OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - With a son-in-law in Iraq and a son who served in Afghanistan, Kathy Johnston says she wants to make sure her five grandchildren know that it’s important to support U.S. troops, no matter how they feel about the war.

That’s why she, her daughter and daughter-in-law took them Saturday afternoon to the Oklahoma version of Operation America Rising, an event touted as a non-partisan way to express appreciation for the job that U.S. soldiers are doing.

“Her husband wants to be here (at home),” Johnston said, motioning toward her daughter-in-law, Melissa Morning of Fort Bragg, N.C. “But he knows what he is doing is right.

“There is a lot of good going on over there, and we hear about it firsthand, even if the media doesn’t report it,” she added.

Similar rallies - some numbering in the hundreds, others with a handful in attendance - took place in cities and towns across the United States, including Ford City, Pa.; Baton Rouge; Bristol, Conn.; and Denver.

The Oklahoma event, held at State Capitol Park, included three speakers and six bands. All the participants offered their services for free, said Ren Schuffman, the lead singer for Oklahoma City band StoneWater and one of the event’s organizers.

“It’s not anti-war. It’s not pro-war,” Schuffman said. “It has nothing to do with war.”

In Bristol, several hundred people milled under tents, ate picnic food and listened to bands on a school lawn.

“We’re here to support the troops; that’s the bottom line,” said Kevin Martin, Connecticut’s Operation America Rising coordinator.

At least 100 people gathered in Baton Rouge next to the plaza where the battleship museum USS Kidd is docked. Organizer Janet Broussard described it as “speeches, music; just a good-time kind of get-together visit with our veterans.”

The names of the 182 Pennsylvania service members who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan were read aloud to a silent crowd in Ford City. The Veterans of Foreign Wars honor guard then fired a 21-gun salute.

Speakers told the crowd that they can support the troops in tangible ways. Navy Warrant Officer Willie Grier, who served in Iraq, said troops look forward to getting packages containing everything from baby wipes and candy to paper and pens.

read more at USA TODAY

By MARK MAZZETTI
The New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 7 - A secret military operation in early 2005 to capture senior members of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas was aborted at the last minute after top Bush administration officials decided it was too risky and could jeopardize relations with Pakistan, according to intelligence and military officials.

The target was a meeting of Qaeda leaders that intelligence officials thought included Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy and the man believed to run the terrorist group’s operations.

But the mission was called off after Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, rejected an 11th-hour appeal by Porter J. Goss, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, officials said. Members of a Navy Seals unit in parachute gear had already boarded C-130 cargo planes in Afghanistan when the mission was canceled, said a former senior intelligence official involved in the planning.

Mr. Rumsfeld decided that the operation, which had ballooned from a small number of military personnel and C.I.A. operatives to several hundred, was cumbersome and put too many American lives at risk, the current and former officials said. He was also concerned that it could cause a rift with Pakistan, an often reluctant ally that has barred the American military from operating in its tribal areas, the officials said.

The decision to halt the planned “snatch and grab” operation frustrated some top intelligence officials and members of the military’s secret Special Operations units, who say the United States missed a significant opportunity to try to capture senior members of Al Qaeda.

read more at The New York Times

By KRISTYN ECOCHARD
UPI Energy Correspondent

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) — Most Americans are not satisfied with the Bush administration’s efforts on climate change and are concerned about human-caused change to Earth’s climate, according to a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll.

More than 52 percent of respondents rated President Bush’s handling of environmental issues as poor and, in varying degrees, nearly 57 percent of people said that the United States is not doing enough to prevent climate change.

Of those polled, more than half responded that they believe there is some connection between human behavior and global climate change. But whether or not human behavior is a factor, when asked to rate their concern about global climate change 60.5 percent said they were moderately to highly concerned. Also in varying degrees, 62 percent agreed the climate issue is a legitimate problem.

The poll of 8,300 people over three days this month has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.

More than half who took part in the poll, 62 percent, thought that the United States should cooperate internationally on global climate change and should work with groups such as the United Nations or the European Union to address the issue. However, on the question of whether the United States should ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Global Warming, more people, 47.7 percent, felt signing the treaty would put the U.S. economy at a disadvantage to China and India.

Under the treaty, the United States and European countries would have to reduce emissions at a faster rate than China and India, and some have argued U.S. efforts will be in vain until developing nations contribute to the fight against emissions.

