"Sunday Night Films Not Seen in a Theater Near You" Aug. 16 in Laramie

Nancy Sindelar sends this from Laramie:

Sunday, August 16, Laramie: Double Feature -- Rick Steves' Iran Yesterday and Today and Fallout: Coming Home from the War in Iraq.

The Laramie Film Society and the Wyoming Peace, Justice, and Earth Center (publishers of Nancy's nifty newsletter) are cosponsoring the "Sunday Night Films Not Seen in a Theater Near You" series for the third summer. Proceeds are used to upgrade the projection and sound set up at the library.

Films begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany County Public Library, 310 S. 8th St. Get information at www.film.laramie.wy.us or http://www.ghosttownmovie.com/#/home. Free, soda and popcorn provided, donations accepted.

Kucinich pushes Bush impeachment

Dennis Kucinich, the tallest person in the U.S. House of Representatives, presented articles of peachment this evening. Here's a clip from the Chicago Tribune story:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential contender, said Monday he wants the House to consider a resolution to impeach President Bush. Speaker Nancy Pelosi consistently has said impeachment was “off the table.”

Kucinich, D-Ohio, read his proposed impeachment language in a floor speech. He contended Bush deceived the nation and violated his oath of office in leading the country into the Iraq war.

Kucinich introduced a resolution last year to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. That resolution was killed, but only after Republicans initially voted in favor of taking up the measure to force a debate.

Send Dennis your regards at http://kucinich.house.gov/

What's $100 a barrel and rhymes with "toil?"

Pres. Bush met with our Saudi Arabian overlords today. And just what is the Prez whispering to King Abdullah? Or is that a kiss? Probably not. A kiss would have to be planted on another part of the king's anatomy.

Reuters had the lowdown:

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah hosts George W. Bush at his desert playground on Tuesday when the U.S. president will get a taste of how the royals live in the world's richest oil-producing monarchy.

Setting aside serious talk of Middle East peace, Iranian challenges and controversial arms deals that dominated day one of his visit, Bush will trade in his business suit for more casual attire and stay the night at the sprawling tent-like structure with walls made of silk.

Even the Arabian stallions the king raises at his Al Janadriyah "horse farm" near Riyadh lead lives of luxury. They are kept in climate-controlled, air-conditioned stables and are treated to aqua-therapy.

The special hospitality is for a U.S. president who hosted Abdullah as crown prince in Crawford, Texas, in 2002 and 2005.

When Bush walked arm-in-arm with Abdullah at his ranch nearly three years ago, oil cost $54 a barrel, a level the Saudi government admitted then was "clearly too high."

Oil is now hovering near $100 a barrel and many Americans are griping about their tax dollars helping to underwrite the defense of wealthy Gulf allies, so the issue may come up again.

Home from Iraq for Christmas

Our plane was late. Good thing for the eight Air Force guys who showed up right before the regular boarding time. Some were in desert camouflage uniforms, others wore civvies. All had short haircuts. "Iraq," I guessed. "Maybe Afghanistan."

Iraq, it turns out. One of the airmen sat next to me in row 31 on the flight to Denver. They had been eight months in Kuwait. Their job was driving the trucks that supply to U.S. military throughout Iraq. The guy next to me, Greg from southeastern Idaho, estimated that he drove 20,000 miles in his eight-month stint. Sometimes he drove, sometimes he rode shotgun – in this case, a government-issue automatic weapon. I asked him if they had any problem with I.E.D.s. He looked at me as if I was crazy. "Yeah," he said simply. "It wasn't any fun.

That may be the understatement of the year.

Greg and his buddies had departed Kuwait Sunday morning. A five-hour flight to Germany. Eight hours to Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI). Four hours to Denver. Greg’s next flight was to Spokane where he was stationed at Fairchild AFB. Then he was off to his family near Idaho Falls for Christmas. His brother won't be there because he's in Afghanistan until April.

Before joining the Air Force two years ago, he was part of a harvesting crew that spent the summer and fall roaming the high prairie cutting wheat, corn, and soybeans. Wheat in the Dakotas, corn in Kansas and Nebraska, soybeans in Missouri. He said that he dropped on Cheyenne Frontier Days a few times during his travels. A few days in Cheyenne and then, like an 1880s cowhand, he was off to greener fields, or maybe I should say ripening fields? So now he travels the world with the Air Force. Join the Air Force and drive a big rig to Kirkuk and Ramadi and Fallujah!

Greg and his buddies threw back the drinks. Who could blame them? They were young and fatigued and happy to be out of the war zone. They all had I-Pods. Greg’s was stored in a sturdy black metal case. I didn’t have to ask him why. His buddy across the aisle wore civvies and a do-rag on his head. He was plugged into music, as was the buzz-headed airman in front of him. A few rows up, another airman was reading a book about Iran. Didn’t see the whole title, but he was reading up, just in case our presdident makes yet another dumb move.

Many of us had short connections in Denver. One airman had six minutes to catch his flight to Salt Lake City. Greg and his pal Matt had 30 minutes. I only had 15 minutes and a colleague and I ran to the A concourse only to find that it had been cancelled and we had to wait two hours for another. But, as I sit here on a Monday morning in Cheyenne, I realize I’d only been gone five days to an arts conference in Baltimore. These guys hadn’t seen family for at least eight months. I wish them well and hope they don’t have to return to Bush’s Insane War in Iraq.

Kucinich: Bush ready for loony bin?

Rep. Dennis Kucinich's comments Tuesday about President Bush's mental stability regarding reckless war-making bear repeating. This story comes from philly.com:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D. Ohio) suggested today that President Bush's comment about a nuclear Iran precipitating "World War III" is a sign of mental instability.

"I seriously believe we have to start asking questions about his mental health," Kucinich, a back-of-the-pack candidate for president, said in an interview with The Inquirer's editorial board. "There's something wrong. He does not seem to understand his words have real impact."

At a news conference two weeks ago, Bush said, "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

“Dennis Kucinich has always been a hard guy to take seriously. but this takes the cake," said Dan Ronayne, Republican National Committee spokesman. "Maybe he thinks preposterous quotes are the only way he can get his failed campaign any attention.”

Kucinich, who thinks Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached and
charged with war crimes, is running sixth in most national polls. He said he doesn't believe his comments about the president's mental health are irresponsible.

"You cannot be a president of the United States who's wanton in his expression of violence," Kucinich said. "There's a lot of people who need care. He might be one of them. If there isn't something wrong with him, then there's something wrong with us. This, to me, is a very serious question."