Retired Military Ask Obama to Undo Bush Policies

Retired military leaders gave Obama a list of things today that need to be done and undone.

WaPo: They are going into the meeting armed with a list of "things that need to be done and undone," retired Marine Gen. Joseph Hoar, chief of the U.S. Central Command from 1991 to 1994, said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

"It is fairly extensive," Hoar said.

Top on the list is the CIA's authority, granted by the White House, to use harsh interrogation methods that go beyond those approved for use by the military. They are said to include prolonged sleep deprivation, painful stress positions and waterboarding, though the agency says the last method has not been used since 2003.
....
The group, which represents more than three dozen retired military officers with nearly 80 stars between them, is also pushing for an end to extraordinary renditions_ the secret transfer of prisoners to other governments that have a history of torture_ and the closing of the U.S. jail at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, something Obama has already announced he plans to do.

They believe Obama's election, and a stark contrast between his policies and Bush's, can reverse the decline in world opinion about the United States. They tie much of that decline to Guantanamo and detainee abuse, they said.

Torture and Fisa Not the Same

I avoid violence on TV or movies, so this blog, which includes a graphic photo, was somewhat shocking but Andrew Sullivan at the Atlantic makes his point. 

Obama on Faith at the Compassion Forum

what's so exciting about the compassion forum? it's giving democrats a chance to speak about faith since cheney and his sidekick bush hijacked faith and made it something ugly. they used it as a wedge to divide people.

perhaps there is hope that eventually the loud and harsh voices of rush limbaugh and his lot and the right wing extremists will begin to diminish in favor of a middle ground. the same on the liberal end. there has to be more meeting up in the middle.

i didn't catch it all but here is some of what obama had to say at the compassion forum. i'll post video as it comes available.

since obama's faith is part of who he is and he spoke naturally.

on the question of faith-based initiatives, he said they should targeted at alleviating poverty.

he was asked about torture: “we do not torture. period”
that will be my position as president. we don’t farm out torture. we don’t subcontract torture.

“we are going to lead with out values and our ideas.”

on the issue of of church and state.
“we’ve fallen into a false debate.”
all of us come to the public square with our values and our ideas. people have the right to come with their religious faith. imagine dr. king scrubbing his religious references. we need to translate our respective religious language into a universal language that can appeal to everybody. we are not just a christian nation. we are all different religions and atheist.

we can't kill the debate by saying that god tells me i’m right. the biggest danger is self-righteousness. you may have a direct line to god. but the public square is not the place to empower ourselves.

hallelujah

here's a partial transcript at nyt

obama on the working class

part 2


part 3


part 4


part 5

Hallmark Meat Packing Horrific Torture of Cows

update feb. 18: this from the human society, take action.
update feb 17: meat recalled
update Feb. 15: cruelty charges filed
Update Feb. 6: The company's president was reportedly surprised that cows were being abused. Well, that's no surprise. he probably fired a few workers, looked stunned and promised to do better. Hallmark and Westland were temporarily shut down. but the companies shouldn't be let off the hook. take action.
here's what obama had to say.
factory farming campaign reports with videotaped evidence that Hallmark (and Westland Meat Co.) are brutally abusing cows, the ones called "downers," which are the sick ones. They're trying to force them into the slaughterhouse. the video is disgusting. and leaders of that company ought to be severely punished.
take action here.
CNN also is reporting this.
here is the story:

Undercover Investigation Reveals Rampant Animal Cruelty at California Slaughter Plant – A Major Beef Supplier to America’s School Lunch Program
January 30, 2008 Posted 10 A.M.

See video from the undercover investigation, and take action to stop this cruelty. WARNING: Very graphic images of cruelty.
Video evidence compiled by The Humane Society of the United States shows inhumane handling methods that may have endangered the health of children.

A shocking undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States reveals widespread mistreatment of "downed" dairy cows—those who are too sick or injured to walk—at a Southern California slaughter plant.

The investigation at the Hallmark Meat Packing Co., of Chino, pulls open a curtain on the scandalous treatment of animals slaughtered to supply the National School Lunch Program and other federal aid programs.

Video evidence obtained by an HSUS investigator shows slaughter plant workers displaying complete disregard for the pain and misery they inflicted as they repeatedly attempted to force "downed" animals onto their feet and into the human food chain.

Cruelties that Defy Belief

In the video, workers are seen kicking cows, ramming them with the blades of a forklift, jabbing them in the eyes, applying painful electrical shocks and even torturing them with a hose and water in attempts to force sick or injured animals to walk to slaughter.

"This torture is right out of the waterboarding manual. To see the extreme cruelties shown in The HSUS video challenges comprehension," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.

"This must serve as a five-alarm call to action for Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our government simply must act quickly both to guarantee the most basic level of humane treatment for farm animals and to protect America's most vulnerable people, our children, needy families and the elderly from potentially dangerous food."

Beef Distributed for School Lunches and the Needy

Hallmark's Chino, Calif., slaughter plant supplies the Westland Meat Co., which processes the carcasses. The facility is the second-largest supplier of beef to USDA's Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes the beef to needy families, the elderly and also to schools through the National School Lunch Program. Westland was named a USDA "supplier of the year" for 2004-2005 and has delivered beef to schools in 36 states. More than 100,000 schools and child care facilities nationwide receive meat through the lunch program.

Hallmark Meat Packing has no connection to Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Temple Grandin, a renowned expert on animal agriculture and professor at Colorado State University, called the images captured in the investigation "one of the worst animal abuse videos I have ever viewed."

A Demand for Action

The HSUS recently completed its six-week undercover investigation at the federally-inspected slaughter plant. Videotape evidence and investigative background have been given to law enforcement authorities in San Bernardino County, Calif.


©The HSUS

See the extended first-person investigator's video and take action to stop this cruelty. WARNING: Extremely graphic images of cruelty.
In releasing footage from the investigation, The HSUS demands that the USDA move swiftly to tighten its confusing regulations on the slaughter of downed cattle. Downer cows must not be used for food—plain and simple. As The HSUS video shows, this is necessary to protect animals from suffering. As science has made clear, this is necessary to protect food safety. The practice of slaughtering downed cows is especially troubling now that the link between downed cattle and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, has been firmly established. Of the 15 known cases of BSE-infected animals discovered in North America, at least 12 involved downed animals.

At the same time, The HSUS is urging Congress to intervene. The Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act (H.R. 1726) would set modest animal welfare standards, including humane euthanasia of any downed animals, for producers who sell food to federal government programs, and the Downed Animal Protection Act (S. 394 and H.R. 661) would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption.

here is the company address, phone:
13677 Yorba Ave
Chino, CA , 91710-5059
Phone: 909-591-0163
FAX: 909-590-3897