Minneapolis Star Tribune obliterates Bush on Memorial Day

[Carla in Ca]

Wow, this IS scathing...comes right out and calls him a liar! WOW
(subject line courtesy of <http://americablog.blogspot.com/>



....In exchange for our uniformed young people's willingness to offer the gift of their lives, civilian Americans owe them something important: It is our duty to ensure that they never are called to make that sacrifice unless it is truly necessary for the security of the country. In the case of Iraq, the American public has failed them; we did not prevent the Bush administration from spending their blood in an unnecessary war based on contrived concerns about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. President Bush and those around him lied, and the rest of us let them. Harsh? Yes. True? Also yes. Perhaps it happened because Americans, understandably, don't expect untruths from those in power. But that works better as an explanation than as an excuse...

snip


The "smoking gun," as some call it, surfaced on May 1 in the London Times. It is a highly classified document containing the minutes of a July 23, 2002, meeting at 10 Downing Street in which Sir Richard Dearlove, head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, reported to Prime Minister Tony Blair on talks he'd just held in Washington. His mission was to determine the Bush administration's intentions toward Iraq.


(more)

<http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5427823.html>

Edit: This led me to the Op-Ed and the next time to a membership page. It is worth reading.

[NMDemDist2]

1. the Downing Street memo is gaining some legs....

:woohoo:

[Carla in Ca]

5. I think this article

will do a lot to keep this a top priority. This is the first time I have seen the "L" word used in a newspaper.

[sarcasmo]

2. A kick to the right from the Star Tribune.

[hyphenate]

3. Good

I only wish that people would read that kind of comment and find it in their power to accept the truth. In fact, as most of us here know, he's been lying since Day One. But as we can all see, in our overzealousness to win the election this past year, we found that there are WAY too many who believe every bit of shit the right doles out, and are none the wiser because they have so much hatred they can't think straight.

[AuntiBush]

37. Slowly, it will come to a rise.

Agree w/you... "they have so much hatred they can't think straight," is right on the dime. All of us out here see in literally every place on our soil.

Will they ever awaken? I dunno... hatred, blind-faith-sheepishness, bigotry and hypocrisy are hard things to let go of and we all know they're "full of it!"

[acmejack]

4. Perhaps it is beginning...

But a paper in Blue country won't do it. But when we see something like this in the LA Times, we will know. Thanx for the link.

[Bluebear]

7. Remember, they elected Coleman

It's not as blue as it once was. VERY important editorial!

[FredStembottom]

27. I'm one proud Minnesota boy!

And I can't say it enough here: we also turned back 13 Republican seats in the statehouse! Even in the fancy-shmansy suburbs!
You folks may not fully realize just how RED Minnesota got during the past 10 years - but we're in Recovery now.

And now this editorial....WITH THE "L" Word!!!!!!!
Damn! I'm proud!

:applause:

[Carla in Ca]

35. Welcome, Fred

Glad you and your newspaper could join us!:hi:

[FredStembottom]

47. Thanks Carla!

n/y

[pokercat999]

52. But it only calls for never repeating the mistake!

Why don't they call for the chimps head? I mean really, "You are are a liar Mr Bush, your lies have killed thousands, men, women and childern, so please don't do it again" ???????? WTF
they got REAL balls dont' they

[FredStembottom]

77. One step at a time.....

It's MSM. It says "lied". It is spreading across the internet like wildfire.
A threshold has been crossed.
Yipee!

[pokercat999]

97. OK one step at a time as long

as the last (and it better be soon) one is putting these criminals in prison.

[Junkdrawer]

58. ..or did a plane crash and a coordinated funeral smear campaign...

elect Coleman? :shrug:

[Carla in Ca]

8. I agree...but it keeps the ball rolling.

Lets do all we can to keep this going!

[yorkiemommie1]

20. maybe we should send it to the LA Times

goad their consciences a bit.

