during the day while searching for water sources.

The operation, which opened a new front in Washington's anti-terror campaign, seems to have backfired spectacularly in the five days since it was launched. In addition to the scores of Somali civilians killed, the simmering civil war in the failed state has been rekindled.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2149716.ece