BLEEDING $$$$$$$

• It was a busy weekend for me with meetings, movie, and dinner with friends. A little bit of baseball as well. My Orioles are still in last place, 14th year of losing record.
• We had a planning meeting of our Maine Campaign to Bring Our War $$ Home up in Waterville on Saturday. Had good attendance and some new folks turned out which is always nice to see. It helps to move the meeting around the state now and then. One woman came from way south in Biddeford. It was her first meeting. We are now organizing a month long event to be called: Bring Our War $$ Home (and put 'em to work) Care-a-Van during the period of September 11 - October 10. We are asking local groups around the state to organize some kind of event during this period that will make the connection between endless war and fiscal crisis here at home. Already organizations are lining up dates for local events which is exciting. Herb Hoffman has spoken to Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) about coming to Maine for two days during this period and he has tentatively agreed. Singer/songwriter David Rovics will be coming to Maine as well. We've now got to find a van that we can use to run up and down the state during this month of actions to bring our team of Care-a-Vaners to the local events.

• In the old, but still unbelievable, news category....... The Iraqi and US governments have been unable to account for a substantial chunk of the billions of dollars in reconstruction aid the Bush administration literally airlifted into the country. Special inspector general for Iraqi reconstruction Stuart Bowen told the Los Angeles Times the missing $6.6 billion may be "the largest theft of funds in national history." Iraqi officials say it was the US government's job to keep track of the funds, which were brought in as an emergency measure to keep basic infrastructure going after Saddam Hussein's ouster. Witnesses testified that millions of dollars were shoved into "gunnysacks" and disbursed to Iraqi contractors on pick-up trucks, with what seemed to be little financial controls or accounting on the part of the US government. Just imagine how far $6.6 billion could have gone in funding education, health care, job creation and the like.
• Brother Song, the South Korean activist that got beat up for trying to climb on-board the dredging barge off the Jeju Island coastline, has requested that international supporters raise $3,500 to help them buy another inflatable boat and motor so they can do a better job of reaching these vessels. They go out and try to plead with the workers and a couple times have succeeded in getting them to stop work. So far we've raised just over $2,500. If you'd like to donate just hit the Donate Now! button here on the blog and in the comments say it is for the boat.