[donco6]

6. Kick - brave article. eom

[JusticeForAll]

9. Good Stuff!

Recommended for greatest. Maybe this will be the 'sleeper' story of the year. Let's hope.

[Carla in Ca]

10. Thanks, Justice

and all who nominated it...

The timeline of lies, including the 'memo' is perfectly done.

[Bluebear]

11. You're welcome but thank YOU for the find!

Well done.

[Clark2008]

12. They say it! They say it! They say the "L" word! LIE

Bush LIED to us!

:bounce:

We need to send these editors some LOVE!

[Carla in Ca]

13. Good idea!

I'll go find the link for contacting them...be right back!

Here it is. I'm sending one now.
<http://www.startribune.com/feedback>

[For PaisAn]

82. Just sent them a thank you

So glad you posted this article. It gives hope again.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. I wrote and asked them why this wasn't on the front page

Do you know what was on the front page? Well, above the fold was the obligatory tribute to the war dead, but the big article below the fold was about a Jewish Community Center group that had taken up log rolling. :wtf:

I'm not making this up. I wish I were.

They have a chance to tell the state of Minnesota (for the paper has a statewide reach) that Bush is a liar, and they put an article on log rolling on the front page.

[Carla in Ca]

16. I see your point, but

this was a Memorial Day OP-ED piece, not an article. I think a lot of readers will see it. And hopefully, it will get enough nominations to make OUR front page!

[sellitman]

24. If they reply...please update us.

I'd be curious as to their response.

Regards,
Kevin

[Pacifist Patriot]

54. Let us know what their response is, please?

[wellst0nev0ter]

73. I Think I Can Predict It

the editor Anders Gyllenhal (?) says he recieved a lot of complaints over their front page coverage of frivolous stories, and his response is always that he want's to maintain a "balance" between local events and national stories.

[me b zola]

15. Yes!

My guess is that this is in response to PDA's call for media activism re Rep.Conyers call to action. Our work is paying off, and we must keep it up!!! :applause:

Here's a link in case any one missed it. Don't just stop at signing the petition, there's also a place where you can alert the media to Congressman Conyers call for justice.

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7655491



edited to include link

[steve2470]

17. altruistic kick nt

[Liberty Belle]

18. Wow! Thanks. Just sent this to a friend from Minnesota.

[yorkiemommie1]

19. thank you for posting this

it was heartening to read ( almost a voice in the wilderness ) and thanks to those of you who published a link to contact them.

[oxbow]

21. sent out to MSM

including the LA Times. Anyone else wish to follow suit?

[Carla in Ca]

23. I get the Sunday LA Times

I told them when they do something similar, I'll take it daily.
I also emailed it to Robert Scheer, a syndicated columnist whose articles are in the Times every Tuesday.

[Quixote1818]

25. HERE IS A SITE WITH HUNDREDS OF MEDIA CONTACTS

Courtasy of the Freepers! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1228326/posts

Send out that article to as many places as possible!!!

[oxbow]

70. Where was the page with all of the contact info formatted

so that you could just copy and paste em into your email?

[samsingh]

22. exactly what Michael Moore said

in Fehrenheit 911

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. The Hometown Paper kicks ass again!

I'm sure they'll get an avalanche of freeper hate mail. But this is the same paper that said in another editorial, only about a week ago, that Newsweek shouldn't have knuckled under on the Quran story -- the last word in their editorial, referring to White House pressure on the news media was: "Resist." The Strib rocks -- Write to them and tell them.

[Carla in Ca]

28. See post #13

link to contact page is there.

So right. They will receive a lot of negative mail, too. They knew they would and ran it anyway. They showed Newsweek how to do it right.

[Carla in Ca]

29. Evening Kick!!!

n/t

[WillyT]

30. This One (Baltimore Sun) Tries, But Still Comes Up Short !!!

Compared to The Star Tribune anyway.

I'll take it however, as part of the Downing Street Drum Beat.

Every little bit helps.