While about 50 percent of the respondents recognized that solving global climate change will require considerable economic sacrifices, there were still 26.5 percent who said they would not be willing to pay a higher rate for electricity generated from renewable sources like wind and solar.

Though 67.5 percent said they would be willing to pay more for clean, renewable energy, most of those said they would only accept a price increase of between 1 percent and 10 percent.

While lawmakers have been pushing for alternative fuel sources like biofuels or ethanol from corn, when poll respondents were asked if they would accept an increase in the cost of food due to demand for ethanol, 34.6 percent said no. Of those polled, nearly 94 percent drive their cars on a daily basis and would be impacted by the higher cost of fuel.

NASHVILLE, July 7 (UPI) — The Do It Yourself Network’s “DIY to the Rescue” teamed up with country music stars to renovate four rooms at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.

The catch was that the renovations were done in just three days, The Nashville Tennessean reported Saturday.

The show rescues home renovation projects that have gone bad, but a lot of pressure comes along with renovating the longtime temple of country music.

“Just to come backstage to the Grand Ole Opry is a really amazing experience,” said Amy Devers, co-host of the DIY show with Karl Champley. “The history here is mythical.”

Country music stars Little Jimmy Dickens, Lorrie Morgan, Jamie O’Neal, Chris Young and Trace Adkins took part in the renovation.

“I’m still a little shell’shocked that this is an opportunity I have,” said Alicia Paige Watson, associate producer of the show. “This is the church of country music, this is the Mecca.”

By Phil Stewart
Reuters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in a decree issued on Saturday, authorized wider use of the old Latin mass and told the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics that his nod to Church traditionalists was nothing to be afraid of.

The decree met with mixed reaction from Catholics, ranging from concern among liberal lay groups to a wary welcome from schismatic traditionalists. Two cardinals who had warned about restoring the old rite supported the way the Pope had done it.

One prominent Jewish leader criticized the revival of a prayer for the conversion of Jews, saying the old text was “insensitive … insulting” and said it could set back the historic reconciliation between Catholics and Jews.

In a letter to bishops, the German-born Pontiff rejected criticism within the Church that his long-awaited move could split Catholics and turn back the clock on reforms introduced in the 1960s, which are opposed by many traditionalists.

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) replaced Latin with local languages in the liturgy, reached out to other religions and struck out texts that Jews found particularly offensive.

“This fear is unfounded,” the Pope wrote. “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”

Catholics around the world will have the Pope’s blessing to ask local priests to celebrate mass in Latin or get baptized or married according to the old rite. Few are expected to want to return to the very formal rite in a language they do not speak.

The Pope said he wanted reconciliation with traditionalists, some of whom were so angered by the 1960s reforms that they broke with Rome, causing the first schism of modern times.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

By LARRY McSHANE

NEW YORK - The city where a terrorist attack destroyed the World Trade Center towers has again been stiffed in the distribution of federal anti-terrorism funding, members of the state’s congressional delegation complained Saturday.

The numbers are not official yet, but Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Peter King said the city is scheduled to receive about $134 million from an urban security grant program - an increase of about 8 percent from last year but still $73 million less than the city received two years ago.

“Why do they persist in giving money to places that need it a lot less than New York City?” said Schumer, a Democrat. “It’s a disgrace. It’s confounding. … It’s once again unfair to New York. Our needs are different than any other city.”

Last year, New Yorkers complained long and loudly after the Department of Homeland Security slashed anti-terrorism funding for the city by $83 million. The nation’s largest city lost 40 percent of its funding just five years after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, while federal money was increased in such places as Louisville, Ky., and Omaha, Neb.

“They still just don’t get it,” said King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. “New York is by far the No. 1 terrorist target in the country, and no one else is even a close second. That’s the reality. I’m disappointed and angry.”

Word of the $10 million increase over last year was particularly painful since it came around the same time as terrorist activity in Britain, which led New York City officials to heighten security, Schumer said.

Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, declined to comment, saying it was unclear when the anti-terrorism grants would be officially announced.

Both Schumer and King expressed hopes - and doubts - that the funding would be increased before the announcement.

“I doubt it, but hope springs eternal,” King said. “We need to keep the pressure on.”

By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
from YAHOO! NEWS

WASHINGTON - The nation’s 45 million smokers will probably help pay for the spending increase that Democrats want for children’s health insurance, say analysts familiar with deliberations on Capitol Hill.