<snip>

They were men and women serving on the treacherous front lines and working the dangerous supply routes. They were 19-year-olds out of high school and "weekend warriors" old enough to be their fathers.

They died for America and Americans. That they were ill-served and exploited by the government that sent them into action has nothing to do with their sacrifice.

Except this - a government that was either smarter or more honest would not have squandered so many lives. The war in Iraq could have been avoided. Or, once launched, enough troops could have been deployed to ensure a successful occupation. Body armor and Humvee armor could have been provided. Familiarity with Arabic and with Arab customs could have become a top priority. American officials could have handled the crucial early weeks after the fall of Baghdad with finesse and good sense, rather than doing everything possible to earn the hostility and contempt of so many Iraqis.

That's not, of course, the story we hear from the White House. The people running this war have signed on to a different narrative altogether: feel-good, strutting, flag-waving. Naturally, it plays to the image of brave, heroic troops in the field - but, quite unnaturally, it values fiction over reality.

<snip>

Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.memorial30may30,1,338249.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

More... We need lots, lots more of these in the MSM.

[WillyT]

31. BTW - VOTE THIS THREAD UP FOLKS !!! - HOME PAGE MATERIAL !!!

:kick::nuke::kick:

[Carla in Ca]

36. Hey, Willy T!

Thanks for the kick.

[understandinglife]

39. Done. Agreed.

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us - how ever long it takes, the day must come when tens of millions of caring individuals peacefully but persistently defy the dictator, deny the corporatists cash flow, and halt the evil being done in Iraq and in all the other places the Bu$h neoconster regime is destroying civilization and the environment in the name of "America."

[Stinky The Clown]

32. I don't know the Minneapolis Star Tribune ........

is it a 'mainstream' big city paper?

If it is, then is huge. This is yet another sign that the tide may finally be changing.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. The Strib is totally mainstream, 17th largest daily in the U.S.

It's the biggest newspaper in Minnesota. Here's more about it:

"startribune.com is the most frequently used local news and information service for the Twin Cities market, with 20 million page views and 1.3 million unique visitors per month. In addition to up-to-the-minute news coverage, the startribune.com network of services includes: cars.com, WorkAvenue, Homezone, Travel, Shopping, Communities and FreeTime.

The Star Tribune Company, an information and communications company serving the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, is a subsidiary of The McClatchy Company of Sacramento, Calif. (NYSE:MNI).

Star Tribune also produces the Star Tribune newspaper, the 17th largest daily metropolitan newspaper in the nation (daily circulation 406,409 per Audit Bureau of Circulation report 3/00) and the 11th largest metropolitan Sunday newspaper (circulation 679,681). In May 2000, the company reported its fourth consecutive circulation increase in two years."

http://www.startribune.com

[Carla in Ca]

34. Good question...but this article is being circulated

and re-printed a lot so it is huge now! Using the 'L' word is huge.
I do indeed think it represents a real turning point.

Edit:
Ocelot, thanks for the info.

[understandinglife]

38. Mission NOT Accomplished

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3742495&mesg_id=3742495

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us - how ever long it takes, the day must come when tens of millions of caring individuals peacefully but persistently defy the dictator, deny the corporatists cash flow, and halt the evil being done in Iraq and in all the other places the Bu$h neoconster regime is destroying civilization and the environment in the name of "America."

[Blaze Diem]

40. C-SPAN needs to add Mpls Star Tribune to their Reading List..

Someone please send them a copy so they know its not made up on the internet.

[Carla in Ca]

41. Late- night kick

n/t

[Raksha]

42. I saw this link (with excerpts) in two places on another forum.

And all the usual suspects are whining their heads off about how the "liberal media" mistreats their fearless leader. None of them seems terribly concerned about whether or not Bush *DID* lie. Apparently that isn't too high on their list of priorities.

[bpilgrim]

43. ask forgiveness for sending them to a war that should never have happened

"let us also ask their forgiveness for sending them to a war that should never have happened"

lots of TRUTH in that article... and he gets in the body blows, thanks for sharing :toast:

if this meme becomes the TEMPLATE the neoCONs will be in a world of shit... hopefully they'll behave RATIONALLY as the end closes in.

:nuke:

peace

[KitchenWitch]

44. If you wish not to register

use http://www.bugmenot.com/

[FreedomAngel82]

45. That's a great article!

I'm glad they ran the article. Yay!

[steve2470]

46. kick nt

[southernleftylady]

48. WOW very powerful!!! thanks for posting! nt

[katinmn]

49. If you agree, let them know.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=160x10830

[converted_democrat]

50. Yes!!!!!!!

"Do you know what the Downing St. memo is?"

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com

[jean]

51. kick - way to go Strib!!!

:yourock:

[rateyes]

53. I just read in the "War Room" link at salon.com

about this same article. They also link to the Boston Globe which also had an op-ed piece by Ralph Nader, nonetheless, with same info, and calling for congress to start impeachment proceedings against Bush. Keep this ball rolling. Kick.:kick:

[DFLer4edu]

55. kick for the Strib

[Miss Chybil]

56. Why is this kind of stuff always in the Op-Eds and not on the front page?

Will anybody get the balls to print it as news and not opinion?

[ColonelTom]

61. FOX-ification - if it might cause controversy, it's "opinion"

Because any reported facts that the Bush administration might object to are considered to be merely opinions. It's the FOX-ification of the media - instead of seeking the truth through reporting, "news"casts and "news"papers merely present opposing opinions and, as FOX News likes to say, let "you decide."

[CAcyclist]

69. Welcome to DU, ColonelTom!

:hi:

[Miss Chybil]

74. I mourn for the loss of our country, but gladly welcome you to DU! nt

[newyawker99]

90. Hi ColonelTom!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ColonelTom]

93. Long-time lurker, first-time poster... glad to be on board!

Many thanks for the warm welcomes! That beer sure looks good right now... :toast:

[jwirr]

57. IMHO this newspaper from my home state

is one of the best around. There may be a reason for that - the last I knew it was owned by the Ritter family who are closely related to FDR. Maybe they have their eyes open because the repugs are trying to destroy everything that he did. At any rate - thank you Star Trib for the great article.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Solly Mack]

60. "Let us resolve to never, ever make this mistake again"

America will continue to make this mistake unless she finally does the right thing and takes an entire administration down for war crimes.

Unless Bush and his entire cabinet are brought down...America will continue to engage in criminal acts. Bush simply leaving office won't stop Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, the Patriot Act, or a myriad other policies that promote the war on terrorism...don't kid yourself into thinking it will. Everything about the War on Terror promotes criminal behavior in government...everything about it encourages governmental abuse of people and the erosion of civil rights and liberties....not just for us either...but as Iraq and Afghanistan have shown us, our government isn't afraid to erode the rights of people in other countries either... and don't ever forget rendition.

Bush must be brought down by the force of criminal charges for war crimes. He must be arrested and tried. He must be exposed for the liar and criminal he is...to all of America and to all of the world.

Let Bush simply walk with the "America must move on" attitude and America will get another Vietnam,another Iraq, another Gitmo, another Abu Ghraib...and we'll keep making the same mistakes.

America can survive removing an entire adminsitration with war crime charges...but it is my belief that America will not be worth saving unless she does.

[Minnesota_Lib]

62. I am an athiest....but God bless the Star Tribune...

Send this editorial to every media outlet in this country...and the world. Shame the US media into covering this...a story that may be the most important story in this nation's history. Send this out. Shame them. Why do they, the big city media, ignore this major story while a samllish, mid-west newspaper has the guts to stand alone for freedom?

Shame them...shame MSNBC...shame CNN...shame PBS....shame the NY Times, the Washington Post, the SF Cronical, the LA Times...shame them all that a small mid-west newspaper stands alone in standing for that journalistic ideal of reproting the truth.