Democratic lawmakers will push for $50 billion in new funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next five years. To pay for that increase, they must find new sources of revenue or cut existing programs.

Powerful trade groups representing doctors, hospitals and insurers have united around the idea of taxing tobacco. Democratic leaders have not said to what extent they will agree.

Still, the question now is not whether the tobacco tax will go up - but how much it will go up, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, an advocacy group that promotes universal health insurance.

“I’ve every reason to believe an increase in the tobacco tax will be part of the way expanded health insurance for children is paid for,” Pollack said.

Pollack said his assessment was based on “frequent and relatively recent conversations” with the committees that have jurisdiction over SCHIP. Democrats from the House and the Senate are expected to unveil their respective SCHIP proposals soon.

The federal tax on tobacco stands at 39 cents per pack, and it generated about $7.2 billion in 2005. The money goes into the general fund of the U.S. Treasury.

States also tax cigarettes. The rates range from $2.58 cents a pack in New Jersey to 7 cents a pack in South Carolina.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

By TOM RAUM
from YAHOO! NEWS

WASHINGTON - Dick Cheney, who thrives on secrecy while pulling the levers of power, is getting caught in the glare of an unwelcome spotlight.

Once viewed as a sage and mentor to President Bush, Cheney has approval ratings now that are as low as - or lower - than the president’s. Recent national polls have put them both in the high 20s.

Bush’s decision to spare former Cheney aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison sentence has focused new attention on the vice president and his possible role in the commutation.

Cheney’s relentless advocacy of the Iraq war, his push to expand presidential authority and his hard-line rhetoric toward North Korea and Iran are raising concerns even among former loyalists now worried about the GOP’s chances in 2008.

It seems Cheney fatigue is settling in some Republican circles.

Republican strategist Rich Galen, who worked for both Bush and Bush’s father, said he is finding less interest or enthusiasm for Cheney. “Republicans have, in essence, moved on and focused on who to get behind in 2008,” Galen said.

Cheney has drawn criticism and ridicule from Democrats for his close ties to Libby and for his contention - later modified - that his office is not “an entity within the executive branch.”

Bush last week commuted Libby’s sentence for his conviction of lying to investigators about his role in leaking the identity of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame. Plame’s husband, retired diplomat Joseph Wilson, was a prominent critic of the administration’s case for invading Iraq over weapons of mass destruction.

Bush said the sentence was excessive. The president kept the issue alive by saying he would not rule out an eventual full pardon for Libby.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

By RON WORD
Associated Press Writer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani ran into a buzz saw of opposition Saturday when he explained his opposition to a flat federal income tax.

Giuliani addressed a group of about 500 people in a standing-room only crowd at a town hall meeting at the University of North Florida, answering questions for about 30 minutes on a variety of topics from Iraq and Iran to Social Security and his plan for tax cuts.

Several dozen people jeered when Giuliani, in response to a question, said he would not be in favor of a flat tax.

“I have to study it some more,” the former New York City mayor said. “I don’t think a flat tax is realistic change for America. Our economy is dependent upon the way our tax system operates.”

Giuliani emphasized he supported a simplified tax system and cuts in federal taxes, including elimination of the so-called death tax, but his response to the flat tax question brought some cat calls and jeers. “I have a real question whether it would be the right transition for our economy,” he said.

“I am disappointed in him,” said Ken Mertz of Fernandia Beach. “But he did say he would look into it.”

At a news conference after his speech, Giuliani said that taxes would go down under his presidency, saying his philosophy was different from the Democrats. “They want to see them go up,” he said.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

FROM BLOG: Hybrid Car Reviews - Hybrids are the latest rage in the auto industry. And unlike all the other alternatives, hybrid cars are available today. Find out more about how this affects you at hybridreview.blogspot.com

This is so stupid it makes my head hurt. A Honda Civic Hybrid owner is suing Honda over their mileage claims.

But the EPA is the one who mandates those fuel economy figures on the sticker.

The driver estimates he gets 32 mpg in mixed driving after 6,000 miles, even though the Civic Hybrid is rated to get 49/51.

The lawsuit may come down to a simple wording change. The EPA says mileage will vary, while Honda advertisements say mileage may vary. According to the plaintiff’s attorney, that implies it’s possible to get the mileage advertised.

That’s because it is possible to get the mileage advertised. All Honda needs to do is bring in one hypermiler to counter that claim. Put one guy or girl up on the stand who can show they get well over the mpg rating from the EPA and that argument is out the window.

“I can tell you that the 49/51 figures are EPA numbers, not Honda numbers,” Honda spokesman Sage Marie said Thursday. “Some customers achieve the EPA mpg figures and some don’t, as fuel economy performance is a function of conditions, traffic, driving style, load, etc.”

He said the “vast majority of Civic Hybrid customers are satisfied with the performance since it delivers consistently and substantially higher numbers than comparable nonhybrid vehicles in the real world. It is possible to attain the EPA estimates, and customers do all the time.”

What it comes down to (most of the time) is driving habits. Aggressive driving kills fuel economy every time. The plaintiff in this case will have to show that he consistently drives well. And how do you do that?

But what really drives me nuts about this case is it’s the EPA that rates cars, not carmakers. But suing the car company is probably more profitable.

Source: Hybrid owner sues Honda over mileage claims

By Katherine Baldwin

LONDON (Reuters) - The Red Hot Chili Peppers led dozens of pop stars performing at Live Earth concerts around the world on Saturday to persuade fans and governments to go green.

Crowds poured into venues in Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hamburg and Johannesburg to hear Linkin Park, Rihanna, Shakira, Crowded House, Kumi Koda and many others perform and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore call for action on climate change.

Genesis, Razorlight and Snow Patrol kicked off the event at London’s Wembley Stadium, leading a star’studded cast there including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Spinal Tap, who will play before a less-then-capacity crowd of around 63,000.

Corinne Bailey Rae sang “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)”, Marvin Gaye’s 1971 environment classic, and sets alternated with short videos about climate change and tips on how to slow it.

Following the model of Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005, Live Earth hopes to reach up to two billion people through radio, television and the Internet.

“As a parent I want a decent world for my kids to grow up in and if we can draw attention to this and make people start doing the things that really count … then that will do something,” Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon said in London.

Gore addressed a small event in Washington, where he outlined the seven-point pledge he wants people to take, binding them to cut carbon emissions and lobby governments and employers to do more to save the planet.

“We are excited to share this historic day with some fantastic musicians who are also deeply committed to using their voices and their talents to raise awareness about the climate crisis and how to solve it,” he said.

Gore hopes the concerts will be the start of a three- to five-year campaign to promote awareness of climate change.

read more at Reuters

By Dean Yates
Reuters

It seems the violence gets more intense and tragic with every passing day. Unfortunately, we’re stuck in the sandy hell-hole called Iraq until that oil sharing “legislation” (read: theft) is passed. I feel so sorry for those poor Iraqis. All this money thrown at the no-bid contractors and STILL no electricity or decent, safe drinking water. The Euphrates is so polluted from dead bodies floating in it, they can’t even eat the fish. Minor rant? Yes, but I’m sure many others who read here feel the same way. - JS

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A huge truck bomb killed more than 100 people and wounded 250 in a crowded market in northern Iraq on Saturday, one of the deadliest attacks in the country this year, police said.

Colonel Abbas Mohammed Amin, the police chief in Tuz Khurmato, said he feared the toll would rise after the bomb leveled dozens of shops and small houses.

“There are still bodies under rubble. We are trying to dig them out,” Amin told Reuters, putting the death toll at more than 100. Other police in the town said 105 people were killed.

There had earlier been conflicting reports about the toll in Tuz Khurmato, a largely Shi’ite town, with other police and local officials saying 30 people had been killed.

The bombing was a blow to a U.S.-backed security crackdown in Iraq, and underscored the ability of militants to stage large’scale attacks despite the arrival of nearly 30,000 additional U.S. troops.

U.S. officials blame most major car bombings on Sunni Islamist al Qaeda, which they say is trying to spark full’scale civil war between majority Shi’ites and minority Sunni Arabs.

Jasim Ali, 30, said he looked frantically for his wife when he heard the explosion in Tuz Khurmato.

“I ran to the market and saw burned cars along with dead and wounded people everywhere. I screamed until I found my wife. She was wounded in the head and her hand,” said Ali, his clothes stained with his wife’s blood.

In other violence, the U.S. military reported eight of its soldiers were killed in the past two days, mostly in and around Baghdad.

read more at Reuters

Is it just me, or is anyone else extremely tired of this arrogant, criminal jackass? - JS

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
from YAHOO! NEWS

WASHINGTON - President Bush accused Democratic lawmakers on Saturday of being unable to live up to their duties, citing Congress’ inability to pass legislation to fund the federal government.