Send those emails...and then send them again...and tell your friends to send them.

Shame them into doing the job that they took as idealistic youths....SHAME THEM INTO SPEAKING UP TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY!!!

[MellowOne]

71. That was my first thought

when I read this article. I'm emailing to every media outlet I can think of. If we all did, maybe they would take notice!

[Kurovski]

63. We failed.

The hard and painful work ahead for America will be coming to grips with having let all this happen.

Democracy in Iraq? Here in the United States we've failed in the first task in a democracy; keeping an eye on our leaders and making them accountable.

Working to make the leadership accountable, and removing our troops from harm's way are the only way to make good. Apologies are just words.

The op-ed points out the truth even for those of us who worked hard to stop Bush's war: we failed.

[ClintonTyree]

64. Now, if only the other 99.9% of the media....

covered this in the same fashion, perhaps a little pressure would be brought to bear on the White House. When I see this in the WaPo, NYT, LAT, USA Today etc. THEN I'll start to think that our media is doing it's job.....finally. I'll wager there's as much chance of that happening as my winning the freaking Lotto tomorrow.
Lying to Congress to engage in an illegal war is an impeachable offense, not merely a slap on the wrist and the promise to "never do it again".
The Downing Street Memo has to reach ALL of America, not just Minnesotans. Our media is failing us mightily. Can you imagine the consequences if Bill Clinton had done this? Can you imagine the National outrage and calls for impeachment by the Republicans? I wish some sane Republicans (I know, oxymoron) would stand up and demand a full investigation of the bush cabal, but I'm sane enough to realize that will never happen.
I'm glad that Minnesotans are getting a glimpse of the truth (and by proxy, us) but that's a far cry from the exposure this story truly merits.

[Bluzmann57]

65. This is at least a start

And a good one at that. Please email or call the networks and other newspapers around the country. Do so everyday, if neccessary. It is up to us to see that this gets out there. We quite obviously can't trust the big media, so it's time for a little Power to the People! And fyi, I just emailed ABC, CBS, and NBC about this and intend to every day until they either tell me to go away(and even then I may not stop) or cover the story.

[paineinthearse]

66. Minneapolis Star Tribune is one of the few majors who

...have a long-ish record of being on "our" side. When I get back from the road I'm going to write a thank you letter!

[steve2470]

67. kick nt

[TexasLawyer]

68. KICK!!!

[earth mom]

72. Michael Moore said pretty much the same thing in Fahrenheit 911...

....In exchange for our uniformed young people's willingness to offer the gift of their lives, civilian Americans owe them something important: It is our duty to ensure that they never are called to make that sacrifice unless it is truly necessary for the security of the country.

Why is * still getting away with his lies and bullshit?!!! :grr:

[Carla in Ca]

75. KICK!

n/t

[Babel_17]

76. I'm seeing, and hearing of, this editorial everywheres

It's resonating.

[Carla in Ca]

78. Yes, the Strib, as it is affectionately known,

carries clout. As we learned from Ocelot, it is the 17th largest newspaper in the country. When a major newspaper has the guts to tell it like it is, others follow...watch and see. :woohoo:

[Carla in Ca]

79. Kick...a must read!

n/t

[karlrschneider]

80. Kick...and send this to everyone in your mailbox!

...

[Carla in Ca]

81. Thanks for the kick

I spent an hour last night sending it out. It can't be seen, read and responded to enough.:hi:

[Nothing Without Hope]

83. We need LTTEs thanking them - here is email and phone number:

Here is the contact info:

For Letters to the Editor Contact:
Tim O’Brien [e-mail]
612-673-4778

This is a very significant development, coming at a time when CSPAN is still denying that the Dowining St Memo even exists and the co-founder of CNN states that lying "in the government's interest" is good and that the photos of the Abu Ghraib torture should have been suppressed. Some recent threads showing the trend that this courageous editorial is bucking:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3730041
Thread title: "Co-founder of CNN, Says "The Public Does Not Have a Right to Know"
Housewolf General Discussion Wed May-25-05 08:47 PM
(Advocates lying "in the government's interest," says he would have suppressed and lied about Abu Ghraib photos.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1814999
Thread title: “C-span this morning regarding Downing Street memo”
hertopos GD-Politics Fri May-27-05 07:38 PM
(Says the host did not answer questions from two callers about the memo, then when asked so directly that he could not evade, he said he had never heard of the Downing St Memo, the caller would have to Google it.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3753013
Thread title: Told KnightRidder rep that Cspan claimed UK memo was "internet rumor"
blm General Discussion Mon May-30-05 02:02 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3757225
Thread title: ”HEADS UP: Just got off the phone with UK memo reporter.”
blm General Discussion Tue May-31-05 03:25 PM
(Amazing – says reporter was unaware that the Downing St memo was being suppressed by news media in this country.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=128950#128999
Thread title: “Media Black Out Downing Street Minutes”
ailsagirl/ Editorials / Tue May-31-05 01:17 PM
(Good article by David Swanson in "American Chronicle")


If the 24 hours has not expired, I'll add my recommendation to the pile.

[Carla in Ca]

84. Nice compilation of info!

There is so much info out there. It would be nice to have a thread containing what you have done with updates added and pinned at the top. It is hard to keep track of it all...good job.:toast:
Now that I work from home, I would love to have a thread to organize and update.

[oasis]

85. The word is slowly getting out. I guess you can't hit folks over the head

with a sledgehammer. Before the year's end Bush and his minions will be retreating to their "spider holes".

[Carla in Ca]

86. Well, it worked for the R's, didn't it?

Anything for power. They start the ball rolling and it never stops. We need to do the same thing. The only difference is, IMHO, we have facts, not fantasy.

[Wilms]

87. kick n/t

[steve2470]

88. kick nt

[MarianJack]

89. KICK, and...

...great editorial.

Thanx, Carla in Ca!

[Lowell]

91. Courageous Newspaper

We've been following this for weeks and finally an American paper picks it up. Even if it is an opinion and not a news story it carries weight. It would be nice to not have to go to foreign news papers online to read about what chicanery our government is up to.

What I don't understand is why the MSM is so afraid of this administration. Even the densest Republiscum would have to begin questioning the Bush cabal if he was hit over the head with news like this on a daily basis.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

92. The Strib printed a few responses this morning.

Most were favorable. But this freeper dingbat didn't like the editorial so much:

"I am done reading your editorial page. On a Memorial Day, when one could focus an editorial on all the good things being done in the Middle East, the Star Tribune chose to beat the drum for the Bush bashers. It doesn't matter whether any of the sources or facts supporting your editorial are true or not. The editorial reads is if it were written by a liberal wacko out of touch with America."

Wacko? Out of touch with America? :rofl: Pot, meet kettle. Pretty typical freepazoid whining -- anything critical is just liberal Bush bashing. And how about a list of those good things that are being done in the Middle East?

..... crickets.....

[ColonelTom]

94. Gulp

It doesn't matter whether any of the sources or facts supporting your editorial are true or not.

Looks like somebody drank the Kool-Aid... :beer:

[Carla in Ca]

96. Ocelot, thanks for the update

Nice to hear most letters were favorable. And when the freepers start complaining about fact vs. fiction, I know we are doing something right!
The list of their fiction, fabrications, distortions and lies is endless. Why can they dish it out but not take it?

(spell-check suggests 'creepers' for freepers!)

[V Lee]

95. Wow! Maybe there's hope?

Maybe there's a chance that Bush & his cohorts in crime might be held responsible for their actions? Could it be?

Even if they are, there's no way that the price they'd pay could come close to equaling the damage they've done.


>> What’s on Bill’s mind? Political commentary with attitude and more at http://www.BillsBrain.com