“Democrats are failing in their responsibility to make tough decisions and spend the people’s money wisely,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “This moment is a test.”

The White House has said the failure of a broad immigration overhaul was proof that Democratic-controlled Capitol Hill cannot take on major issues. “We saw this with immigration, and we’re seeing it with some other issues where Congress is having an inability to take on major challenges,” said spokesman Tony Fratto.

The main reason the immigration measure died, however, was staunch opposition from Bush’s own base - conservatives. The president could not turn around members of his own party despite weeks of intense effort.

The immigration bill was the top item on Bush’s domestic agenda. With its demise, Bush was left to focus on the annual appropriations process and reining in federal spending.

Twelve annual spending bills dole out approximately one-third of the federal budget. They must be passed each year by Congress, before the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year, but lawmakers began considering this year’s batch just in mid-June. The House has passed half and the full Senate has not yet taken up any.

“Democrats have a chance to prove they are for open and transparent government by working to complete each spending bill independently and on time,” Bush said. “I urge Democrats in Congress to step forward now and pass these bills one at a time. ”

Democratic leaders say they are behind because an emergency spending measure funding the war in Iraq came first. They also had to pass an omnibus measure cleaning up last year’s appropriations mess. Then, the Republicans who then controlled Congress failed to pass into law a single spending bill for domestic agencies save the Homeland Security Department - a situation that brought little complaint from Bush.

read more at YAHOO! NEWS

By MICHAEL LUO

WASHINGTON - Long before her beliefs would be tested in the most wrenching of ways as first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton taught an adult Sunday school class on the importance of forgiveness. It is a lesson, she says, that she has harked back to often.

In 1959, Hillary Rodham, third from left in the third row from the bottom, in a confirmation class photo provided by the Clinton campaign.

“We all have things that oftentimes we-re upset about, or ashamed of, or feel guilty over, and so many people carry these enormous burdens around,” Mrs. Clinton said in a recent interview. “One of the great gifts of faith is to let it go.”

The themes of wrongs, forgiveness and reconciliation have played out repeatedly in Mrs. Clinton’s life, as she has endured the ordeal of her husband’s infidelity, engaged in countless political battles and shared a deep, mutual distrust with adversaries.

Her Methodist faith, Mrs. Clinton says, has guided her as she sought to repair her marriage, forgiven some critics who once vilified her and struggled in the bare-knuckles world of politics to fulfill the biblical commandment to love thy neighbor.

Mrs. Clinton, the New York senator who is seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has been alluding to her spiritual life with increasing regularity in recent years, language that has dovetailed with efforts by her party to reach out to churchgoers who have been voting overwhelmingly Republican.

Mrs. Clinton’s references to faith, though, have come under attack, both from conservatives who doubt her sincerity (one writer recently lumped her with the type of Christians who “believe in everything but God”) and liberals who object to any injection of religion into politics. And her motivations have been cast as political calculation by detractors, who suggest she is only trying to moderate her liberal image.

read more at The New York Times

cross-posted at Think Progress

Today, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered a speech to the Jewish Community Relations Council in New York:

[I]f we flee Iraq, if we do what the Democrats want us to do - which is to not only flee Iraq, not only retreat in Iraq, but give them a timetable of our retreat.

Have you ever heard of that in a history of war? Have you ever heard of an army being required to give a printed schedule of its release to the enemy? It makes no sense, does it? Whether you-re for the war or against it, you would never have an army retreat on a six- month, one-year, 18-month schedule explaining, We-ll reduce the forces by 20,000, then by 30,000, then by 50,000. Gee, you can then figure out when the forces are depleted enough so you can really do damage to them.

Giuliani needs to brush up on his history. A publicly-announced gradual reduction of forces is exactly what the United States did in the Vietnam War. On May 14, 1969, President Richard Nixon laid out an “eight-point peace plan” calling for the gradual withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Vietnam:

Over a period of 12 months, by agreed-upon stages, the major positions of all U.S., allied, and other non-South Vietnamese forces would be withdrawn. At the end of this 12-month period, the remaining U.S., allied, and other non-South Vietnamese forces would move into designated base areas and would not engage in combat operations.

read more at THINK PROGRESS